Oodles Of Doodles

Yesterday Satchel received this groovy Travel Magna Doodle and some wonderful books from the Gutierrez family. (Satchel says, "Muchas Gracias!") I must have read The Carrot Seed at least 5 times...he kept signing "more". I love it too. It has a great message: Don't let the doubts of others stop you from following your dream.

When I asked Satch about this illustration, he pointed and replied, "Laaaaaaaaa Na". (Long neck) He is obsessed with giraffes and calls them "long necks".




Satch found an advert for a Lincoln Navigator in the box. It was shaped like the front grill with text on one side and a photo of the front grill on the other. He held to his ear and pretended it was a phone.






Later, we had to take a stroll to have some documents notarized and Satch wanted to bring the Magna Doodle with him. I clipped it to the pram with THIS...








and I put a mitten on his free hand.

Watching him doodle reminded me of when I was a very little girl. My dad (a Disney fan) taught me how to draw Donald Duck, Mickey and a few other assorted toons. I had a tiny spiral memo pad where I wrote down words that I liked and where I practiced drawing. I once sat in the playground of River Elementary School at recess making little drawings and giving them to the other kids. I can still remember my magenta No. 2 pencil and the voices asking me to draw this or that.

You don't have to be Walt Disney to sit down and draw make believe worlds for your kids. Just pick up a couple of Ed Emberley books...like THIS one.

Both you AND you child can whip out swell doodles in about 20 seconds. It's a great esteem builder! My husband can't draw so I handed him the book and said, "Here, draw this giraffe for Satchel". Then he sat down and drew the most adorable and imaginative (red with black spots) giraffe in less than a minute. He was thrilled and said, "Now THIS makes sense".

Emberley breaks things down into a handful of simple shapes...then he shows you how to put them back together to make anything in the world. OK, the perspective for his buildings are incorrect (i.e. you shouldn't be able to see both the front and side of a building unless you are at an angle), but who cares. It's perfect for rainy days. Check it out for yourself...you WON'T be disappointed!