FEATURED PROGRAM: Art in the Classroom
Our Children’s Art Program, “Youth in Arts”
By Sia Sooklaris (Mom)
One of the reasons we left “The City” four years ago was the public school system. We felt strongly that our children should attend public, not private, schools and we were excited when they started at Neil Cummins. Our experience here has shown us that the Larkspur School District has great schools with dedicated teachers and staff, motivated students, and parents who really care about education. A good example of this commitment to our kids is the CML Schools Foundation-funded Youth in Arts enrichment program provided to both Neil Cummins and Hall Middle School.
Youth in Arts is a non-profit organization based in San Rafael that provides Marin County students with instruction in the visual and performing arts. The children at both Neil Cummins and Hall Middle School are so lucky to receive instruction from local artist-teachers through the Youth in Arts “Artists in Schools” program. These artists work with the classroom teachers to link the art (everything from paints to clay) they will be doing with the kids to existing curriculum.
kindergartner with frog painting
Below: A Neil Cummins kindergartener with his frog — see text for how they did it!
Last Monday I was fortunate to observe the kindergarten classes of Mr. Price and Mr. Smith work with a Youth in Arts artist-teacher. Landa Townsend, an environmental artist, is clearly liked by all the children. This was her fourth of twelve classes, so the kids knew her well and were excited to hear about the day’s project. Landa incorporates the natural world into her teaching, so she started class with a recording of frogs croaking and read Frog Sounds to the students. She encourages the kids to use their powers of observation when listening and looking at the world around them. After this brief multi-media experience, the kids raced to their tables for the art project!
Now the fun began. Each child had a large sheet of paper on which to create his/her own frog masterpiece. Landa showed them that by mixing blue “water” (that is, paint) with yellow “sun” a beautiful “frog” green was created. “Wow!” and “Cool!” quickly erupted from the five-year-olds. All the kids excitedly mixed their colors, chattering happily with one another, and tracing their frog in the gooey paint. Next week, they’ll cut the frogs out and make a lily pad to go with it.
Talking with Landa about the program and the projects the kids have done, I suddenly understood what my daughter has been telling me the past few weeks. She has come home excited to show me the difference between a “happy line” and “sad line” (the unit on line drawing) and to explain to me that sounds have color (the unit on sound and watercolors). In the next few weeks they’ll be working with clay… I wonder what she’ll tell me about that? What has your kindergartner told you?
pastel by 6th grader
RIGHT: Pastel à la Matisse by a Hall Middle School 6th grader under the guidance of artist Jacqueline Ruben
Although I’m not an artist myself, I want my kids to be exposed to art and, most importantly, to be able to express their creativity through art, and to learn to appreciate art. I’m thankful that the Foundation — through our donations — is there to help fill in the gaps in what our public schools can offer by providing our kids with interesting enrichment programs like Youth in Arts.
LEFT: Scientific illustration of an owl, by a Hall Middle School 7th grader, under the direction of artist Victoria Saxe.
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Come and see our children’s art on display at the Corte Madera, Town Center (across from Fresh Choice) during the months of February and March, beginning with art from Hall.
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