I believe it takes a village to raise a child and a heaping of wild creative art experiences to help a girl thru adolescence.
In my many years of working with kids, helping them create art has proven to be nothing but good, featured below are ten worthwhile and valuable reasons why.
Ten Reasons Why Art Is Good For Kids
by Mark Wagner www.drawingonearth.org
1) Art Teaches Problem Solving. Making art demonstrates that there can be multiple solutions to the same problem. Art expands our experience and encourages open-ended thinking that creates an environment of questions rather than answers.
2) Art Prepares Kids for the Future. Creative, open-minded people are highly desired in all career paths. Art and creative education increases the future quality of the local and global community. Being creative is a lifelong skill that can be used in everyday situations.
3) Art Generates a Love of Learning and Openness to New Ideas. Art develops a willingness to explore what has not existed before. Art teaches risk-taking and being open to possibilities. Art allows one to grow from making mistakes. Kids whose creativity is nurtured are curious and inspired to learn more.
4) Art is Big Business. At the core of the multi-billion dollar film and video game industry are artists creating images and stories. Every commercial product is designed by artists from chairs to cars, space stations to iPods.
5) Art Develops the Whole Brain. Art strengthens focus and increases attention, develops hand-eye co-ordination, requires practice and strategic thinking, and involves interacting with the material world through different tools and art mediums.
6) Art Improves Performance. Art builds self-esteem, increases motivation and student attendance, improves grades and communications, nurtures teamwork, and strengthens our relationship to the environment.
7) Art Facilitates Emotional Intelligence. Art supports the expression of complex feelings that help kids feel better about themselves and helps them understand others by “seeing” what they have expressed and created. Art supports personal meaning in life, discovering joy in one’s own self, often being surprised, and then eliciting it in others.
8) Art Builds Community. Art reaches across racial stereotypes, religious barriers, and socio-economic levels and prejudices. Seeing other cultures creative expression allows everyone to be more connected and less isolated. Art creates a sense of belonging: We can see how we are all related.
9) Art Awakens the Senses. Art opens the heart and mind to possibilities and fuels the imagination. Art is a process of learning to create ourselves and experience the world in new ways. Arts support the bigger picture view of life: beauty, symbols, spirituality, storytelling, and helps us step out of time allowing one to be present in the moment. Art keeps the magic alive.
10) Art is Eternal. Creativity and self-expression has always been essential to our humanity. Our earliest creative expressions were recorded in petroglyph, cave paintings, and ancient sculptures. One of the first things kids do is play, draw, and use their imaginations.
Mahalo Mark, 10 good reasons posted by permission of creator/artist Mark Wagner at: http://www.drawinginearth.org.
Ocean Girl Creative Workshops
Our workshops are all about exploring art and creating fun, we value individual expression, we don’t leave anyone out, and art is never judged good or bad. We all know how it feels to be self-conscious, and our classes are mindfully designed to help girls feel less awkward and develop confidence and leadership skills. Each girl co-leads a class or community project, we involve our community! We invite local artist to share creative projects and teach girls amazing entrepreneur skills. We learn about sustainability and create ocean safer organic body and home products, we raise money for field trips and scholarships by selling at ART+FLEA, girls volunteer and sell items they helped create.
Please sign up on our site for dates, times, and updates, mahalo!