March 25, 2010

Introducing kids to 'The Arts' - a visual chronicle!

THROUGH FINE ART & POETRY BOOKS


thanks to Matthew for the photos, you did really well son :)


GOING TO MUSEUMS/ART EXHIBITS (& buying the catalog for later browsing)




WATCHING ART HISTORY DVDS




TAKING ONLINE PAINTING CLASSES




TAKING PIANO LESSONS




DOING CRAFTS & OTHER ART ACTIVITIES




THROUGH SKETCHING




GOING TO THE THEATRE (& Opera)




CONSTANTLY PLAYING MUSIC AND WATCHING HOMEMADE DANCE & DRAMA SHOWS






DISPLAYING ART IN YOUR HOME




MODELING (ie. Seeing Mommy doing art)



& of course including discussions about and references to art, photography, music, dance, literature, poetry as part of normal daily life!

Does that about cover it? What other ways do you introduce your kids/grandkids to art?

25 comments:

  1. Great post! I'm going to look for some of these book and DVD titles at our library.

    This falls under theatre but puppet shows are wonderful too. From the making of the puppets to the show to the music.

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  2. wonderful! I have certainly done all of the above with my own children and now encourage Jr. & Sr. high kids at our church youth group...sadly as kids get older I find that at some point some adult has squashed their artisitic nature!

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  3. I grew up with constant exposure to art. We had a clothes line with clothespins in one room and called it the "artery" with our creations hanging from it. Many art books could be found on our bookshelves and art supplies and projects were a part of our lives. We had puppet show and concerts and always had music playing.

    I made sure that my son always had art supplies and we often did projects together. When he was a toddler he had to have a pen and paper with him in the car or at any table. I have wonderful snippets of his early art on random pieces of scraps of paper that he drew on.

    Kim

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  4. Wonderful post, Shona.

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  5. I love this post and am now doing many of the things listed with my granddaughter. Sadly though, we've never been to an Opera.

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  6. I also grew up going to museums and seeing my mother crafting her suburban heart out ... now i have inherited her collection of museum portfolios and sewing machine (and i majored in art history!)

    i have done several online kids art camps with my daughter - so much fun as we watched the videos, seeing the girls making wildly expressive art and then we work on our projects. I also take her to the art museum ... although when she was younger, it was a bit challenging and always humorous. In one gallery there was a large statue of a male nude and she wanted to be sure i understood it was a boy ... i turned around to find she had lifted her skirt, was pointing to her "privacy" and proclaiming, a tad loudly "see! it's a HE ... he's got stuff HERE!"

    I would love the book and dvd title list! Off to search my library's database.

    Great piece!

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  7. I cannot wait until Wednesday is old enough to sit still for a play!

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  8. I have no art comment to add. I only logged in to say that Mark looks like a big kid in that photo. His huge grin made me smile. I miss ya'll!

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  9. So true...it is invaluable to teach children about art and creativity. They will need creativity throughout their entire lives. You do NEED to teach children about art. The multidisiciplanary approach is essential...so kids learn that art comes in many forms.....visual, musical, theatrical, etc. Respecting individual differences...one child may prefer music or drama over visual arts and vice versa....so it is important to expose them to all forms of art so that they can experience it. I am a big believer in making art a part of everyday life. I once taught a college level course to elementary teachers on how to incorporate art into the daily classroom. It is proven that children learn more effectively when they have an enriched experience. It really is so easy to do. Once you start thinking about it.....you can easily add it to your life in the most simplest ways.......building up to more complex experiences. ALL are good!

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  10. This is fabulous, and when arts are marginalized in the schools it is even more important to immerse the kids in their everday lives. It's hard not to love life when you learn to express who you are!

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  11. Hip, hip, hurray for the virtues of homeschooling fantastic buffet of the arts!!! Thanks for sharing, it was inspirational, I'm off with ideas!!!LOL

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  12. That about covers it! I would just add "praise, praise, praise"... find something to like and comment on in everything! :)

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  13. What a wonderful post!!! ♥

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  14. This was a GREAT post! Love visuals.
    Very nicely done.
    I could go on...
    Thanks.

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  15. thanks shona..this is fantastic...we don't have alot of classical music in our household, but lots of other music....will try and get my hands on some of those dvds for my little kids....do you know of any free online art classes you could pass on to me please? loved your post, thanks for yet more inspiration...xxx

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  16. Anonymous4:32 PM

    You're doing all the right things -- and what a lift to see! We did most of these things with our son, who graduated as a National Merit Finalist from high school and later, with honors, from a top-notch university. Creativity is the very best example you can set for a child, no matter what career path they choose! Bless you.

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  17. Such fun, we'll all want to live at your house. Seriously, I was worried that I wasn't going to "measure up" and then as I began reading/looking/thinking I realized that my kids have been exposed to art for eons. What a great feeling!
    Blessings, Kim

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  18. We're planning on doing a collage art birthday party for my (will be) 9 year old. I'm going to teach the girls how to do a background, then have a few foreground images available for them. They'll be making art to hang in their rooms. It should be fun!

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  19. Wonderful pictures! I feel lucky that my mom encouraged us to make art and took us to plays and museums like you do...I like seeing children so involved in creativity!

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  20. You are doing a marvelous job giving your kids an expansive arts education!

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  21. Wow! This post is wonderful. Your children are growing up in a wonderfully art-rich home. I especially love the pictures of the children dressing up and acting. We used to do plays and performances when we were little and I don't see that much now. love, Beth

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  22. So great to see your children in creative bliss. We do lots of sketching, painting, making messes, photo taking. Next week we are going to for our first gallery trip. Should be interesting.

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  23. What a wonderful Art education your giving them:)
    Raya

    http://on-the-wings-of-dawn.blogspot.com/

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  24. I am so happy to see all the different ways you love your kids and pass on that feeling of self that all differing art can hold ..i feel blessed to visit today...

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  25. How cute! My little girls love art and so does my one son. I love seeing them create!

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