Learning through Play & Art

In order to create art one must be willing to PLAY! The greatest innovators in the history of art have been the artists willing to try something new, something that had not been done before. Essentially, the way to discover new ways of creating art is by playing with art.

Art is a prime example of how we learn through play. We encourage our visitors to approach each art experience as an open ended, child directed and process driven activity. In other words, let your child be your guide, do not worry so much about the end result of the art experience, and  instead focus on the journey that each experience takes you on.  Each child has a unique and personal connection with art and we hope will you child will gain self-confidence and individuality by experimenting with their art in our Program Room.

When they play with art, children exercise their creative thinking skills and are able to problem solve.  They learn there is not always one way to do something nor is there always one concrete answer to a question. The Program Room art experiences utilize non-traditional materials in non-traditional ways because it is exciting for our visitors to use these implements in unusual ways. A toothbrush is no longer only for brushing your teeth, but also for applying paint onto paper and spreading it around! And a fabric sample is no longer garbage but rather a recycled canvas to be used!

Art experiences inspire creativity and imagination in a child’s mind.  Children are constantly making choices when they are deciding what to include in their artwork; they are identifying shape, color, size, pattern and texture. They may also begin to include and identify objects, numbers, letters or words in their art or art that they are seeing.  Every child learns differently, so it is important to understand that each child will interact with art experiences differently.