Today we added a tortoise to the 19 cute pieces of art used currently on 5 different worksheet titles in the subscribers area. This tortoise has a story behind him.

The previous 19 pieces of artwork were drawn by our friend Carole Manning. She has also taught art to our children at different times over the past 5 years. This summer our families are getting together once a week. I teach piano, then Carole teaches art to the various assembled children (at least those ages 4 and up!). It has been a lot of fun to learn together.

Our daughter Anna, age 11, has quite a bit of talent in art, and Carole has been happy to encourage that talent over the years. (And since I have absolutely no art training, and probably little talent, I, too, am thrilled with Carole’s training and encouragement of my daughter’s efforts in art!)

Earlier this summer, Anna said, “I think we should add a turtle to The Math Worksheet Site. I can just see how Mrs. Manning would draw it.” I replied, “Well, if you can see how Mrs. Manning would draw it, why don’t you draw it?”

That thought percolated for a few weeks. Anna began to draw a tortoise from her own thinking. We looked up pictures of turtles thanks to Google Image Search. We then learned about some differences between turtles and tortoises, and I learned how to spell ‘tortoise.’ She drew and re-drew, practiced and practiced again. She sought parental input and tried again.

A couple of days later, she had finished her tortoise, showed her parents and Mrs. Manning, and the paper lay on her daddy’s desk, patiently waiting for him to put it on the site. (I, on the other hand, was not as patient as that paper!)

Today Scott found it difficult to wrap his brain around some complicated back-end things he’s working on for the site, so he picked something easy to do: trace and add the tortoise to the site.

Scott even changed the credit line to include Anna, though she thought that should wait until she has a few more pieces of art on the site. (So I note that she’s thinking about drawing more?!! )

If you are a subscriber and would like to see the tortoise right now, you can follow instructions on the previous blog entry entitled “Insider’s Trick.”

I’m so pleased about the various ramifications of this: Anna and I worked on it together and that was great, her artwork is able to enhance the family business, her art was put alongside her teacher’s work, and her skill was definitely validated and encouraged by her daddy adding it to the web site he sees as “his baby.”

I’m so thrilled! My daughter, the published artist!!

–Denise