Monday, April 7, 2014

KIDZ ART STOP | APRIL 2014



Welcome to the Kidz Art Stop a place that will inspire visual communication and development with a playful fun factor for the child and adult. This monthly article will include fun activities for the home, classroom, park, or family vacation. Our focus at Kidz Art Stop is literacy and the arts, stimulating the child’s thinking while they explore and learn creatively.

Have you ever seen a child smooth finger paint over a sheet of paper with both hands and pull their fingertips through the paint to make squiggles, shapes and lines? Or observed a child happily coloring and exploring with crayons? If so, you have seen the concentration on these children’s faces, and the joyful expressions of art explored. You have witnessed creative art in process!!

Creating art expands the child’s ability to interact with the world around them, and provides a new set of skills for self-expression and communication. Art may seem like fun and games… and yes, I must say….it is!... but you may not realize that your child is actually learning a lot through exploring the arts and doing art activities. While at creative play they are picking up these skills:

Communication skills                                            Cognitive Development
Problem-Solving Skills                                          Decision Making
Social & Emotional Skills                                      Visual Learning
Motor Skills                                                           Inventiveness
Self-Expression and Creativity                              Cultural Awareness
Language Development                                        Improved Academic Performance
 
 
Art is a process, not a product so it’s the process that brings great rewards!! Let the child PLAY!!
 
We all know children love to play, love imagination, and love to create stories, so here at Kidz Art Stop we have created wonderful projects that incorporate imagination, storytelling and creative play. This month’s reading pick and project is inspired by Peter H. Reynolds book “the dot” …A wonderful story filled with imagination, and creativity. Life truly starts from a dot, a thought, and idea… so let’s make that dot and see where it takes us!!
 
 
 





Synopsis and review:

 

“Reynolds inspires with a gentle and generous mantra: “Just make a mark.”

                 – School Library Journal

 

Unlike its small title “the dot” This small book carries a BIG message.

“Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” What a wonderful invitation to self-expression. This wonderful and inspiring book is about Vashti a young girl hates art class, she can’t draw and is no artist and to prove her point she jabs  at a blank sheet leaving an angry dot and a frown on her face. Vashti’s art teacher leaned over the blank paper and then looks at Vashti… Vashti in her angry voice says “ I just can’t draw!”. Her teacher smiles pushes the paper back at her and says “ Just make a mark and see where it takes you.” Vashti draws a dot in the middle of the blank page and hands it to her teacher. The very next week Vashti walks into class and sees her dot framed and hanging on the wall in the classroom. She looks at it and thinks… “Hmmph! I can make a better dot that THAT!” She opened her never-before-used set of watercolors and set to work. Painting and creating dots of all colors and sizes. Mixing, blending, and experimenting little dots and big dots. A few weeks later at the school Art show Vashti’s dots made quite a splash!!! A little boy looks to Vashti and says “you’re a really great artist. I wish I could draw.” He said. “I bet you can.” Said Vashti… and the little boy tries his best.  That one little dot marks the beginning of a beautiful journey about the creative spirit in all of us. That one little dot marks the beginning. So what are you waiting for? Gather some fun art supplies and MAKE YOUR MARK!!!

Art Project: Ages: 4 – 8 years

If you have the book read it from front to back and back again…After reading the story, discuss the book and the characters in it (table talk – communication). Have the child talk about their artistic abilities and what they think of them (self-expression). Have the child pick a piece of paper and some art supplies to start creative playtime (motor-skills, creativity, language development). Allow them to use their imagination and play with colors starting from the dot and working out and away from the dot (decision making, cognitive development, hand-eye coordination). Before you know it, the child is creating a wonderful masterpiece of shapes and color. Make sure to have the child sign their work when done and display the artwork when completed. There is no right or wrong to this project. Let us not forget… Art is a process, not a product so it’s the process that brings great rewards!!

Feel free to share your work with us or send us comments via email at artbymamamia[at]yahoo.com and we will one day showcase your child’s art work. We would love to hear from you and see what your child has created!!!

Supplies needed:

Gather supplies and allow the child to choose the tools they would like to use (decision making and control). Remind the child to sign and date all artwork. An artist always signs a finish product.

Watercolor paints  -  paintbrush - White paper  -  Crayons – pencil – eraser

And most importantly…. Art is Life so Live it Creatively!!!


For videos on children’s art classes and projects you can go to http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtByMia1?feature=watch

 
You can also visit my website at www.artsbymia.com

Email: artbymamamia[at]yahoo.com

Article written by Mia Roman founder of Art By Mia.

©ArtByMia