Round and round

A number of Isaac's disparate interests and enthusiasms came together today in a sort of toddler synchronicity. I don't know if he found it surprising to find these various elements merging, but I certainly did:

• the street sweeper in the book Night Shift, which we've been reading repeatedly for the past two weeks
• a street sweeper driving right in front of our house, which happened this morning (and which has never before happened, to my knowledge, in the six years we've lived here)
• a sudden interest in drawing at the easel, which started only last night
  
• the song "Wheels on the Van" in the book Punk Farm on Tour, which we've been reading repeatedly for the past two weeks
• the song "Wheels on the Bus," sung by a man with a guitar performing at Studio Grow this morning

After the musical performance ended, I suggested we try painting in the art room. In the three or four times we've been to Studio Grow, Isaac has never wanted to try painting, but today he agreed. I put on his smock, got him a fresh sheet of paper, and set him up at the easel.

At first he painted slowly and carefully. He had four containers of paint at his easel, and he dipped into each one sequentially. He put up a blob of yellow paint. He put up a larger teal blob. He painted a green line. He painted a longer blue line. Then he started back over again with yellow. He made about seven different marks, all at the top of the page, and none of these marks touched.

Then he loosened up. He added larger areas of color to the page, and he began to push the existing paint around with vigor. He also worked with increasing speed, moving so quickly that the paint flew off the page and splattered his jeans. Then he began to move the brush in a large circle, covering most of the page, and he began to sing:

The brush on the street sweeper goes round and round
Round and round, round and round
The brush on the street sweeper goes round and round
All over town