KidzArt Official Blog

According to The National Center For Creative Aging, research is showing the positive impact that creativity can have on the health and well being of people as they age.  Clinical evidence has revealed that older adults who participate in the arts have significantly better overall health, fewer falls and doctor’s visits, diminished use of medications and better scores on the geriatric depression and loneliness scales.

Psychiatrist Gene Cohen, director of George Washington University’s Center on Aging, Health & Humanities has studied creativity and aging for thirty years.  Cohen theorizes that arts participants have a heightened sense of control and social engagement, both of which may boost the immune system. Neuroscientists are exploring how stimulating mental activity such as artistic expression fuels the growth of new brain cells in the cerebral cortex.

All of this suggests that more engagement, pleasure and mental activity translates into healthy benefits for older people.  The arts can be used as a tool to increase the quality of life for seniors, resulting in reduced healthcare costs and older adults who can remain independent and “age in place”.

The National Endowment for the Arts has compiled a list, Creativity and Aging: Best Practices, which includes creative community senior programs all over the nation that can be modeled in your area.  Or check out KidzArt’s SeniorzArt program offered at participating KidzArt franchises.

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Spiders are fascinating creatures who produce beautiful works of art: their webs. Try this fun Halloween project by seeking an empty spider web and turning it into art!

Materials:

• Non-toxic white enamel spray paint

• Black construction paper

• Newspaper

Directions:

1. Find an EMPTY spider web and place sheets of newspaper around the area to protect it from the spray paint.

2. Spray both sides of your web with short, gentle bursts of paint. Don’t spray too much or your web will break.

3. When the entire web is covered with paint, press a sheet of construction paper to one side of the web and pull the web down on it. Let the web dry.

4. Once your web has dried to the construction paper, you’ll have a beautiful Halloween decoration! Take time to examine the details and patterns of each web you find!

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From Guest Blogger: Terry Groehler from Art Innovators in West Los Angeles:

Painting/Collage Project Overview:

Students of Malibu’s Webster Elementary School painted a watercolor wash background on watercolor paper. They drew the jaguar with Sharpies and Prisma markers on drawing paper with options of Prisma water color pencils, Art Stix and the Portfolio Series water based crayons. Then they cut out the jaguar and pasted it on torn heavy black construction paper which was pre-glued to the dried background wash. The foliage was made from torn specialty paper and pasted on. Students were very focused with the drawing part; this took two days to complete allowing time for background wash and glue to dry.  The students loved exploring different mediums with this fun painting/collage project.

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“ I found I could say things

with color and shapes that I

couldn’t say any other way—

things I had no words for.”

— Georgia O’Keeffe, artist

The week of September 11-17th was National Arts in Education Week. During that week and since, there has been much discussion and blogging about arts education and ways to make sure it thrives in our schools- from elementary through high school.

The arts can be a rescuer especially during high school years when students are at the highest risk of dropping out (research has show that arts education has an impact on truancy and delinquency problems).

What can parents do to make sure that the value of the arts is a priority at their children’s schools? They can play a very critical role in ensuring that administrators are aware of the value of arts learning. Parents can also serve as a guide to help their teens get the most from their high school arts education.

We recently found a great resource that offers guidance to parents of middle and high school students on how to prepare for, research and be an advocate for quality arts programs. The guide, Getting the Best High School Arts Education, provided by The Center for Arts Education, includes great facts on why art education is important, especially in high school. It also offers practical information such as what questions to ask your high school principal and teachers and what networks or groups parents can get involved in to be advocates.

While this guide is geared toward parents and students in New York City, it still offers wonderful ideas and practical information that can be useful in any city or town. The Center for Arts Education may be working on another version of this document for a national audience. Get your free download here:

http://www.cae-nyc.org/high-school-parent-guide.

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An article in this week’s Franchise Times sites a recent study by Franchise Business Review that says child services franchises are “one of the hottest sectors for franchising”. Continued growth is expected in franchise companies that are aimed at children, such as after-school programs, childcare, tutoring and other niche services.

The study notes that “regardless of population growth, parents continue to seek new options to stimulate and educate their children—be it through daycare or afterschool programs, toy stores, or special events.”

At KidzArt we  know that parents are looking for programs for children that enhance their academic, extracurricular or athletic experiences. Due to budgets cuts in school and community curriculum, quality parent paid programs are in demand.

As parents are spending more time, money, and resources on improving the quality of their children’s lives, KidzArt will continue to provide art education services that nurture children’s creativity and artistic expression.

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As the parent or teacher of young children, it’s important to recognize how children learn and the steps they go through in their development. The following information, taken from the US Department of Education web site, offers ideas and activities which will enable him/her to learn, grow and have fun- while building fine motor skills! Check out these great ideas for “constructive play” and share yours too!

