On Splatter Art, Sneetches and Suicide

Before Christmas, we decided to make some wrapping paper. I spread out some butcher paper on the deck, got small jars of paints and old toothbrushes, and we engaged in some splendiferous splatter art. Here's our small test-canvas, used to see if we wanted to embark on a larger project:

Well, of course we did! Here is Finn demonstrating his Mad Ninja Paint Flinging Skillz:

This was the most excited Finn has been about an art project in a long time-- he spent at least an hour happily flinging paint. Larkin flung for quite a while, but then started drawing more distinct images, the numbers from 1 to 14, and made a splatter pattern around a leaf. Consensus is that the results were quite striking. I'm on a mission to find more physical art projects to work on with Finn.

Larkin's recent fascination with Zinn's U.S. history book (geared toward young teenagers) has led me to wonder a bit about how much the kids are actually absorbing from the various things we do with them. I know a lot of the language and concepts in the book are going over Larkin's head and doubtless she will get a lot more out of it if she chooses to read it again in a few years, but I'm often amazed at how much information is making a lasting impression.

A few days after reading Zinn's chapter on civil rights, Larkin and Finn and I were cuddled up on the couch with the good Dr. Seuss (whose political biases, I realize, are no more subtle than Zinn's... Really! We're not trying to brainwash our children!). We were reading a long-time favorite, The Sneetches (in which, in case it's been awhile for some of you, the star-bellied Sneetches are under the impression that they are superior to the Sneetches with no stars upon thars). A light bulb clearly went off for Larkin a few pages in: "Hey! This is just like when there was [insert word that should be segregation but had a few extra syllables] in our society!"

Another recent, very popular, topic of conversation has been suicide. I believe this started after reading about what happened to the native Americans when Columbus and his cronies showed up. There were some pretty gruesome stories about natives having their hands severed if they failed to show up with an acceptable amount of gold, and mothers killing themselves and their children rather than face persecution.

Heavy stuff, and it obviously made a big impression on Larkin. For some reason, these conversations always seem to come up in the car. She wants Emile and I to name all the famous suicides we can think of and tell her how they killed themselves and why. It's pretty disturbing, but we comply. If this fascination lasts, we'll probably have to find some relevant books or web sites. I can only imagine where that search might lead.

When we were on our way to a Christmas Eve/Birthday dinner, I did let Larkin know that Grandpa Don and Grandma Vicki probably wouldn't think that suicide was a suitable conversation over a festive meal. She was happy to postpone the discussion.