This talk was one of several that I have given over the past few month to various groups of PPP parents in Metro Vancouver and Gibsons. I really enjoy talking to parents who care so deeply about their children.

Catching Up

I have had a very full and rewarding 3 months of workshops and classes. In addition to my ongoing sessions at Burnaby Association of Community Inclusion and drumcircles with elders I gave a lot of workshops to many different groups:

The Vancouver Society of Children’s Centers hired me to run a series of expressive arts workshops for parents. This included a storymaking playshop and a rhythm playshop for parents with their children that were really fun. I also gave my workshops Move and Grow 1 and 2 to the caregivers who work in the day care centers. I am very grateful to the society for giving me the opportunity to pass on artsplay skills to so many people.

In January I was the keynote speaker for 2008 Calgary Pre School Teachers Convention. It was extremely gratifying to speak about Encouraging Creativity in Children to such a welcoming group of caregivers. I also presented a two workshops and passed on artsplay skills in rhythm, drama, movement and storymaking to large groups of enthusiastic participants.

In February I gave Tell me a Story/Make me a Story to an energetic group of caregivers for the South Fraser Family Child Care Society. Tri Cities Child Care Resource and Referral Service hired me to give Self Care for Caregivers to a group in Coquitlam. Given the fact that I had been running at full steam myself, facilitating that workshop was a good reminder for me to practice what I preach! I ended the session with the drums and as always those instruments brought the group together and helped everyone tune into themselves.

Speaking of drums, a few weeks ago I facilitated an afternoon of dancing and drumming at the Veracis Wellness Center in Port Moody. I created a new playshop Dancing from Your Heart . We had a wonderful two hours of dancing together to some great music, and finished of the day with a lively drum circle. A good time was had by all.

I am now getting ready for my spring session and look forward to what the next few months will bring my way. I love my work!

Bev Bos: Before the Basics: Creating Conversations with Children

Bev Bos: Don’t Move the Muffin Tins: A Hands Off Guide to Art for the Young Child
Bev Bos/Jenny Chapman: Tumbling Over the Edge, A Rant for Children’s Play

Clare Cherry: Creative Art for the Developing Child

Clare Cherry: Creative Movement for the Developing Child
Joyce Boorman: Dance & Language Experiences with Children
Anne Green Gilbert: Creative Dance for All Ages: A Conceptual Approach

Anne Green Gilbert: Brain-Compatible Dance Education
Howard Gardner: Multiple Intelligences

Ann S. Epstein/Eli Trimis: Supporting Young Artists
Gordon Neufeld: Hold onto Your Kids
Daniel Goleman
Paul Kauffman Ray Michael: The Creative Spirit Companion to PBS Television Series
Carla Hannaford PHd: Smart Moves:Why Learning is Not all in Your Head
Eric Jensen: Teaching with the Brain in Mind
Alphie Kahn: No Contest and Punished by Rewards
Rhoda Kellog: Why Children Scribble
Steve Kline: Out of the Garden
Richard Louv: Last Child in the Woods, Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder
Viktor Lowenfield: Creative and Mental Growth
Moira Morningstar: Growing with Dance, Developing Through Creative Dance

Colleen Politano Joy Paquin: Brain-Based Learning with Class
Robert Schirrmacher: Art and Creative Development for Young Children
Philip Sheppard: Music Makes Your Child Smarter
Silken Laumann: Child’s Play

WEB SITES
www.americansforthearts.org…click on Field Services: Arts Education Research
www.artsusa.org/public_awareness/…affiliate of above site…lots of research material www. www.brucevanpatter.com/getcreative.html… resource site for storymaking
www.creativedance.org….. resources and books by Anne Green Gilbert (see above)
www.chariho.k12.ri.us/curriculum/MISmart/mi_smart.html#t….resource site for using multiple intelligences in the classroom…..if this address doesn’t work do a google search for MI Smart and that will take you to the website
www.dana.org brain research and arts education site
www.turnthepage.com books, article and resources and official site for Bev Bos

Children are born with the potential to create stories, sing, dance, draw, paint, sculpt and play music. As the young child explores and plays within an art form, he/she is usually fully engaged and having a wonderful time.  Yet there is so much more going on.

Artistic experiences help young brains grow, assist in learning and provide children with valuable life skills.  The arts are a vital aspect of being human, and play a crucial role in healthy growth and development.
The developing brain requires sensory stimulation to grow neural connections and build neural pathways. The arts are multi sensory experiences and provide the young brain with enriched sensory stimulation. Furthermore, artistic experiences  enhance the development and integration of both hemispheres of the brain.  These experiences also  develop the skills of critical thinking, listening and observation.
As children are engaged in the arts they are cultivating all of the multiple intelligences.  Children develop linguistic intelligence as they sing, act, tell  and make up stories.  The patterns and sequences in dance and music develop logical-mathematical intelligence. Visual art develops spatial intelligence and dancing develops kinesthetic intelligence.  The collaborative aspect of the performing arts nurtures interpersonal intelligence – trust, respect and co-operation. Intrapersonal intelligence -  self awareness, self confidence, self respect and self esteem – is nurtured through all of the arts.
The arts provide children with a variety of ways to process information, make cognitive connections and reflect back to us what they are learning and comprehending. In this way children make discoveries about themselves, their environment and other people.
The arts give children access to their creative voice so they can express their thoughts and ideas in their own unique way. Artistic expression also provides children with a variety of methods to express their feelings and emotions. I believe that children who have learned how to do this will be less likely to “act out” or engage in “at risk” behavior.  Such children will have learned how to speak up for themselves and release their emotions in positive ways.  These are all valuable skills that children can use throughout their lives.
The arts can give our children a lifetime of pleasure and enjoyment. Providing young children with plenty of opportunities to express themselves through an artform puts them on the path to a healthy mind, healthy body and healthy spirit.

Tell Me a Story/Make me a Story
Library Square Children’s Centres
January 12/08
10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Registration: Phone: 604-718-6555
Email: info@vsocc.org
In Person: 250-1166 Alberni Street

Encouraging Creativity in Children
Dorothy Lamb Children’s Centre
January 27/08
10:30 am-12:30 pm
Registration:
Phone: 604-718-6555
Email: info@vsocc.org
In Person: 250-1166 Alberni Street