Dear Parents and Guardians,

Your classroom is participating in the Art Teacher on the Net art service program this month. Students will have an opportunity of creating a variety of artworks.

Children love to share their creative energy with others in their family. Here are a number of ways that you can encourage children's art skills:

1. Take a Nature walk.  Teach children to observe the world around them and to discover new things.

2. Visit an art museum. Art museums are more family friendly now then you may remember.  Most have a family day where children can make a project and of course look at the artwork.  Consider the following before visiting the art museum:

         a.  Call beforehand to make sure it is an appropriate show.  Go online and visit the art museum virtually before the "real" visit.  Plan a short visit.  Don't overwhelm young gallery goers with too much visual overload.

         b.  At the museum, visit the bookstore first and locate one of the artworks you found online.  Go on a hunting trip to find that painting.  Ask about audio devices made especially for children that share short stories about the paintings.  You can also create your own short stories prior to going to the museum. Be sure to discuss line, texture, space, color and shape in your discussions.  Ask them to tell you what the painting means to them.

         c. When you arrive home talk about what you saw at the art museum.  Create a puzzle out of the postcard or place it in a scrapbook. Plan another visit.

3. Participate and volunteer in Family Night events.

4. Create Parent and Me projects with your child. Remember to involve Dads and Grandparents.

Here is a project to try:

Teach children about Negative Space by creating a Thanksgiving Placemat.  Trace child's hand, your hand and the rest of the family onto a piece of construction paper.  Cut it out and discard the hand shape (the positive shape.)  What is left is the negative space. Now, place another piece of construction paper underneath the cut out and draw line to form turkey feathers. Add a gobbler and draw an eye, glue the two papers together and add a Happy Thanksgiving greeting. Laminate and use for Thanksgiving dinner.

You will find many more ideas and parent resources at Art Teacher on the Net.

Thank you,

Valerie Colston (Art Teacher on the Net)