Children's Art

Here is the second program post on our Children's Art program by Joey Teevens:

            Ahoy there readers!  I hope you all find yourselves well.  Polly and I are posting here to update you on our first children’s art class, which took place this past Friday afternoon.  The children’s art program takes place once a week throughout our semester and consists of a general theme designed to allow the kids to learn more about different countries and cultures, as well as to explore their own creative abilities.  Our theme for this semester, appropriately enough, is South America.  Every week we will be introducing our students to a different South American country by making a presentation about its people and culture, culminating with a review of a specific art form or craft that we will attempt to replicate in the classroom. 

            Polly and I chose to begin the semester with Brazil.  We found a cool little Brazilian maraca craft for kids online and moved forward with the energy and rhythm worthy of a professional samba instructor.  We complemented our supplies of paint, popsicle sticks, glue, strings, and beads by purchasing paper plates, lentils, and kernels of corn.  Having thus acquired such an astonishing artistic arsenal, we commenced a creative carnaval with our children who were craving colorful creations.  With Brazilian music setting the mood in the background, the kids eagerly started to paint their paper plates.  Utilizing some construction paper, Polly had also managed to make small Brazilian flags and soccer balls (I did my best to make little pink and orange construction paper carnaval masks) and the kids glued them on to their plates once they were done painting.  To finish off the maracas, we gave each kid a handful of kernels and lentils to place between their paper plates, glued everything together, added strings (with beads on the ends of course), and voila!  Brazilian maracas!  I hope you enjoy these pictures of our little Picassos as much as we enjoyed getting in touch with our own inner-artists with them!  Until next time, cuídense and remember, a little bit of dried glue and paint never hurt anyone!