Art is vital aspect of a child’s development. Not only does practice in art encourage creativity, but it hones fine motor skills and spatial awareness. Improvement in artist skill has been linked to increased aptitude in reasoning, language skills, and even math. Despite these benefits, art is increasingly being squeezed out of our busy schedules. Parents and educators have the desire to enrich children’s lives with art, but often the practicality of producing great art projects is just too inconvenient.
Art All Year makes it easy to have fun weekly art activities. Essentially laid out like a recipe book, it provides 52 exciting art projects organized by month and inspired by the season. The activities are creative, inexpensive, and easy to follow, making them ideal for artists as young as three and interesting enough to challenge preteens and older.
Art All Year is an ideal book for:
- Parents
- Grandparents
- Elementary and middle school teachers
- Parents who home-school
Art All Year projects:
1. require less preparation
Parents buy art project books with good intentions, yet often do only 1 or 2 of the activities in them before they are retired to the bookshelf. Why? Because they lose steam when they have to flip through the book and choose an activity that sounds good; then go to the craft store and round up the supplies necessary for the project itself. Art All Year has activities planned that are perfect for the season, Readers simply keep moving from week to week throughout the year. They can also flip to the month and choose from a manageable 4 or 5 activities that are appropriate for the time of year. A materials list for the month will be placed at the beginning of each chapter so that parents can make one trip to the store and know they have everything they need to do that month’s art projects.
2. foster creativity
Art is all about creativity! Kids should be encouraged to experiment. So many projects out there define exactly what color and what material should be used for each step. My book gives detailed instructions to make art, but also gives suggestions and variations and continually encourages kids to make their own changes. It is the perfect balance of enough information to make the project approachable, without limiting self-expression.
3. provide unique activities
Often art activity books are filled with unimaginative projects that don’t excite little artists. In looking at reviews on Amazon for the books that are currently available; I found many complaints such as “I could have thought of making a macaroni necklace on my own. This book is a waste of money.” It is a waste of the reader’s time and money to hash out the same old standbys. I have had 6 years of experience teaching art for kids. These are imaginative activities that have been tested on my students. I have included activities that have proven themselves to be fun and create a great finished product.
4. use easy to find, inexpensive materials
While gold leaf or linoleum blocks are exciting to use, they are also expensive. Projects with elaborate materials lists are wonderful occasionally. However, I feel it is important to focus on making it easy for parents to have great art experiences with their children. I show them how to create unusual works of art by using common materials in new ways! Readers will be pleasantly surprised at how comfortable and enjoyable it is do these art projects.
About the Author:
Even as a young child, I was passionate about art. From the crayon scribbles made at age 3 to the many drawings of women in elaborate dresses made at 13, I spent a lot of my childhood intently bent over a notepad. Now I spend my free time painting and doing metal sculpture. I also spend a lot of time doing art projects with my own children. (Which is often a great art adventure and always a great mess!) All of my experiences, whether in teaching or creating something myself, have ignited a passion for helping children discover art. It is so empowering to create something beautiful! It is even more inspiring to see a young person empower himself through art.
It has been a life-long goal to develop an art program for children; so it felt like a dream come true to start teaching classes professionally while still in college in 2001. In 2004, I graduated from Utah Valley University with degrees in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education. Since then I have explored art and art history with dozens of children ages 4-12. Besides art classes and summer day camps, I currently teach in public elementary classrooms as an art specialist. This summer I was honored to be invited to conduct an art workshop for the Venture Outdoors Festival in Salt Lake City, Utah. I also have found a great avenue for sharing my love of art through my blog, www.leapintoart.com; which was nominated for “Best Mommy Blog of 2008” by the Best of Blogs(.com).
Parents often tell me that they love the activities I do with their kids. They also tell me how artistic their child is, but that they just don’t know what to do to nurture their creativity. This was the inspiration to write Art All Year. The idea of sharing my love of art with parents everywhere is thrilling. I know this book will help parents and teachers cultivate a strong love for art as they nurture each child’s own creative process.