What do a house, a tree and a person have in common?
According to art therapy, there is a common denominator. If
we draw each of these in a picture, the combined results seem
to represent man's self image. A house represents our
environment and our relationship to it. A tree, tall, upright
with limbs reaching out and upward, symbolizes man. A drawing
of a person reveals the inner and outer condition of the man
or woman. One's perception of himself is similar to his
perception of the world around him. Therefore, this trio
seems to represent man's self image.
The trio grouped together is a format for a psychological
assessment based on the interpretation of drawings.
Projective drawing tasks with themes basic to human feelings,
beliefs and emotions are assigned to the adult or child. A
competent therapist who specializes in the use of drawings
may combine this discipline with results from other methods
of diagnosis and evaluation to conclude disorders or
emotional difficulties, if any. Usually, a series of drawings
are necessary. A one-time drawing is not sufficient
information. What makes this diagnostic approach very popular
today is the seemingly accurate rate of interpretation. How
one chooses to use the analysis is another discussion.
How many of us have had the opportunity to be in a
lecture/demonstration of drawing interpretations and were
impressed by the results? The participant is asked to draw a
tree, house and a person. I personally recall attending such
an evening when a drawing of an anonymous art therapist in
the audience was on the board of interpretation. It seemed
that the verdict of the assessor was not favorable. This
ironic episode emphasized that such assessments cannot rely
on an interpretation from a single drawing or psychological
perspective or theory. But this does not discount that others
in the audience agreed with the appraisal of their
drawings.
There can be truth and fruitful insights gained from those
trained in administrating and evaluating the results of a
broad spectrum of art-based tests. It does not negate our
intuitive interest for visualizing and recording our
emotions, feelings and beliefs and our quest to understand
them.
The educational and entertainment value of the lecture was
enlightening, somewhat revealing and sent a wave of
appreciation of diagnostic evaluation of drawings to a new
level of acknowledgement by those present. But more important
is the acknowledgement of the value of providing experiences
of the individual, especially young children, to arrive at
personal interpretation of their own drawings and other
meaningful creative activity. In terms of therapy, when
necessary, this is accomplished with a therapist. But anyone
can benefit from reflective, creative play and guided
positive, non-judgmental feedback.
The house-tree-and-person drawings have been acknowledged as
very useful for encouraging reflection on one's emotions and
station in life. This is also what creative play time is
about. In play therapy, the child acts out his issues with
play objects, in a non-judgmental atmosphere. In art therapy,
he draws it out.
Drawing and play therapy are related. Drawing and play are
common to children. Children mirror their inner world and
imitate their outer world according to their perception,
through their drawings and in their play. A logical
conclusion is that drawing and play is very vital to little
children but adults benefit from this as well.
Among the gifts man was given by our Creator is the ability
to create with his hands. From his hands, he fashions tools,
vessels and useful objects, both functional and decorative.
He implements with his hands what he images in his mind. Busy
hands are happy hands when correctly used. This is one of the
rights of human beings and all the more so for children.
Creative handiwork can reveal itself in as many ways as the
human being can function. This can be reflective and
spontaneous like a train moving in a series of mirrors. The
train continues beyond visual space past the horizon line.
Drawing and other handwork are a non-verbal form of
expression. Our drawings, like our handwriting, reveal our
position in life -- where we position ourselves on the paper -
- our personality and strengths -- on the paper according to
the pressure we use on the pencil -- and our mood --
according to the colors and shapes we choose -- and so on.
Drawing is acknowledging our positions in life. An internal
satisfaction of touch and feel that stimulate the brain is
added when three-dimensional art and craft materials are
used. Going a giant step further, if we combine the trio of
the house, the tree and a person into a three-dimensional
project, we have a very reflective and satisfying project for
a child and a great way to spend a few productive
afternoons.
*
Don't we all remember our doll houses with a sigh of
satisfaction? The doll house was the eternally popular box of
props, rooms and staircases that afforded us hour upon hour
of imagining and role playing. Our little homes were a
reflection of our real homes. Inside the toy walls was our
refuge and security. It was a place to make order, build a
life and a family. We carried out dialogues mimicking our
home life and the world as we saw it.
Our drawings of houses also carried meaning. In our youthful
drawings, we carefully placed a house on the ground in the
middle of the paper and planted a tree and some flowers in
front. There was the ever-present sun in the corner radiating
daylight. We also drew pictures of girls or boys indicating
our perfect ideal or at least revealing our present perfect
frame of mind and self image.
At some point in our early school careers, pre-school
teachers drew silhouettes around our whole body from top to
bottom. We would stand or lie on a paper on the floor and the
teacher would draw an outline around us which we cut out and
colored. This life-size paper doll image was us. We had
homegrown quasi non-threatening diagnostic reflective tools
then, but didn't realize it. How nice it would have been if
our mothers had had access to all the skills and feedback
techniques that we have today and validated our exercises at
childhood play.
As mothers and teachers, we have at our fingertips a great
opportunity to open the doors of communication and enrich our
children's lives for many hours, with a doll house in
something as basic as a shoebox. In this shoebox house you
will find the trio of the house, the tree and the person not
only in drawing but also in 3D that is a creative project and
a toy. Your children will color, draw and construct, and most
of all talk about who they are, through these actions. The
shoebox house can include a garden and trees, a swimming
pool, stairs, furniture, beds, a crib, table, flowers and a
little family. As a valued assistant, helping with the
planning, cutting and gluing, you will be spending time with
your children at this joint project that welcomes discussion
and emotional interplay.
