Art time for children at the Antioch School is often free and self directed. Materials are provided and I give instruction and suggestions on how things could be used, but for the most part, the children are free to create as they see fit. As a result, the Art and Science room is routinely stocked with unclaimed art. Every day the children come to the Art and Science room full of ideas. They know exactly what they need and they have a plan! Other times, the children come in a seeking mood, searching for just the right medium to bring their vision to life. It's amazing what they create out of the simplest raw materials. Cardboard boxes become stuffy houses. Paper becomes an origami fortune teller or frog. A Y-shaped stick and some rubber bands become a slingshot! Paper and chalk pastels make vibrant, abstract scenes. 

Once the creating is done, I'm both surprised and delighted by how often they leave their work behind! Sometimes they leave their work behind because they have bigger, better, more exciting things to get to and there's no time to waste bringing their art with them. Other times they simply reach an internal limit of work and they need to go relax or do something else, and they have no interest in taking their work with them. Their unclaimed art is a great reminder that oftentimes, the process of creating and expressing ourselves is so much more important than the end product. It is also a great reminder not to hold onto things too tightly.