Home Schooling Groups
Art Exploration
Explore, Innovate, Experiment, Imagine, Build, Create, Think, Solve.
These exploratory units are designed to bring STEAM concepts to your child by encouraging a higher level of thinking and increased skills through creative practice and training. Adding Art to STEM provides brain balance through accessing the right brain, which is where creativity, images and innovation lie, which enhance left brain functions.
These programs will unlock your child’s imagination and help them find innovative alternatives to common problems. Creative application of media provides opportunities for practicing problem solving and decision-making skills. This approach helps children learn to think and adapt to change.
Did you know that your child, like all of us, has an innate style of doing? This style is called “conative” and it can be harnessed for optimum performance. When we are acting in concert with our natural style, we are successful, confident and operating at maximum capacity.
Through the creative process, we will uncover your child’s natural (conative) style of learning and doing. We can then customize activities and experiences to enhance their innate abilities and developmental level to help your child build confidence through practicing and utilizing their innate strengths.
This is not just an arts and crafts program. Science shows that utilizing both sides of the brain enhances learning, and combining art activities with other experiential concepts provides greater competence in all areas, including math and science. Even better this is applied to general life skills, resilience and social interaction.
Through this program kids will learn to think independently, embrace divergent thinking, create innovative solutions and have fun, while exploring in a safe and nurturing space.
To enhance social learning and be most efficient, it would be optimal for a group of not more than 5 children to engage in the process. At least one adult will need to be present to participate in the session.
We will identify your child’s strengths on which we will focus and to customize a program to best address these in a way that will engage and interest your child. Duration and cost will be determined on goals and number of children in the group.
Polymer Clay Unit
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Explore colors and shades and hues
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Learn to mix colors
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Identify geometric shapes and patterns
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Use geometric shapes to build forms in cane
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Learn sculpting methods
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Eye/ hand coordination
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Small motor skills
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Create kaleidoscope effects in clay
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Create faux stones and organic forms
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Create lightswitch cover for the home
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Polymer clay is a concrete substance but allows for exploration and experimentation in color, patterns and form. The medium is conducive to pretty and pleasing art while teaching a variety of skills. The concreteness of the medium contains emotions while the colors and process allow for exploration of feelings.
Exploration about stones, history of plastic, qualities of the clay.
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4 lesson units of 90 minutes or advanced 8 lesson units.
Mosaic Unit
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Sort units by color and shape
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Identify geometric shapes and how they fit together
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Explore color and contrast
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Combine random objects into a cohesive whole
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Learn how to use space and organize/ plan ahead or accept spontaneity
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eye/hand coordination, matching
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Explore innovative solutions
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Small motor skills
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Staying inside of boundaries while being exploratory
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Create a mosaic piece to keep
Mosaic is an integrative art, meaning that external exploration in trying out and fitting together different items into a whole is paralleled internally with organizing, ordering and creating new solutions to problems. It is an excellent balance to right and left-brain functions.
Exploration about history of mosaic, qualities of mosaic elements.
4 lesson units of 90 minutes or advanced 8 lesson units.
Mixed Media Painting Unit
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Explore colors, shades and hues
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Learn how to mix color
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Use of different tools to make marks
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Learn principles of Composition
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Color and texture exploration
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Enhance creative problem solving skills
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Develop critical thinking skills
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Thinking outside of traditional painting with added mixed media
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Respecting boundaries while being explorator
Mixed media painting adds elements to traditional painting by adding opportunities for problem solving and decision making. It is an integrative art in that it combines disparate things into a whole. It balances left and right brain functions in a way that is fun and exciting and transformative.
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4 lesson units of 90 minutes or advanced 8 lesson units.
Jewelry Making Unit
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Beading – color, order and pattern
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Enhance creativity with practicing new solutions through materials manipulation
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Eye hand coordination, small muscle development
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Enhance planning and problem solving skills
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Create a Self -symbol necklace- mixed use of materials such as metal, clay, resin and paper invites exploration of unusual materials in combination
Self – symbol helps with identifying self concept and basic core beliefs and induces pride
Jewelry is an ancient form of adornment meant to augment basic beauty. This unit will explore self identification of beauty and also provide solid skills. The making of a self symbol enhances self identification, self confidence and utilizing disparate materials promotes inner self integration.
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4 lesson units of 90 minutes or advanced 8 lesson units.
Bookmaking and
Journaling Unit
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Identify parts of book and how to construct simple books.
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Create a journal
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Use media such as paint, stencils, water soluble pencils, inks and stamps, embossing powder, Gelli plate prints
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Monoprinting and other printmaking.
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Learn elements of journaling and storytelling.
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Write in response to prompts for self exploration.
Bookmaking and journaling teach construction skills and using mixed media for art effects. The nature of the mixed media process allows for creative decision making and being comfortable with spontaneity.
Journaling is a valuable activity for self-exploration, storytelling and imagination.
Explore history of bookmaking such as Da Vinci’s journals, printmaking.
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4 lesson units of 90 minutes or advanced 8 lesson units.
Design Your Own STEAM Experience
I will work with you to design art experiences that draw on the aspects of STEM that your child wants to focus on. For example: robots, kaleidoscope.