Projects Scheduled for Wednesday, June 26th

Fun With Paper!

Your Project choices are:

*A Classic Paper Boat

*Monster Book Marks

*Origami Eye

Supplies needed for classic paper boat:

Paper, Clear packaging tape.

This is the link for this project:

 http://crafts.kaboose.com/make-a-paper-boat.html

Supplies needed for monster bookmarks:

1 white sheet of cardstock, 1 sheet of pink paper, 1 sheet of colored paper (your choice of color), scissors, craft glue or scotch tape, a black marker.

This is the link to this project:

 http://www.ctbakerintheacres.com/2012/02/14-lovely-days-day-2.html

Supplies needed for Origami Eye:

Paper, colored pencils, black marker, scissors.

Here is the link for this project:

http://krokotak.com/2013/01/prilitcham-li-na-tsiklop/

*Remember to bring something to cover your work space for this project, such as a plastic table cloth.

Projects Scheduled for Friday, June 21st

Tin Foil & Pipe Cleaners

Project Choices are:

*Tin Foil Sculpture

*Pipe Cleaner Finger Puppets

*Foil Pendant

Supplies needed for Tin Foil Sculpture:

Plenty of Aluminum Foil, Pipe Cleaners, Craft Glue or glue gun, & a square piece of card board.

This is the link to this project:

http://www2.waukee.k12.ia.us/maplegroveelementary/art/index.html

Supplies Needed for Pipe Cleaner Finger Puppets:

Different Colors of Pipe Cleaners, Craft Glue or glue gun, Googly eyes, Small Pompoms.

This is the link to the project:

http://artforkidsbyelanferguson.blogspot.jp/2011/09/cute-pipe-cleaner-animals.html

Supplies Needed for Foil Pendant:

Sheet of Craft Foam, Aluminum Foil, Clear Tape, Dull Pencil or Medium Ball point Pen, Colored Sharpies (Permanent Markers), Hole Punch, Yarn, & Scissors.

This is the Link to the project:

http://www.makeandtakes.com/foil-pendant-craft-for-kids

*Please remember to bring a table cloth to cover your work area.

The Importance of Art in Children's Cognitive, Social and Emotional Development

"Participating in art activities has been proven time and time again to help children develop cognitive, social and emotional skills they will need throughout their lifetime. Art helps kids develop creative problem solving skills and learn to communicate thoughts, feelings and ideas in a variety of ways. Artistic endeavors also help children learn to adapt to and respect others' ways of working and thinking, as well as gain the tools necessary to develop empathy. When exposed to art in an effective way, children can learn that like most things in life, art is a process that is to be explored. Art is not something that should be "done" for the purpose of producing an end result that should be measured or compared, especially at a young age. Remember to engage your young children in art as much as possible and try not to judge their work or compare it to others. Let them express their thoughts freely and creatively and you will help them be on their way to developing healthy cognitive, social and emotional skills that will lead them to be successful, well-adjusted adults!"
- Lauren Zaniboni

You can read the full article by going to the following link:
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-importance-of-art-children-s-cognitive-social-and-emotional-development

Activity Scheduled for Friday, August 3rd

Fun in the Sun!

We will meet at Mountain View Park for these activities @ 11 a.m.

 Here is a link for this activity: http://www.agroovymom.com/2010/08/ice-blocking.html

Your Activity Choices are: 
Ice Blocking
Rainbow Bubble Snakes
Huge Bubble Magic!

For the Ice Blocking Activity shown above, you will need: A towel and a block of Ice. 


Here is the link for this activity: http://www.housingaforest.com/rainbow-bubble-snakes/

For the Rainbow Bubble Snake activity shown above, you will need: Scissors, Recycled Water Bottle, Large rubber band or duct Tape, Old Sock, Dish Soap, Food Coloring, and a bowl.
* You may want to wear old clothes for this activity. It is just a little messy! But sooo much fun for the kids!

This photo was taken from: http://momenttomomentdk.blogspot.com/2010/06/huge-bubble-magic-inspired-by-childhood.html

 The Bubble Magic activity is definitely more challenging to put together, but so much fun for the kids. If you decide to take on this activity I suggest you put together your wand and solution before hand so you can just bring the wand and solution to the park for the kids to enjoy!

For the Huge Bubble Magic activity shown above, you will need: a large bubble wand, colossal bubble solution, and a large pan or bowl to dip into. 

