(Chelsea Update would like to thank Kristin Krarup-Joyce for the information in this column.)
This week I talked with Penny Olsen, Chelsea School District art teacher for grades K-4. She’s been with the district for 9 years.
How do you foster creativity in children?
First of all, remember to focus on the process rather than on the end result. This takes pressure off of expectations and allows for a more holistic learning/discovery experience for children. Give children time to explore.
Have art materials out—paper, scissors, tape, glue, markers, water colors. Let your child experiment with the materials with no specific goal in mind. It is good for children to experiment and build with found objects—cardboard boxes, rocks, sticks, etc.
When drawing, she suggests breaking everything down into shapes. For perfectionists, parents can dot the outline of drawings on request.
For fun art projects you can do with your child over the summer, Olsen likes www.printedpaperart.com.
And, she suggests summer field trips to the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology on State Street in Ann Arbor https://lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/ and the University of Michigan Museum of Art http://www.umma.umich.edu/.
