Ever since turning three last July, Niccolo has displayed an increasingly competitive streak. “I am taller than Andrian because I eat more.” Or “I play football better than Uncle Paolo.” And, of course: “I paint better than you, Mummy.” Which, incidentally, doesn’t take much.

Better than Mummy’s paintings, no doubt

Lately, however, his benchmarks have become a lot more ambitious. We were reading Laurence Anholt’s Picasso and the Girl with the Ponytail a few days ago when he piped up: “I paint better than Picasso.” And yesterday he came to me, all seriousness:

“Mummy, I have to tell you something.”

“Tell me.”

“Did Leonardo da Vinci draw?”

“Yes, you see, most artists draw preparatory sketches before they paint and…”

My explanation was cut abruptly short.

“Then I draw better than Leonardo.”

Hmm, well…even a mother’s love is not that blind!

I have long been tempted by the idea of homeschooling. My only restraint is that I know I’d spend hours on literature, art and crafts, and about half a minute on math and science. So I do what my husband calls “homeschooling after schooling.” It is nothing of the sort, of course—it’s just a set of loosely themed activities to stimulate Niccolo while we play together.

Watercolour background paper for my Leonardo project

Now, spurred by his newfound passion for Laurence Anholt’s Leonardo and the Flying Boy, I have started introducing him to the Italian Renaissance. On a weekend trip to Milan, we went to the local Science Museum, which has a model gallery showcasing Leonardo’s inventions—we are going to try and make his hydrometer at home with a straw and some nails.

But, more importantly, we have begun looking at Leonardo’s art—Mona Lisa, The Lady with the Ermine. And this prompted me to create a zine for Niccolo, a sort of visually rich minibook full of stories from the Renaissance days, paintings by Leonardo, historical characters…

Just now, I am playing with the colour palette, and those vermilions, golds and ochres are making my mouth water. I hope to put together a fanciful feast with folds, pull-outs and enough rich colours to keep him intrigued. And I fully intend to have plenty of fun while making the zine, of course!