My heart for art and creating was very full this weekend. When our kids were young,we had a dedicated art room full of supplies and they were always involved in some sort of art, craft or creative play. Now that they are adults, I love seeing that each of them still enjoys spending time making and doing.
I’m back from vacation and getting ready to travel again. This time I am en route to Cleveland to promote the Being-Visual philosophy on Art Education in a live taping of a segment at Fox 8 Cleveland and to present a speech on “What Every Parent Should Know About their Child’s Education” at the Agnon School.
First stop Fox News. I have been invited to appear on WJW-TV – Fox News in the Morning on Wednesday, October 3. During our session I’ll talk about what it means to be a visual learner, ways your child may be struggling in school and how you can help. I’ll share some ideas for making learning more visual and tactile.
As children we have so many ideas about what we want to be when we grow up. As parents we know our children’s dreams and plans will change as they grow and get to know themselves better. We strive to provide our kids the education and opportunities that will prepare them for whatever they decide to pursue. When children participate in the arts, music, dance or the visual arts, it’s not necessarily because they’ll be artists as adults – but because it’s key to a rich educational experience.
As an art kid, I spent hours and hours drawing, making and creating. To this day, I love art. Throughout elementary, high school and college, I took as many art classes as possible. Yet, while I was passionate about drawing, there was always a bit of frustration that accompanied the experience. I discovered that instruction in art education is essential to empowering children to communicate visually.
Don’t miss my segment on WGN! I will be featured on the WGN Midday News Tuesday, October 2nd. WGN will highlight my new book, Being Visual, which talks about the importance of art education for all ages.
A few years ago I met Barb, a high school special education teacher. Barb had heard about Young Rembrandts and wondered how her special needs students would respond to our step-by-step method of teaching art. After some conversation about her students’ needs and our philosophy, we agreed to teach a series of four weekly classes. The classes surpassed all of our expectations. The students were fully engaged, successfully completed every drawing and were pleased to have been participants in art class. In Chapter Five of Being Visual, I share details about the initial fears of the teaching assistants, the experiences in the classrooms, our observations and our teaching method.
Art teachers are excited to welcome students back into the classroom. While we enjoy the work our children create in art class, participation in the arts is far more impactful than is often understood. As explained in my new book Being-Visual, the arts are essential for all children because it influences their ability to learn in every subject.
Bright yellow school buses on the roads again, reminding us all the school year has begun. Both children and parents enter a new school year full of expectation for our students. Many of those expectations will be met and great successes will abound. Sadly, some will not be met for a variety of reasons.
Art class is not just about art. Art and its foundational skill—drawing—is about reading and writing visually. When children learn to draw, they learn to see, evaluate and discern—visually. Many other subjects are affected by a child’s visual discernment and reading skills, such as math and reading.
It’s Saturday morning—time to take my grandson, Brayden, to the library for a new set of picture books. Oh, how he loves books! First, we go around the house gathering all the books we need to return. As we review them, Brayden has a bit of emotion about letting some of his favorites go, but is encouraged about finding new books—new “friends”. We jump in the car, drive over and enjoy the return process before heading in to select new friends to check out and take home.
