DEAR TEACHER
– by Peggy Gisler and Marge Eberts
Helping all parents make their
children’s educational experience
as successful as possible
Expanding Your Children’s Arts Education
Parents: For much of the past
30 years, schools have reduced
classroom time devoted to the
arts. Budgets have tightened, and the pressure
to raise test scores, especially in math
and reading, have played a major role in the
decline of arts education from kindergarten
through high school. The good news is that
many school districts have begun to revitalize
arts education.
It is important for students to study the
arts in school. Many research studies show
that arts education is associated with gains
in math and reading. Its benefits, however,
extend to encouraging creativity and the
development of problem solving and critical
thinking skills. There is also the fact
that the arts can bring joy as well as learning
fun to children, resulting in the creation
of a satisfying interest in them throughout
their lives.
Here are some fun arts activities. Hopefully,
doing one or more of these activities
this summer will result in a lasting passion
that will enrich your children’s lives. You
might also want to look at the Arts learning
activities on our Dear Teacher website and
those offered in your local community.
Start with Classical Music
Introduce your young children to classical
music early by playing pieces at home
or while traveling in a car. Choose pieces
in which they can actively participate, like
“Radetzky March” by Johann Strauss, as it
is traditional for listeners to clap along to
this piece. They can pretend that they are
galloping on a horse when they listen to the
Lone Ranger’s theme song, which is from
the “William Tell Overture.” And if they
are into marching around the house, play
the “Carmen Overture” by Georges Bizet.
To make this music more educational, be
sure that you always tell them the name of
the piece that you are playing.
Older children need to become acquainted
with enduring classical music
that everyone should recognize such as Bethoven’s
“Symphony Number 5” as well as
Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture.” Also, introduce
them to Walt Disney’s “Fantasia”
as well as Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf”
with the narration that describes orchestra
instruments.
Introduce the
Great Painters
Just as children need to know something
about classical music, they should
also be able to recognize a few paintings
that just about everyone considers to be
the great ones. These pictures easily can be
found online. Do introduce your children
to the most famous painting of all — the
“Mona Lisa” by Leonardo da Vinci. They
should also be familiar with Vincent van
Gogh’s “Starry Night,” “The Scream” by
Edvard Munch, Rembrandt’s “The Night
Watch” and Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica.”
And so, they know how different and interesting
paintings can be, do show them
works by Rene Magritte, Jackson Pollock,
Salvador Dali, and Piet Mondrian.
Once your children have some familiarity
with famous paintings; let them try
imitating the art of some of them. They
can dip Q-tips in paint to make paintings
with only dots as Georges Seurat did. Or
they can fling paint on a canvas laid on the
ground as Jackson Pollock did.
To further enhance their knowledge of
painting, take them to local art museums
and art fairs.
Open Your Children’s
Eyes to Sculpture
Your children just have to open their
eyes in cities, and they typically will see
a lot of sculpture. For a start, most courthouses
will have the figure called Lady
Justice. There are likely to be more sculptures
in parks and in front of museums and
libraries. Begin their introduction to sculpture
with a walk to observe the sculptures
in your city or a nearby one.
There are several huge and famous
sculptures in the United States that you and
your children can see through videos and
in books. Acquaint them with Mount Rushmore,
Crazy Horse Memorial, and the Lincoln
statue in Washington, D.C. Beyond
this, your older children should become
familiar with such famous sculptures as the
Venus de Milo, The Thinker, and David by
Michelangelo.
Once your children have seen a variety
of sculptures, turn them loose to become
sculptors themselves through any
one of the following activities:
• Young children can enjoy making
edible sculptures with food.
• And children of all ages can enjoy
making sculptures with sand, clay,
rocks, nuts and bolts, Tinker Toys™
and Legos. ™
• With proper supervision, older children
can carve sculptures from soap
and even wood.
Start Everyone in the
Family Singing
Give your babies an early introduction
to music by singing lullabies to them.
When they are preschoolers, introduce
them to such classics as “Old McDonald
Had a Farm” and “The Wheels on the
Bus.” Then have them add activity to their
singing as they sing “The Hokey Pokey.”
As your children get older, introduce
them to the songs from popular musicals
such as “The Sound of Music,” “Mary
Poppins” and “The Music Man” through
watching videos and encourage them to
sing these songs. Look for productions of
lighthearted musicals in your community
for them to attend this summer. Many are
held outdoors and can be enjoyed while
picnicking.
Instead of introducing your children
to famous works of opera, begin your introduction
to opera with light opera. The
works of Gilbert and Sullivan are a good
place to start and are fun for the entire family
to sing.
Parents should send questions and comments
to [email protected] or
to the Dear Teacher website.
July 2020 WNY Family 33