Good Earth art : environmental art for kids
Book
J 745.5 KOH
Bright Ring Pub. ;, c1991.
223 p. : ill. ; 22 x 27 cm. You can find this item at these locations:
About this item:
Over two hundred projects for painting and drawing, sculpture and mobiles, collage and printing, weaving and crafts, and handmade art supplies emphasize recycling and natural materials.
Good Earth Art : Environmental Art for Kids
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ExcerptGood Earth Art : Environmental Art for Kids
INTRODUCTION Who uses Good Earth Art? Good Earth Art is a resource for all ages, young and old. Young children explore any project in the book no matter what the age suggestion, as long as they have appropriate help. Older children add maturity and experience to even the most basic project, and will find all projects a challenge or discovery even if the age suggested is younger than their own. Adults using Good Earth Art will enjoy helping children select suitable projects based on the materials or supplies on hand, but will also enjoy using the art experiences for their own creative enjoyment. The authors do! What about saving materials? Everyone is encouraged to save and collect supplies rather than buying a product just to get to the resulting art material. Some products are not particularly sound for the environment, and their purchase is not recommended. However, when left-over plastics, papers, styrofoams, and other materials are found, saving and using them for art is better than simply throwing them in the trash. Making use of existing or left-over materials and product packaging is the goal rather than purchasing the product. Schools and offices often have great amounts of throwaways that can be recycled into art. First look in the Index for suggested materials, and then start searching for those materials to save for art projects. You may never have to buy anything in order to do the projects in Good Earth Art, other than basic art supplies like paint and glue. What's special about Good Earth Art? The art experiences in Good Earth Art enable children to acquaint themselves with the natural qualities of the earth such as leaves, rocks, shells, dirt, wind, rain, and sunshine. Children also learn to observe, create, and remain in touch with our changing world, and to develop a caring attitude towards the earth by learning to recycle and use materials for art rather than throwing them away. Is it the process of creating or the finished product that matters in children's art? Good Earth Art encourages children to explore and create without worrying about the finished product. Children experiment, make mistakes, try new ideas of their own, and enjoy the thrill of the creative process. There is no right way or wrong way for projects to turn out, just the joyful pleasant process of the experience. Given sufficient time for exploration and experimentation in art, children will refine their work automatically and independently. They will judge their own results and work towards their own goals, often with the most incredible, surprising results! Explore. Experiment. Create. Enjoy the creative sparkle of each child. 7 BUILDING BLOCKS TO CREATIVITY 1. Self-Confidence Respect a child's ideas and efforts. Allow the child to experience accomplishment by giving his creativity time and space, time to work out ideas, and by giving imagination a chance. 2. Allow Non-Conformity Let a child know that it is okay to listen to Thoreau's "different drummer". It is desirable to break away from what everyone else is doing. 3. Explore and Think Encourage a child to think a project through, but first allow exploration and experimentation without criticism. After experiencing materials and ideas, thought patterns and plans of action will fall into place. 4. Exposure Being introduced to new experiences, cultural events, games, and activities encourages original thinking and imagining. Provide materials for a child to explore with no particular outcome. 5. Respect A child should be encouraged to respect his own ideas and the ideas of those around him in order to develop new ideas. Watching a child too closely can be limiting, as can fostering competition or restricting choices. Praise freely and sincerely. 6. Imagination Permission Give permission to the child to embrace imagination freely without fear of criticism or outside control. People who do not feel comfortable being imaginative hold themselves back from creativity. Let imagining feel positive, and yes, even fun! 7. Thinking in New Ways Encourage thinking in new ways. Try new things. Experiment and explore and make mistakes. Learning from mistakes handson is the best teacher available to each child. Encourage the child to try the opposite way, the untraveled idea, the silly, or the unusual. Discoveries can be made daily! Excerpted from Good Earth Art: Environmental Art for Kids by MaryAnn F. Kohl, Cindy Gainer All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
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