February is Black History Month, an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. This year’s theme "African Americans and the Arts" highlights the many contributions Black Americans have had on the arts, cultural movements and more.
At Tinkergarten we know that artistic expression and creativity are critical skills—not only for artists or musicians, but also for kids as a way of thinking about and being in the world. Introducing kids to the work of diverse artists helps kids to see the infinite possibilities for how and what they can create and provides models for how they can remain creative throughout their lives.
In honor of this year’s Black History Month, we share this activity inspired by the work and techniques of Betty Blayton. Blayton was an illustrator, painter, printmaker, and sculptor as well as the co-founder of both the Studio Museum and Children's Art Carnival in Harlem. She is known for her abstract paintings that combine brushstroke with paper collage.
As featured in our February Activity Calendar, in this activity, kids take inspiration from Blayton's work as they create collages using art and natural materials.
If you do not yet have your free copy of the February Activity Calendar, download it here.
The Guide
Step 1: Get inspired!
Look at images of Betty Blayton’s artwork with kids. Ask kids what they notice about the colors, lines and shapes of her art. What materials do they think she used to create her art? How does her art make them feel?
Step 2: Rip, tear, shred!
Gather some paper kids can tear apart (e.g. magazine pages, construction paper, tissue paper) and some nature treasures that can be easily plucked apart (e.g. flowers, leaves, grasses, small sticks).
Dump all of your gathered items in a pile. Grab one of the items and start to rip, tear or pull it apart. Welcome kids to join in! Enjoy together the joy and the wonder you feel when you deconstruct. Let this go on as long as kids are engaged.
Step 3: Create!
Set out some paper, a paintbrush, paint, glue and the bits and pieces you created and wonder, “How could we add these materials to the paper?” Step back and let kids get to work on their masterpiece!
Let kids lead the way by allowing them space to choose which materials they would like to use and how they would like to connect or layer them on the paper.
Step 4: Support the creative process.
Try to resist the urge to direct, guide or model for kids as they create, keeping in mind that for kids, the process of art-making matters far more than the final product. You can support the creative process by sharing what you notice about the techniques and materials kids choose.
Step 5: Share your creations.
Take photos and share your creations with friends, making sure to include the name of the artist who inspired them. What a wonderful way to honor Betty Blayton for her contributions and get friends more curious about creativity! If you do share them publicly, be sure to tag #Tinkergarten. We'd love to cheer on your creative process!
Why is this activity great for kids?
Breaking items apart is wonderful STEM work, building curiosity, engaging the senses and helping kids develop a greater understanding of how objects are constructed. Kids also flex fine motor skills when they pluck, pull and rip thing apart. Rearranging and layering different materials to make something new helps build flexible thinking and creativity. Finally, introducing kids to the work of diverse artists helps kids to see the infinite possibilities for how and what they can create and provides models for how they can remain creative throughout their lives.
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By creativity, we mean the ability to both imagine original ideas or solutions to problems and actually do what needs to be done to make them happen. So, to help kids develop creativity, we parents need to nurture kids' imaginations and give them lots of chances to design, test, redesign and implement their ideas.
"Creativity is as important now in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”
Why, you ask? For one, it is through being creative that a person is able to get senses, sensibility and spirit working together. Simply put, without creativity, we don't think our kids will live a full life.
On a more practical level, it's also the means by which humans of all ages make an impact on the world and other people around them. A lot of heavy stuff is going to go down in our kids' lifetime, and their generation will need to imagine and implement solutions to big and very complicated problems. Although our kids are still far from public office or the boardroom, today's political and business leaders worldwide are already pointing to creativity as the most important leadership quality for the future.
Although years from the art studio or design lab, little kids can learn to think and act creatively if you give them time and the right practice.
Curiosity
Category:
Thinking Skills
What does it mean to develop Curiosity?
Curiosity means the ability and habit to apply a sense of wonder and a desire to learn more. Curious people try new things, ask questions, search for answers, relish new information, and make connections, all while actively experiencing and making sense of the world. To us, curiosity is a child’s ticket to engaging fully in learning and, ultimately, in life.
Why does it matter?
As a parent, this skill is, perhaps, the easiest to grasp and has the clearest connection to a young children’s learning. We all want my children to wonder, explore and drive their own learning and, better yet, to experience the world fully. Most teachers would agree that the curious children so often seem more attentive, involved and naturally get the most out of time in school. Even the research suggests that being curious is a driver of higher performance throughout one's life, as much if not more than IQ or test scores.
Sensory
Category:
Body Skills
What is Sensory Development?
Although some scientists classify as many as 20 senses, when childhood educators talk about "developing the senses," we typically mean developing the five standard senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. In addition to honing these senses, educators care about sensory integration, which is the ability to take in, sort out, process and make use of information gathered from the world around us via the senses.
Why does it matter?
The better kids are able to tune and integrate their senses, the more they can learn. First, if their senses are sharper, the information kids can gather should be of greater quantity and quality, making their understanding of the world more sophisticated. Further, until the lower levels of the brain can efficiently and accurately sort out information gathered through the senses, the higher levels cannot begin to develop thinking and organization skills kids need to succeed. Senses also have a powerful connection to memory. Children (and adults) often retain new learning when the senses are an active part of the learning.
So, if kids have more sensory experiences, they will learn more, retain better and be better able to think at a higher level. Makes the days they get all wet and dirty in the sandbox seem better, doesn't it?
Age: 0 to 8+
Time: 1 hour+
Materials: paper; nature treasures and paper kids can tear apart; paint; glue; paintbrush
