Paint and Pages

When I was a child, I was terrified of monsters and ghosts. I had a very active imagination that I couldn’t keep in line. I dreaded nightfall as it meant spending time in my bedroom alone and terrified. My parents were strict about us remaining in our bedrooms at night so I often spent hours upon hours trying to fall asleep, tossing and turning in bed. I usually scared myself into staying awake until 2-3am, which I knew by the chimes of our old school clock, which I also dreaded hearing in the dead of night. I often went to school fatigued and in a fog from the lack of sleep.

I now realize that even as a very young child I likely had anxiety. The childhood fear of monsters, ghosts, and the dark is very common, but staying up most of the night overcome by that fear is not. I once asked a therapist how she can tell when anxiety becomes something that should be treated in a clinic. Her response was concise: when it interferes with daily life.

When I was in fourth grade, I put my nighttime anxiety and insomnia to good use. I began reading in bed each night. I started asking for books for birthday presents and checking out multiple books from the school library each week. I remember a family friend trying to take me birthday shopping, telling me I could get anything I wanted in the store, and much to her exasperation, all I wanted were books. I read about ballet and became a better dancer. I read about a lonely girl who planted a garden and felt less alone. I read about a messy creative girl who never seemed to be able to do anything right like her older sister and I accepted myself and my imperfections. I had discovered a way to escape the dreaded nightfall and become a better reader, writer, and student as a result.

I’m happy little me discovered reading, yet I do wish “Go Away, Big Green Monster!” was part of my childhood. Children love yelling at the monster to go away and making the monster disappear. It is a favorite with my own children and with my students as well.

After reading this story to my students, we discussed the order in which the monster’s face was built. We discussed the shape and color of his features. We then sang our “Purple Stew” song and I retold the story of “silly monsters” who make purple stew.

During small group, we finger painted with yellow and blue paints. One student asked, “Hey, do these colors make green?” I told him we’d have to mix them and see! Students were excited to discover that blue and yellow did make green.

After the green paint dried, we added the green monster’s face! It was fun to retell the story by adding eyes, a nose, ears, a mouth, teeth, and hair. After glueing on the facial features and stringing the hair through paper-hole-punched holes, we added a popsicle stick to make it a monster mask.

Learning about monsters was a lot of fun!