“The arts provide a more comprehensive and insightful education because they invite students to explore the emotional, intuituve, and irrational aspects of life that science is hard pressed to explain. ”   - Charles Fowler

There is a good article from the A R Valley Arts Center about the importance of arts in education with references to research that backs it up.  It starts out with…

One of the most important aspects of art shows in the results of extensive studies that have proven that students who participate in the arts score higher on SAT tests regardless of socio-economic status. (1)  

Art programs targeted toward very young children help prevent negative choices later on. Young children who participate in after-school arts programs have shown a decrease in negative behaviors and increases in attention span, commitment and tolerance. (4)

Check out the rest of the article here. http://www.arvartscenter.org/education.htm

More and more evidence is being found that for children (and consequently adults) to increase their academic success as well as a whole range of other good skills, it is vital for them to learn and participate in arts and music.  

Does your child learn and practice art and music?  What can you and your local schools and politicians do about that?

Here are some videos talking about the importance of art and music in education.  Make sure your government reps are taking steps to truly educate your children in public school.

 

Have some fun on the web with art.  This blog post lists several fun sites for exploring art.
http://blog.discoveryeducation.com/kbosch/2009/04/06/eight-great-interactive-sites-that-let-you-paint-like-a-famous-artist/

 

“Art doesn’t transform. It just plain forms.”
Roy Lichtenstein

While visiting Tucson this week we went to a fantastic used bookstore called Bookman’s.  (If you’re from the area you’ll definitely know the place)
Anyway… we found some books we liked and on the way to the checkout I spotted a small book entitled “500 of the COOLEST SITES for CYBERKIDS“.
Our son is fairly young but definitely interested in computers and the internet.  (I don’t know where he gets that from ;-)   So I am always wanting “good” sites for him to be able to learn and play on.

So far this book is very good.
Here are a few of the sites listed inside.

http://www.Crayola.com/kids

http://www.LearningPlanet.com/stu/kids0.asp Excellent fun learning games for kids

http://www.cbyc.com Cooking by Computer – Great tasting easy to prepare recipes for kids

They have sites about:

Entertainment

Gadgets and Gizmos

Sport

Games to Play

Things to do on rainy day &

Homework helper

Tons of stuff that I’m excited to check out with our kids.  If you want it yourself check it out at your local bookstore or library.  Or you can get it new or used at Amazon.com

How to Plan a Successful Family Home Evening

from wikiHow – The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Planning a successful evening at home doesn’t require a lot of time or money. Taking a little time to plan some activities ahead of time as well as a menu is all that is required.

Steps

  1. Think of fun games that are also educational, or teach kids about morals. This is a great way to weave these lessons into a fun time without making kids feel like they’re being lectured by a parent. Below is a free site with many suggestions on activities and games.
  2. Think of both kids’ and parents’ favorite foods. Make sure you incorporate these snacks into the family night.
  3. Does your family enjoy movies? If so, movies are great! However, remember if you want interaction, you will have to encourage it. One way is to discuss favorite and least favorite parts after the movie is over. Was a part particularly funny or scary? Encourage both kids and parents to explain their thoughts about the movie.
  4. Create some new family traditions. Baking cookies or a favorite dessert is always fun for kids. You could even make the treats for someone else, and let the kids choose who on a weekly basis! Crafts are another fun option.
  5. Gauge kids reactions to games. If they seem to be bored after a while (being easily distracted is one clue), change to something else. Remember you want to keep things fun!


Tips

  • Prepare ahead of time by shopping for snacks or ingredients that are enjoyed by all.
  • Find games/activities ahead of time and get them out of storage or purchase them.
  • Locate any other materials or resources such as notebooks or paper to record family memories or allow kids to spontaneously create pictures.


Related wikiHows


Sources and Citations

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Plan a Successful Family Home Evening. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.