Language is a Virus.

Laurie Anderson said that... I don't actually know what it means. But, I do think it's useful to consider all the languages that we speak as human beings.

Music is a language. Math is a language. Body language is a language. Packaging is a language. Filmmaking is a language. Architecture is a language. And, art is a language. Each of these things lets us express complex things about ourselves and the human condition. And they also let us transcend our cultural or verbal differences.

Learning about drawing is learning visual language. Again, kids know this intuitively. They are unfinished beings who need lots of ways to get their thoughts and feelings out. They do not know what is best put in a sentence or what is better expressed as a mathematical equation. They just have feelings and opinions and ideas, in raw form.

Mark making is one of the most direct ways to externalize one's thoughts. It does not require any particular training. But the simple act of getting something out onto a piece of paper or in the sand on the beach fires off neurons and refines a person's sense of identity and ability to think... and later to adapt those thoughts in to all sorts of languages.

So, next time you are at a museum, look at the art on the walls and imagine the artist standing there painting it - or welding it, or sculpting it, or whatever. Try to imagine what that person was feeling during that process. Think about how you feel when you look at a work. Does it make you edgy? Peaceful? Ask your kids how they feel when they look at art. Look at them looking at art. Watch what they gravitate toward. Often they will look at the same piece again and again. Olivia (of the children's books) loves a Degas painting. My kids really like Chagall.

Many museums have a day each month when they offer free admission. This is a great way to get kids in there, because you are not "risking" the admission price if one of the kids involved is having a bad day or missed a nap. I know museums can be kind of stuffy sometimes, but I personally love the sound of young voices echoing through a gallery.