When Marion introduces a simple paper and twine mobile (see the instructions at left), the kids respond as predicted, eagerly searching for just the right paper to give them the look they want. The mobiles require only some cutting and gluing -- but leave room for a lot of interpretation. And when 8-year-old Sam Gaudet asks if there are any rules for making them, Marion encourages the kids to be adventurous: "I've seen the mobiles all solid colors, and I've seen them all crazy colors. I've seen mobiles all one shape, and I've seen them all different shapes. See what excites you."

 
4. Resist the urge to "help" (you'll both be glad you did)

Fighting that desire to "fix" a child's project is the other essential part of ensuring the kids' creative control. And in Marion's experience, it's one of the toughest things for adults to do. "That one's still hard even for me, because sometimes the kids use a material in a different way than I would," she admits. "But that's how creativity happens. That's how things get invented. I'll only step in if I can move them toward their vision, as opposed to correcting them."

The kids respond well to this philosophy. While working on their box sculptures, they occasionally look around for inspiration or a smile of encouragement, but mostly they work independently, studying their structures and adding such flourishes as a corrugated cardboard roof and a smokestack (with a feather for smoke) that are straight from their own imaginations.

 
5. Praise the inventive (the results can be pretty amazing)

The key is to help children learn to see with their inner artist's eye. "When I'm working with the kids," Marion says, "I try to positively reinforce the thing that is creative -- maybe someone held the paper a different way -- as opposed to just praising that the lines are straight. And if a kid used a green crayon by mistake and thinks he's ruined a picture, I'll pick up a Matisse and show him where the artist painted a portrait of his wife with a green nose." Even as Marion introduces a new style of art, she's careful to show multiple examples to reinforce the notion that there's more than one way to execute an idea.

And by and large, her students seem to take that lesson to heart. When 9-year-old Leland Rege-Colt finishes his box sculpture with a final twist of the spring that sits on top, he admits that he doesn't exactly know what it is he's built. Still, he's pleased. "Ooh," he says excitedly, "I like the way that looks."

His satisfaction shows on Marion's face as well. "This is my little world," she says. "This is what I live for."