ArtStarts

ArtStarts has just 3 more April classes at Telegraph Station! With all this beautiful Spring weather we’ve been having, I am eager to do some Spring themed art! Join us at 10:30 on Wednesdays (April 11th, 18th, and 25th) at Telegraph Station in Alexandria. Parents and caregiver can enjoy a coffee or a breakfast sandwich while children ages 2-5 take part in an engaging art project. You can be certain that bugs, flowers, and sunshine will be incorporated in some way! Please contact Nicole at ArtStartsonthePike@gmail.com for more information.

The next ArtStarts class at Telegraph Station will focus on clay! Most of our recent classes have been focused on painting, drawing, or collage so it will be exciting to try something new.

Our clay class will take place on February 22nd at 10:30. As always, we will have song and story time before the art activity. Class is $15 and is payable to Nicole via PayPal. Email me at ArtStartsonthePike@gmail.com to sign up!

Telegraph Station is located at 5735 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA. Feel free to come early or stay late and enjoy any of their delicious menu items. They make a great breakfast sandwich!

Our most recent class had a bit of a Valentine’s Day theme. We read My Heart is like a Zoo, by Michael Hall (click on the title of the book to see a computer version). This was a fun book because every animal was made entirely of hearts. For example, the lion’s nose is a heart and each segment of the caterpillar is a heart shape. Students enjoyed finding all the hidden hearts. We even sungThere’s a Little Wheel A-Turnin’ in My Heart,by The Laurie Berkner Band.

The art project was tissue paper collage. See an example below then read more about the process.

Although I already had a collection of tissue paper pieces, I first provided each child with several sheets of tissue paper so they would have the opportunity to tear the paper themselves. Tearing paper helps to develop fine motor skills and is also something they often enjoy. Many children will first try to crumple the paper or pull it apart. This tissue paper did sometime tear when they tried to pull it apart but other times it would twist into a rope. We practiced various ways of tearing the paper so each student could learn something new. After tearing paper we used watered down glue to create our colorful collages. Students brushed their paper with glue, placed pieces of tissue paper on their paper then brushed more glue on top of the tissue paper. After everyone had experimented for some time, I offered pre-cut hearts to further embellish the collages and to support our heart theme.

ArtStarts held the first children’s art class of 2012 at Telegraph Station in Alexandria, VA on February 1st. As promised this was a snow-themed class even though the weather was unseasonably warm! We read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, a visually rich story complete with snowflakes, snow angels, and a little boy who loves the snow! After reading the story and singing a fun snow song, we got to work on the art.

In this art class, our young students used white paint and sponge rollers to paint the “snow” all over the gray paper. Some students were very invested in this process and spent much of the time rolling the white paint over and over the page. Others experimented with drawing with a stick in the paint, using snowflake stampers, and gluing snowflakes onto the page. It was quite exciting to see how each of our little artists used different materials in different ways as they engaged in the creative process.

One of the most valuable aspects to any art program is that the child is able to direct the creative process. While they may have a wide array of materials, not every  child will use them. Some will be very happy to simply use the paint roller, while others will experiment with all of the materials that are offered. Any art activity that I present in a class, I have also done with my daughter. I have found that as a parent it is important,  though sometimes difficult, to let the child direct the creative process. While I may want my daughter to try the paint stampers or the various colors of paint that are offered, I must remember that she may learn much more if she is able to move at her own pace. If I let her use the paint roller for the entire session she will fully appreciate the physical properties offered by the roller. She will notice more closely the texture that the roller makes and the result of layering paint over and over and over again. She would completely miss these new discoveries if I tried to get her to move on to the all the other materials rather than sticking with what she was truly interested in.

During any art class, I offer a variety of materials but try to do so in a casual way, so as not to distract a child from an activity that they may be very focused on. I believe that this is the best way to let the child’s own creativity shine through. Thank you to all the parents who inspire creativity in their children and also for letting me be a part of this process!