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Everywhere we look from movies, toys, and coloring books we see Disney characters. Walt Disney was a genius and his artists have created wonderful characters and entertainment opportunities. They have developed well known characters and their images adorn everything from clothes, costumes, coffee mugs, coloring books, posters and even bedspreads. So it is natural when looking for images to decorate a child’s room to consider everything and anything Disney. However there are many wonderful artists and illustrators and child friendly images we can introduce our children to.
For preschool and young elementary aged children considered the work of Jessie Wilcox Smith. Her tender images capture sweet childhood moments and the innocence of childhood. Beatrix Potter is another wonderful illustrator whose characters and books are very well known.
As your children get older consider Maxfield Parish and N. C. Wyeth. They are both very talented illustrators. Parish is a bit more fanciful, using beautiful colors, while Wyeth (father to Andrew Wyeth and grandfather to Jamie Wyeth) illustrated scenes of the American west and a wide variety of storybook scenes.
With older elementary students, chose artists that reinforce the personality and interests of your child. Many older boys are drawn to the intricate detail and puzzle like qualities of M.C. Escher’s work. Consider artists that portrayed subject matter to match the interests of your child, like Degas’s ballet dancers.
As my own children become young adults, they each have their unique favorite artists. They all enjoy the adventure of searching poster shops to find new artists and new favorite images. I’m always amused at the different taste and personalities they have all developed.
To see anything Disney, I only have to walk into the local supermarket or turn on my TV – to catch a glimpse of the individuals my children have become, I can look at the images that now adorn their own spaces and I know that at the very least, I showed them an art world beyond Disney.
Recently I spent some time with my friend Marianne and her daughter Kaitlyn. At 15 months, Kaitlyn has the ability to communicate because her parents have been teaching her sign language. Like everyone else I’ve heard of babies having the ability to learn sign language and thought it was interesting – but actually seeing it with my own two eyes took the concept from an interesting possibility to a remarkable reality.
As more schools and communities respond to this fact, and as more and more programs become available in our schools, the question is no longer “Do we need after-school programs,” the question now becomes “How do I choose the right programs for my children?” In other words, what works?
The need and interest in after-school programming is good news. A recent study known as the Promising Afterschool Programs study, which examined 2,914 students in 8 states over the course of 3 years, shows that after two years, students who regularly attend high-quality and engaging after-school programs are academically far ahead of peers who spend more out-of-school time in unsupervised activities.
This is a summary of the study as reported by Education Week in November of 2007:
“…Researchers divided students into three groups: a ‘program only’ group of students who attended their afterschool program two or three times a week and did nothing else outside the school; a ‘program plus’ group who visited the afterschool programs two or three times a week and also took part in sports, church programs, music lessons, or other extracurricular activities; and a ‘low supervision’ group who dropped in on a mix of afterschool activities from one to three days a week.
The researchers found, over the course of the three-year project, that the more engaged students were in supervised afterschool activities, the better they did on a range of academic, social, and behavioral outcomes. For instance, 3rd and 4th graders in the ‘program plus’ group tallied gains on standardized mathematics tests that were 20 percentile points higher than those of children who rarely went. The frequent attendees also made more progress in developing sound work habits, task persistence, and better social skills, and in reducing negative behaviors such as skipping school or fighting.”
One of the important factors to take away from this study is that the achieved conclusions were the effects of participating in “high-quality” programming. This study specifically examined 35 programs, selected for their record of success and considered by the researchers to be “high-quality.” In order to determine whether a program fit the mold, the study used a rating system which assessed programs based on:
Based on this study, it’s easy to understand that quality makes the difference in attaining the benefits of after-school programming. Fortunately, this realization has spawned the development of comprehensive tools to help administrators determine just that level of quality. Administrators can now use surveys, such as the ones highlighted in Using Assessment Tools to Evaluate Afterschool Programs, published by American Youth Policy Forum to determine which programs best compliment their curriculum and offer the most overall value to their students.
For parents, choosing an afterschool program is founded on a more personal basis. To chose afterschool activities for our children we need to consider their age, learning styles, interests and developmental needs. Parents should consider that:
The key to a beneficial experience in any afterschool activity is to make a reasonable time commitment to that activity. It is better to master a few skills, and to acquire the pride and confidence of gaining that skill, than is to dabble in all skills and therefore excel in none.
Once you and your child have chosen an afterschool activity, have them commit to that activity for the duration of the school year, or a reasonable time frame for that particular activity. This teaches your child to be accountable for their decisions and complete their goals; and best of all allows your child to maximize the full educational benefits of the program.
The fact is; afterschool programs are necessary, they enhance our children’s learning and experiences, and that after-school programs will continue to be an important element in our children’s lives. By taking the time to evaluate and to choose the right program for you – and the right program for your child, you can truly take advantage of the valuable and the multitude of benefits that afterschool programs have to offer.
Resources:
For more articles, and studies on the benefits of after-school programming visit: www.afterschoolalliance.org , and www.middleweb.com/afterschool.html
For administrators looking for information on evaluating their after-school programming see, Using Assessment Tools to Evaluate Afterschool Programs, published by American Youth Policy Forum and Measuring Youth Program Quality: A Guide to Assessment Tools published by The Forum for Youth Investment.
Last night during a graduation speech at my son’s high school, one of the Deans shared his thoughts on the value of fine arts education as it related to engineers and mathematicians. His college studies were concentrated in math and science and he became an engineer by trade. As an engineer, he was expected to bring creativity to his work, yet science and math classes had not prepared him as a creative thinker. Looking back he knew that his creative abilities had been developed through his additional studies in the fine arts.
Mr. Thomas reminded his young audience of the ideas found in literature and the value of process in the arts. The arts, whether it is music, writing, or visual arts, can be a place for the musings of our inner selves to find a voice. The world is not just facts and formulas. Nothing is that simple or clear cut. We need to think things through, process, look for alternate solutions and see things from multiple perspectives. Participating in the arts exposes us to ideas, a variety of viewpoints and a much deeper consideration of life itself.
To train in the arts is to develop the ability to think. As Elliot Eisner so eloquently put it:
“The arts teach children that in complex forms of problem-solving, purposes are seldom fixed, but change with circumstance and opportunity. Learning in the arts requires the ability and willingness to surrender to the unanticipated possibilities of the work as it unfolds.”
Two plus two always equals four but there are exciting ways to be creative in math application and higher level thinking. We need training in the arts to develop young minds and allow them the experience of surrender to unanticipated possibilities.