*Here is a link for video instructions on how to make a bubble wand and bubble solution for this activity. 
http://video.about.com/familycrafts/Bubble-Wand-With-Bubbles.htm 



For the Bubble Wand you will need: a dowel rod that’s 3/8” in diameter and about 36” long. A a ring (either a plastic ring or a metal keychain ring. About an inch in diameter.)
A flat lead washer ( 8 mm ), a wooden bead that has an opening a little bit wider than 3/8”, a rope 3/8” wide with a soft finish, and tape.

For Colossal bubble mix  you will need: a gallon of distilled water, 1 cup measuring cup, 12 ounces of liquid dish soap, funnel, 3 tablespoons of glycerin, a large pan or bowl to dip wand in. 

Raising Creative Kids

by Elizabeth Curry 

The words ‘children’ and ‘creative’ naturally go together.
Perhaps that’s why it’s concerning to read recent reports about the decline in the creative abilities of American children. It turns out that creativity involves more than just doing a craft.
Creativity is the ability to generate unique ideas that are expressed in a variety of different ways, such as through the arts or in problem solving; creative individuals are able to see the richness of the world around them. So how do parents go about raising and encouraging creative kids?

Joyce Elias, an Evanston artist and set designer who teaches art to children in her studio, suggests:

• Keeping things unstructured. Provide lots of time for free play, preferably outdoors.
• Exposing children to different art forms. With Chicago so close, there are a multitude of opportunities to see creativity in all its different forms.
• Providing space and materials. Along with basic art supplies, collect recyclables, which can be made into inventions and other projects. Turning an item designed for one use into something completely different is a great creative exercise.
• Playing games together, and not just packaged board games… make your own!

*To read the complete article go to: ww.makeitbetter.net/family/parenting/2745-raising-creative-kids

Projects Scheduled for Friday, July 27th

Rocks, Doilies, and Colored Filters.

Your choices are:
Painted Rocks
Water Color Doilies
Chihuly inspired Colored Filters

Basic Supplies needed for all projects: A plastic cover for your work space, Tape to secure plastic, Wipes and paper towels for clean up.



Here is the link: http://www.littleelephants.com/2009/10/painted-rock-magnets


For the Painted Rock project shown above you will need: Old Clothes or Smock to protect clothing, Flat Shaped Rocks (rinsed and dried) , Paint, Plate or tin to put paint colors on, Cup or jar for water, Paint Brushes, Container or box to carry home your project.
*Note: The photo above is just one idea. Children can paint faces on their rocks to make a pet rock or any design they choose!




Here is the link: http://megduerksen.typepad.com/whatever/2011/02/craft-thursday.html?cid=6a00d8341c469c53ef0147e28576c3970b#comment-6a00d8341c469c53ef0147e28576c3970b

For the Water Color Doilies Project shown above, you will need: Old Clothes or Smock to protect clothing, Paper Doilies, Water Color Paints, Cup or Jar for Water.

Here is the link: http://artwithrmotta.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-10-09T11%3A36%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=7

For the Chihuly inspired Colored Filters shown above, you will need: Coffee Filters, Markers, Scissors, Heavy Spray Starch, and a Recycled Yogurt container.
For more info on Chihuly go to: http://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/
He is one of my favorite artists. His work is so inspiring!

These are our final projects for Art in the Park 2012!

We will meet at Mountain View Park Friday August 3rd for some fun activities! Stay tune for my next post with activities listed and items needed!

Study: Arts education has academic effect

By Tamara Henry, USA TODAY 

WASHINGTON — Schoolchildren exposed to drama, music and dance may do a better job at mastering reading, writing and math than those who focus solely on academics, says a report by the Arts Education Partnership.

"Notions that the arts are frivolous add-ons to a serious curriculum couldn't be further from the truth," says James Catterall, education professor at the University of California-Los Angeles, who coordinated the research.

The report is based on an analysis of 62 studies of various categories of art — ranging from dance, drama, music and visual arts — by nearly 100 researchers. It's the first to combine all the arts and make comparisons with academic achievement, performance on standardized tests, improvements in social skills and student motivation.

For the complete article go to: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2002-05-20-arts.htm

Projects Scheduled for Friday, July 20th

Crazy Crafts!

Your choices are:
Clothes Pin Dino
Jelly Fish Craft
Paper Rocket

Basic Supplies needed for all crafts are: a plastic table cloth to cover your work space and wipes for clean-up.

