• If I had a nickel for every time I hear "It's just art"...
     
    Sadly, a big part of my job is convincing people (some of them students) of the opposite. Art is important. 
     
    I love teaching your children about art! —Here's why:
    • Early exposure to visual art, music, or drama promotes activity in the brain.
    • Art helps children understand other subjects, we incorporate everything from math and science, to language arts and geography.
    • Art nurtures inventiveness as it engages children in a process that aids in the development of self-esteem, self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation.
    • Participating in art activities helps children to gain the tools necessary for understanding human experience, adapting to and respecting others' ways of working and thinking, developing creative problem-solving skills, and communicating thoughts and ideas in a variety of ways. We learn about many cultures and people that your child can relate to, hundreds of years and miles apart!
    • It encourages your child show their individuality and develop their creativity.
    • IT'S FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!




    _______________________________________
     From Newsweek: July 19, 2010

    Creativity Crisis: For the first time, research shows that American creativity is declining.
    By Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

    … creativity scores had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward. “It’s very clear, and the decrease is very significant,” Kim says. It is the scores of younger children in America—from kindergarten through sixth grade—for whom the decline is “most serious.”
    A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEO's identified creativity as the #1 "leadership competency" of the future.
    It’s too early to determine conclusively why U.S. creativity scores are declining. One likely culprit is the number of hours kids now spend in front of the TV and playing video games rather than engaging in creative activities.

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    According to a June 2005 Harris poll, 93 % of Americans believe that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education. Researchers tell us that getting an early start in the arts can make a real difference in the lives of children. Participation in the arts is important. Research shows that the benefits of early arts education extend way beyond providing a creative outlet for children. Arts education can help develop:

    • Imagination
    • Cognitive skills
    • Creative abilities
    • Problem solving
    • Fine motor skills
    • Language
    • Social skills
    • Sense of time and place
    • Focusing
    • Listening
    • Risk taking
    • Tolerance
    • Uniqueness
    • And more...




    its not "JUST"art