Learning while doodling
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| Kora Cruz (from left) works on a light table while Erica Smith and Ben Fairbanks look on. The three are students in Laura Patyk’s third-grade classroom at J.F. Kennedy School in Spring Valley. Earlier this spring, all of the third-graders at J.F.K. had drawing lessons from Hugo and Jen Heredia of Imagine U Studio as part of their participation in the Doodle4Google contest. |
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SPRING VALLEY — Do you think that doodles are just meaningless little drawings people do to wile away time on the phone or in meetings?
Think again.
For five weeks earlier this spring, the third-graders at John F. Kennedy School in Spring Valley learned how to doodle from the professionals. Hugo and Jen Heredia of the Imagine U Studio in Spring Valley worked with the three classes, teaching them how to sketch their ideas, use a light table, and mix and blend colors.
The lessons were focused on the Doodle4Google contest, a contest sponsored by Google, the Internet search engine. The objective of the contest is to redesign the Google logo around the theme “What I want for the world.”
After the Heredias explained the contest, Hugo Heredia provided technical guidance through the design process during five weekly hour-long sessions.
“As we understand it, students were not allowed to take these home but were given time in class to work on their designs,” Jen Heredia said. “That way, our time in class was used as instructional time, and the students were able to have questions answered about what they were working on specifically.”
Each student submitted a design. The Heredias picked the 20 best, and Hugo narrowed the list down to 12. Sue Garland, owner of the Locker Room in Spring Valley, and her designer, Sarah Mink, chose the six finalists. Those six entries were submitted into the competition.
Jen Heredia said projects like this are “invaluable.” She said when the students were asked about their favorite parts of the process, they talked about the ability to express themselves, learning how to blend, seeing each other’s designs and other things. She also said doing projects like these increases the children’s confidence, which can transfer to many avenues throughout their lives.
“We asked them how many of them thought at the beginning of the project that they wouldn’t be able to do it, and practically all of them raised their hands,” she said. “Then we asked how many of them were proud of the designs that they submitted, and again, almost all raised their hands.”
The Heredias were also proud of the designs submitted by the students.
“From the first session when we were brainstorming, we had to remind ourselves that these kids are only in third grade,” Heredia said.
The third-grade teachers at JFK were also pleased with the project.
“It let the kids show their creativity in a way they have not had the opportunity to do before,” said teacher Laura Patyk. “I thought it was a great experience for them.”