For the Clothes Pin Dino Craft shown above you will need: one clothes pin, two googly eyes, any color of fun foam, hot glue gun, and a glue stick.(You could try tacky craft glue also)
Here is the link for the craft: http://www.readjame.com/2011/11/stocking-stuffer-clothes-pin-dolls.html



 For the Jelly Fish Craft shown above, you will need: tow paper bowls, googly eyes, ribbon ( different colors and sizes / crepe paper streamers, rick rack, paints, paint brushes, jar or cup for water, paper towels, tacky glue or hot glue gun and glue stick, fishing line or strong thread, one skewer.
*Remember to wear an old shirt or smock for this craft to protect clothing!
Here is the link for this craft: http://www.scrapbooksetc.com/blogs/iscrapuscrap/2011/06/15/how-to-make-your-own-jellyfish/

For Paper Rocket project shown about, you will need: paper, glue, scotch tape, scissors, markers, and a plastic straw.
Here is the link for this craft: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=ca&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=es&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://curiouskangaroos.blogspot.com/

 

Nurturing Your Child's Creativity

Nurturing Your Child's Creativity by Dr. Laura Markham

Nurturing Your Child's Creativity

“Preempt the time spent on television and organized activities and have them spend it instead on claiming their imaginations. For in the end, that is all we have. If a thing cannot be imagined first -- a cake, a relationship, a cure for AIDS -- it cannot be. Life is bound by what we can envision.

I cannot plant imagination into my children. I can, however, provide an environment where their creativity is not just another mess to clean up but welcome evidence of grappling successfully with boredom. It is possible for boredom to deliver us to our best selves, the ones that long for risk and illumination and unspeakable beauty.
If we sit still long enough, we may hear the call behind boredom. With practice, we may have the imagination to rise up from the emptiness and answer.”
-- Nancy H. Blakey
Creativity might be defined as putting things together in novel ways, or seeing the world, or a given problem, with fresh eyes. All of us need access to creativity to solve the problems of daily life, and I believe that everyone is creative, although some people are born with talent in certain mediums: an artist’s eye, for instance, or perfect pitch, or a writer’s way with words.
We can’t give people talent, but we can train the eye and the ear and the mind, and we can help our children gain access to a creative way of seeing. We can also help them gain the concentration, competence, perseverance, and optimism necessary to succeed in creative pursuits.
Recent studies examining creativity have surprised researchers. The researchers began with the assumption that the kids recommended by their art teachers as most creative would be the “artist types” -- offbeat, disorganized kids who performed more poorly in other classes at school. They were wrong.
High School art teachers named as most creative the same kids who excelled at getting their work done in other classes. These kids exhibited concentration during demonstrations of technique, the competence to plan their projects, the optimism to take the risk of a more difficult or original idea, and the perseverance to put in the extra time required to do a thorough job completing the project. While this does not speak to talent, it highlights the point that putting creativity to use in the world requires the same qualities of competence addressed elsewhere on this site. It also implies that the same parenting that helps kids become emotionally healthy encourages creativity.

"The artist is not a special kind of person; rather each person is a special kind of artist." -- Ananda Coomaraswamy

So how do you help your child develop his creativity?
Read the rest of the article entire on this link: http://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/raise-great-kids/intellegent-creative-child/child-creativity 

Projects Sceduled for Friday, July 13th

Creative Painting!

Your choices are:
String Painting
Splatter Painting
Q-Tip Painting

Basic Supplies needed for all projects are:
You will need to bring a plastic table cloth to cover your work area & tape to secure it, along with paper towels and wipes for clean up & a plastic cup or jar for water. Also remember to wear old clothes, a paint shirt or smock to protect clothing.

Supplies needed for String Painting are:
String
Rainbow colors of paint
Paper
Paper plate to pour paint colors on

Here is a link to the string painting project: http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/string-paint

• 

Supplies needed for Splatter Painting are:
Paint brush or dropper
Rainbow colors of paint
Paper (Card-stock or even poster-board would work well)
A straw
Paper Plate to pour paint colors on. 

Here is a link to the Splatter Painting project: http://artteacheradventures.blogspot.com/2011/05/splashes-of-color.html

Supplies needed for the Q-Tip Painting are:
Q-tips
Rainbow colors of paint
Watercolor Paper (Card-stock or even poster-board would work fine)
Paper Plate to pour paint colors on. 

Here is a link to the Q-Tip Painting project: http://www.kinderart.com/arthistory/qtippointillism.shtml



Once again you have choices that range from very simple for the younger kids to the more advanced for the older kids.

Raising Creative Children

Creativity Can Be Cultivated
 I hear so many people say their kids are not creative because they as parents are not creative. It is interesting enough to read so many articles saying creativity can be nurtured and it can be cultivated. 
One article I really like talks about some old fashioned toys that can help kids use their imaginations and help motivate their creativity.
Here is the link: http://www.creativechild.com/parenting/old-fashioned-ways-to-raise-creative-children