"Art" education is integral to teaching for several reasons. Art encourages expression. So often, children have feelings and thoughts that are hard pressed to put into words. Art can enable that expression. Art can also help a child think "outside the box." The movers and the shakers of our times are the people who are constantly re-creating and pushing ideas forward, and this comes from creative thinking. One cannot think of a new way of making money for their company or of a new treatment for cancer if they are only doing what has been done before. Art lights up pathways in the brain that can bring youth and adults to deep understanding of others and the world around us. Art can often give that voice to the child that is voiceless. I have also seen art be the one area that a child excels in. If they are able to feel successful and talented in one area, that often trickles down into their academic areas. There are all kinds of research regarding art and education and performance and brain function, but still, we let the powers-that-be take away art education in so many forms. We are lucky, though, here in Henry County that our school systems do have positive art programs compared to many other school systems.
At R.E.A.L. Hope we try to incorporate art as often as possible. I have seen children that are aggressive and cannot focus respond to readers' theater and creative movement exercises and become delightful children. I have also witnessed students that feel they are in an older siblings’ shadow, and then they discover an art form they are good at and they are able to create their own identity. We are constantly looking for ways children can feel good about themselves.
In our regular schedule of events, Monday is music day. Currently, this incorporates Ms. Rotterman teaching the children rhythm and tone with boom whackers. Boom whackers are like hand bells but long, colorful tubs that produce a tone when hit. We are also currently working on our singing production for the Gong Show at the beginning of April. Tuesday is open for cooking. Cooking is very much a creative art, and this can be seen when we are making individual pizzas or decorating holiday cookies. Wednesday is our reading day and creative theater day. Susan Jones reads simple stories to the children in order for them to bring the words to life through drama. Thursday is our arts and crafts day. We may incorporate a holiday theme or our country of the month or a service learning project like our collaboration with the Carl Perkins Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. We are making "tye-dye" coffee filter flowers in order for the Center to use in their Child Prevention Month activities in April. Friday is usually our "Open Mic" day where the children can recite an entry from their journal writing from throughout the week. Most of the children love to use the microphone in front of the other children and this gives them an avenue to showcase their writing.
We also have play dough available for creative, manipulative work. In the Ocean Room we have several art easels for water color exploration. Another popular artistic expression is with the use of the many large dry erase boards we have with the myriad of colored markers which the children use to not only do homework and play games but to draw and create poetry and graphic art.
To us art education and creative expression is tantamount to giving children the richest most fulfilling life possible. It is also so important to stimulating all brain function and expanding their perimeters of thinking. As time,money and other resources permits we would like to explore even more art forms for our children. Along those lines, we are currently developing our "dress-up box" for the children to use props to bring their creative exploration to life.
Until next week...Keep it R.E.A.L.!
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