Toddlers can use their hands and fingers to play with toys and to do many things for themselves.
• Keep toys on low, open shelves so that toddlers can choose what they want to play with and put things away when done. Put things that are used together near each other. For example, put crayons on the same shelf as the paper.
• Encourage toddlers to help take care of their toys and to keep the child care setting tidy. Have several clean-up times each day. Provide toddler-size cleaning tools, such as small brooms and dust- pans.
• Follow a schedule that gives toddlers plenty of time to take part in routines such as eating, handwashing, and getting ready to go outdoors. Make it easy for toddlers to do things without your help:
 Place cubbies and coat hooks at toddlers’ height and show them how to hang up their coats.
 Provide cups and eating utensils small enough to fit in toddlers’ hands.
 Mark each toothbrush with a special symbol–a star, an X, a dot–so children can know which toothbrush is theirs.
 Place tissues and paper towels where toddlers can reach them.
• Provide an assortment of table toys and materials that encourage toddlers to use their hands and fingers, such as pegs to place in pegboards and blocks to stack and then knock down. These items must be large enough so that toddlers won’t choke on them.
• Offer new materials as toddlers’ skills improve. Older toddlers can build eye-hand coordination while doing puzzles with more pieces and while fitting small blocks together. They may be ready to use a sifter in the sand box and small boats at a water play table.
Toddlers can use a variety of drawing and writing tools.
• Provide many things to draw and write with and on. Store crayons, washable markers, and chalk where toddlers can get them without help from an adult. Large paper is best for toddlers’ drawing and writing because toddlers need space to make wide movements with their arms. For variety, toddlers can draw and write on chalkboards and on the sidewalk.
• Set up easels, washable paint in a few colors, and brushes with short handles and wide bristles for toddlers to use every day.
• Encourage toddlers to use their fingers to make wavy lines and circles with fingerpaint on trays or a plastic tablecloth.
Toddlers are beginning to notice letters and writing.
• Introduce letters in a casual way. Provide some alphabet blocks, puzzles, stamps, and magnets for toddlers to play with.
• Let toddlers see you writing. Sit down with a toddler while making a shopping list, talk about the sign you are making, and explain what’s in the note you are sending home to families. Toddlers are likely to copy your writing in the same way they copy other adult activities.

Source: http://www2.ed.gov/Family/RSRforCaregvr/toddlers.html

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Three-dimensional art is both fun and educational for kids of all ages- even preschoolers! It offers the opportunity to teach kids about dimension, perspective and depth perception.

Creating a diorama (using a shoebox) is often the first lesson in three-dimensional art but kids can get creative with other inexpensive materials found at home and simple instructions. Try making three-dimensional paper mobiles using paper and ribbon that are folded, scored, crumpled or twisted. Or a large sheet of foil can be manipulated into three-dimensional shapes or animals. Decorate them with paint or markers.

Here are other materials to consider for your three-dimensional creations: buttons, boxes, cans, egg cartons, paper cups, tape, twist-ties, paperclips, rocks or leftover hardware.

This student from KidzArt in Korea glued and painted pieces of Foamcore to create a 3D bathtub!

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Have you heard of Lights On Afterschool? It’s a nationwide celebration of individual events designed to put the spotlight on the need for and value of quality afterschool programs. The 2011 Lights On Afterschool observance is Thursday, October 20th when communities around the US will be celebrating the afterschool programs that keep our kids safe, inspire them to learn and help working families. 
 

Did you know that:

• More than 15 million school-age children (26 percent) are on their own after school? Among them are more than 1 million are in grades K through 5. (Afterschool Alliance, 2009)

• More than 27 million parents of school-age children are employed, including 23 million who work full time? (U.S. Department of Labor, 2010)

• Only 8.4 million K-12 children (15 percent) participate in afterschool programs. An additional 18.5 million would participate if a quality program were available in their community? (Afterschool Alliance, 2009)

• The hours between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. are the peak hours for juvenile crime and experimentation with drugs, alcohol, cigarettes and sex? (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, 2002)

Studies show that children in afterschool programs do better in school, stay in school longer and have greater expectations for the future. Quality afterschool programs like KidzArt/Art Innovators are successful because they provide children “added value” academic, social and emotional learning opportunities beyond the formal school day. 
 
 
Visit the AfterSchool Alliance web site to find out more about Lights On Afterschool events in your area or call your local KidzArt to join in their celebration!

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In his bestselling book, A Whole New Mind, author and right brain thinking advocate Daniel Pink suggests that artists, inventors and individuals with creative thinking skills possess a mindset that will thrive in our changing world.He analyzes “a new age” where creative thinking skills have become vital to professional success.
Incorporating learning techniques that foster this creativity and develop the right side of the brain are an important part of a child’s educational development, especially in the pre-school years.
To better understand, take a look at what different parts of the brain are responsible for doing. While memorization, repetition and testing are left brain functions, visualization, photographic memory capabilities and creativity happen in the right hemisphere. Everything that’s logical, analytical and rational comes from the left brain. Emotions, intuition and our “mind’s eye” are right brain functions.
Does conventional education do enough to develop the right brain? Fostering new ideas, thinking “out of the box” and continuing to develop children’s resourcefulness, imagination and originality are critical elements of developing a balanced brain.
Here are a few tips to enhance learning and engage a child’s right and left brain:
·        Play games that are simple, straightforward and focused. Avoid over-stimulation by using chaotic, confusing images or animations. Less is more: with fewer distractions, more learning can take place.
·        Learning games for kids should not be competitive. Competition can block right brain function and stimulation.
·        To enhance learning, incorporate soothing music such as classical or sounds of nature.
KidzArt’s international program is designed to enhance right brain functions. We create a nurturing, non-competitive environment where children take part in activities that enhance learning. Our students are exposed to a variety of artistic styles, cultural interpretations, and mediums incorporated with elements of brainstorming and critical thinking.
What ways do you inspire and develop your children or students to become innovative thinkers?   

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During some of the many summer car trips, ask your young artist to sketch what they see and watch what happens! Provide them with a pencil, paper and a firm surface such as a clipboard to give the paper a sturdy backing.

This drawing was done by a 12 year old—who placed herself at the wheel:

 dashboard.jpg

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