Children are naturally creative, but how often are their creative efforts truly encouraged and enabled to flourish in a non-competitive environment? No matter what type of childcare we find for our children, the opportunities for them to grow their skills and to build their confidence, to find out who they are and what they stand for can easily be missed in the business of life.
If we take the time to stop for a minute, however, to see and to recognise their unique talents, we can enrich not only their lives but our own. For when it comes to learning, children really do have as much to teach us as we have to teach them. Learning is a two-way process and it works best when the child is invested in the process; that is to say when the child wants to learn. Finding ways to make learning fun during school closures can, however, be an incredible challenge. The demands that are being put on parents are immense and the schoolwork that is being sent out is far less attractive at home than it is in the social environment of the classroom.
What are parents and carers to do? How can they ensure that their children are learning while also caring for their mental and social wellbeing? Finding what children like and encouraging them to expand or develop that hobby or interest can help a lot Mootsy and the AWFULLY big bite!, the children’s picturebook that Lindsay Myers and her eight-year-old daughter created to inject some creativity and excitement into months of school closures is a testament to the magic of collaborative learning. Written by Lindsay and illustrated entirely by Tara, this picture book is a true fusion of talents, a work which the author knows could never have happened without the input of both parties.
“When I decided to try my hand at writing a picturebook I wasn’t sure who was going to illustrate it but as soon as I saw the pictures that Tara was drawing, I realised immediately that the warmth and humour she was adding to the characters was just what the story needed”.
Set on the fateful day when Aoife’s pet gerbil bit her finger by mistake, Mootsy and the AWFULLY Big Bite! is a delightful read for children of all ages. It is available to purchase at Charlie Byrnes and at www.mootsyandme.com and all profits are being donated to Galway SPCA. Readers with children stuck at home will be glad to know that the website contains a fifteen-minute drawing tutorial for children by Tara on how to draw Aoife and Mootsy.
