Blessings Basket Art Project

These days, many schools are beginning to cut arts program from schools.  I feel that the arts are still very much needed in our schools.  The arts are not just a way for children to express themselves.  They arts can also teach children many valuable lessons they need in the classroom. The site Americans for the Arts states that the arts “strengthen problem-solving and critical thinking skills” (Benefits of Arts Education). In the article Young Children and the Arts, it states that the arts…

·         “Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development.

·         Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence.

·         Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play” (Goldhawk).

Since Thanksgiving is coming up in only a few days, I did some exploring and found a great Thanksgiving craft for you to do with your students from IncredibleArt.com

Procedure:

·         Ask each student to list 5 things they are thankful for, it can be anything from “Mommy and Daddy” to one of my personal favorites; “Pokemon” (remember these are 3-5 year old kids, and the little things ARE important!)

·         Teacher provides orange construction paper for students to draw an illustration of one of the things on their list.

·         Use poster board or any heavy paper to create the traditional “Turkey” handprint; parents LOVE these!

·         Print out copies of the poem about being thankful. (If the kids are old enough, they can write out the poem themselves.

·         Paint (or write) each child’s list on individual rocks.

·         Assemble, see photos.

 

Gender Issues in the Classroom

In one of my classes this past week, we started talking about gender issues in the classroom. One issue my teacher brought up was about boys being interested in acting and dressing up. She gave us this example:

“Maria's preschool classroom contains a vast array of developmentally appropriate materials. Her environment is rich and varied and challenges the children in all areas of their development. Recently, Maria welcomed a new child into her classroom. "Aamir" was active and interested in the other children as well as all the opportunities the classroom had to offer. It became evident over time that Aamir's favorite area of the classroom was the dramatic play area. Aamir would spend an entire morning pretending, dressing up and carrying out elaborate scenes with whoever was in that area.

After a few months of being in the classroom Aamir's father came to pick him up. One look at his son in the dramatic play area with high heels and a skirt on sent him into a flurry of embarrassment. He demanded that his son take off what he was wearing and chastised him for playing with "girls toys."  He told Maria "I do not want my son playing like that."

Maria tried to explain the value of this type of play for Aamir but Aamir's father left too quickly for any real dialogue to take place.

What should Maria do? What can she say? How would you handle this situation?”

I think this is a very important situation for all teachers to think about.  There really is no specific answer for every situation.

While dealing with parents can be very difficult, creating a non-gender specific classroom is not.  There are many ideas to help teachers reduce stereotypes in the classroom.

·         Monitor your own behavior as a teacher.  Kids pick up on adults actions and words.  For instance, when a child gets hurt, make sure you treat the girls and the boys the same.

·         Recognize each child’s individual abilities without considering their gender.

·         Encourage the boys and girls to do the same activities and even work together.  Such as encouraging the girls to play basketball and the boys to play house.

Below I have included some resources for finding non-gender books to use in your classroom.

Children'sBooks that Break Gender Role Stereotypes

GenderEquality Bookstore

                Amazon.com:Gender Equality Kids Books