The child gains valuable self confidence by having control
over his/her environment and a stage to recreate emotional
scenarios. Confidence and joy with new skills in fabricating
a play stage that is like his home opens windows to emotional
and conceptual thinking and skills.
Shuli, a young, very shy, quiet girl became a bundle of
excitement and revealed reservoirs of talent while we made a
shoebox playhouse with a group of other children. She
displayed her constructional preferences by requesting a bunk
bed rather than two twin beds. Her paper figures were drawn
on two sides showing the face and the back of the head
simultaneously. Her original ideas were shared with the rest
of the group. When she saw the furniture other children were
making, her imagination perked and in order not to be left
out of the flurry of furnishing making, she verbalized a
request for each additional piece of cardboard furniture.
Before doing this project, she would signal with her hand or
her eyes if she wanted something.
Confidence in technical skills will also be on the increase.
Planning the rooms, deciding on furniture and how to build
it, learning to use new materials and improvising,
contributes to creative skills that can be applied later in
life. Once the factory begins, new ideas will surface.
Flowers are formed from twisted bits of colorful tissue
paper. The swimming pool is filled with blue tissue paper
`water' and gift wrapping paper is cut to size for wallpaepr
in the bedroom. Furniture is cut from styrofoam sandwich
board and reinforced with hot glue at the joints. A carpet is
cut out from paper, colored with a pink and purple heart in
the center and set in place on the bedroom floor by small
nimble hands.
We don't have to be skilled in psychology to appreciate the
dynamics of children creating and playing in an environment
of their choosing. We only need to be skilled in sharing
their excitement as they construct their home and put in it
what is important to them at this time in their life. Take
note of which family members they depict.
Do they want bunk beds, single beds and/or a baby crib? Does
the bedroom resemble their real bedroom with a desk, chair
and beds or one that they would like to have? What rooms
and/or furniture do they include and what don't they
include?
In the yard, are there toys, slides, swings and a swimming
pool? What are their original ideas? Is there a hammock in a
restful shaded corner? Remember, the house is their private
refuge to play out their perfect life or to show up what is
not their perfect life. You can expect many productive hours
of project and play time.
SHOEBOX HOUSE
Have ready the following materials:
One or more shoeboxes
Hot glue gun
White plastic glue
Scissors / pencil / markers / oil pastels /
Watercolors and colored pencils for small areas
Cardboard or styrofoam sandwich board
Utility knife, ruler
Colored tissue paper / white paper
Matchboxes and tiny toy props
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cut open one end of the shoebox and attach the lid at the
base of the box to form an extended front yard. Hot-glue all
around.
TIP: You can make two shoebox houses at one time by cutting
both the box and the lid of an adult size box in half. With a
hot glue gun, attach one half lid to the bottom of one half
of the top. Do again with second half of box. Two houses can
be made into an apartment or duplex. Several houses can
become an apartment complex or a street.
2. BE AN ARCHITECT. With a ruler, measure the inside of the
box. Measure a front wall and cut out from cardbord or
sandwich styrofoam board with a utility knife. On the front
wall, cut out a door and a window that swings open. Cut out
and glue on a mezuza near the door and a shelf above
the window with a hot glue gun. Cut out another wall about
one third the length of the front wall to divide the area
into two rooms. Glue in this piece in the center of a short
side of the shoe box. Now glue the long wall perpendicularly
in T formation to the short wall to form a room divider of
two rooms.
3. BE A GARDENER. Draw and color flowers, grass, butterflies
and anything else you like on the front wall. Cut out and
glue on white paper to cover the `front yard'. Draw a path to
the door, design a garden with grass, flowers, rocks, trees
or use cut out stand-ups from cardboard or styrofoam sandwich
board. From this material you can make a box for flowers, a
staircase and a swimming pool.
Color the mezuza, the door and a shelf over the
window. Twist small pieces of tissue paper into tiny flowers
and place in flower box with white plastic glue. Tear up
small pieces of blue tissue paper and place in swimming pool.
Cover with white glue. The glue dries clear and hard.
4. BE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER. Cut white paper to fit the walls
and floors of the kitchen and the bedroom. Draw a clock,
wallpaper, a rug etc. on all the appropriate places and
color. This can best be done by cutting out white paper to
fit, coloring and gluing in place with white glue. Encourage
the children to color with markers or oil pastels (pandas)
carefully and completely for each area. Outline an area and
fill in, swaying the marker side to side. Cut out curtains
from gift wrap or paper and glue in place behind window.
5. Design miniature furniture to your taste. Use empty
matchboxes or devise cut-outs that fold and bend, from
cardboard or sandwich styrofoam board and a utility knife.
Reinforce all scored and bent areas with hot glue. Make two
beds, one baby crib, and one table. Color all pieces. Hot
glue into place.
6. Who is important in your family? Draw with pencil two-inch-
tall figures of family members. Use colored pencils or fine
markers to color in. Optionally, draw the back of figure on
back of the paper. Cover well both sides of the figures with
clear cellophane tape to reinforce the paper dolls. [How
about using real photographs cut out and pasted?] Cut out the
figures in loose curves, not too close to the edges. Attach
Velcro (scotch) to the back of the figures and to each bed or
crib. Place the figures on their beds. The tiny figures will
be removable.
7. Play, display and enjoy.
Devora Piha offers arts and crafts groups for mothers and
2 1/2 year olds together, children and women. 02-992051,
Ramat Beit Shemesh.
