It's almost impossible to put into words how proud I am of our kids as we continue STEAM week. It's almost as if they had already adopted the intersection of these areas of study that many traditional schools separate. Yesterday was our big field trip - and by big I mean 2 buses and 5 classes of kids! All combined, we visited 6 different Museums and Arts Organizations: The San Diego Air and Space Museum, San Diego Museum of Art, the Mingei Museum, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego Junior Theater, and the San Diego History Center.
This is a wonderful article that spells out the relationship between play in the arts and childhood development. The article lays out 5 life skills that are developed when they are supported in playing with materials and using their imaginations rather than creating directed, adult inspired products. I've included those five skills from the article and if you'd like to read the entire article here's the link!
5 life skills your child will learn through art Social skills: By sharing materials and collaborating on creative projects, children learn to take it in turns, negotiate and work as a team. Cognitive development: From early sensory exploration (the feel of a crayon across paper, the smell of paint) and decision making (what to portray, what materials to use) to problem solving (how to get two materials to stick together), art teaches children to think for themselves. Self-expression: Art is a valuable form of language. A pre-cursor to written and verbal communication, it enables children to tell stories as well as expressing what they are thinking and feeling. Motor development: The small movements of the fingers, hands and wrists associated with holding a crayon or paintbrush, drawing, painting or manipulating clay develops the fine motor skills of young children while the large arm movements required for painting at an easel or on a large piece of paper on the floor develops large muscle groups. Inventiveness: When children are encouraged to experiment and take risks by trying new things during the creative process they develop a sense of innovation – a valuable skill in business and in life. - Huffington Post, Georgia James, How Art and Play Can Work Wonders for Your Child's Development, 10/15/2015 There are lots of ways for students to experience color in the art room. I came across one of the most interesting a week ago and I got to bring it out for first graders to try this morning. It's a color scale puzzle where each color is slightly different but related to the colors surrounding it - it's a brilliant concept to help kids understand the relationships between colors. I'm not going to lie - I had a hard time keeping my hands off of it before they came to class! Below you'll see photos of three boys working it out and finding strategies to complete the puzzle including like colors together. They finished the puzzle in about 15 minutes which I think is a pretty amazing accomplishment!
Maker Faire San Diego was a huge success! Our second through fifth graders shared their love for Tapigami with visitors around the globe including educators from Israel! Many thanks to the families that came and supported our programs by bringing the kids to share their new knowledge with others!
Ms. Zoë and I are so excited to have launched our big fall project today! In an unprecedented collaboration, we are doing a massive project with the art and engineering kids grade 2nd through 5th! Ms. Zoë and I were lucky to have been sent to check out the Maker Faire in the Bay Area last May and came back with so many ideas but the one that stood out the most was Tapigami! Invented by artist Danny Schieble, it's a massive scale work of art created with tape! It's also a community project and he invites visitors to add to his tape city. We had a great Skype conversation with him this morning with all 220 kids that will be working on this project until late October. Want to know more? Click on the links above! Skype call with Danny Schieble, artist and inventor.Student Q&AThe beginning of the year always leads me to think about big ideas and goals for the year and what I want the kids to really walk away with from our time together. I was reading an article and came across a short YouTube video that sums up everything I believe and think about when I interact with our students every day. Cindy Foley so clearly sums up the importance of the mindset that I am trying to foster. Take a minute and watch!
I'm so excited for the first day of school it's getting hard to sleep! I think it's one of the most exciting days, when everyone is fresh and the year is gleaming ahead of us, full of possibilities! Kids have grown, haircuts are fresh and we've been thinking about our first day outfits. I can't wait to begin and get to work!
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AuthorMs. Amber, painter, printmaker, educator, cook, reader, sailor, wife, sister, daughter, friend. Archives
December 2015
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