"I am" art camp, words of affirmation

“Who was it? What did they say to you? What did they do? Who believed in you before you believed in yourself? I have become convinced that if God stands a child before you, for even just a minute, it is a divine appointment. You have the chance to launch a life. You never know when you are making a memory. With each child you encounter, you have the power and opportunity to build up or to tear down.  A life can literally be launched with as little as a single word, an uplifting comment, a  well-timed hug, a tender prayer,  a compliment, the holding of a frightened hand or the gentle wiping of a tear, all in just a minute”.I  recently heard about this little book, “Just a Minute” by Wess Stafford, and had to get it. After reading just the first few pages, these words above jumped out to me.  They speak the many reasons why I named my art camp project, “I am”.I believe that words of affirmation are so important. Everyone longs to hear them. Everyone is able to gift them to others. When we are too busy to share these words of affirmation, encouragement to others, or too busy to see others offer them to us, we are too busy.I heard the sweetest story from our campus pastor a few weeks ago. He has three young girls and said that every morning he tells them the same things. “You are beautiful, you are a leader, you have a purpose, you are loved and you are brave”. Wow, I loved hearing this young father instilling these words of worth into his daughters each day.So, now, on to the art camps at my home.  I had two different days in June scheduled for the art day and one last one in July.  There were a variety of ages from 5-10, who came. Some were beginners at art, others had art experience but they all loved everything about creating art that daThey arrived, got name tags and got to know each other a bit, then it was time to create!We did our main project, "I am ' girl first. Each girl took great pride in designing the look of their canvas girl and picking out the words that they would use on the finished painting.and then....Magical unicorns with the "I Am" faces were done in the July class.More "I am" boxes of inspiration from the Unicorn classIt is my hope and prayer that each girl will leave with visible reminders to see and to keep close to assure them of their worth to Him, no matter what the circumstance is.Materials used11x14 white canvasbleeding tissue paper, from AmazonLiquid watercolor,(put in spray bottles from the Dollar Store)Assorted acrylic paintCoffee filtersfloral tape to twist the bottoms of the flowersAssorted sizes small boxes from the Dollar Store, covered tops with brown paper, or you could use wrapping paper of your choiceMagazine cut out words of affirmation or print your ownStencils, optionalHave a great week. Thank you for following my journey!Love,Jane