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February Vacation Arts Preview
Stories and Stage: Promoting Language and Literacy through the Arts
 | | Children participated in the Plays in the Park with City Stage during a visit to the Harbor Islands during the 2011 Summer Arts Program |
The Children's Art Centre is gearing up for our February Vacation Arts Program! This full-day program for children ages 4.5-12 runs during the Boston Public School's February Vacation week. In addition to our rich visual arts curriculum and enrichment programs like yoga and music, we've added a storytelling curriculum for our Petit Picasso group (ages 4.5-6) designed to promote teamwork and social interaction while developing creativity, sequencing, and language skills. This curriculum has been adapted from our Arts in Early Learning series classes, which use arts methods to promote school readiness skills. Can't wait until February Vacation? Try this fun activity with your storytellers at home - it can be done with 2-15 people! This activity is most sucessful for children ages four and up.The Magic Storytelling Ball
Materials:
- 1 small ball or other interesting object to hold
- Pen and paper to take notes (optional)
- 2 or more people with big imaginations!
Activity:
- Sit down in a circle or facing each other on the floor.
- Pull out the ball or holding object and explain that you have in your hands a magic storytelling ball. This ball helps whoever is holding it tell the most amazing, interesting, funny, silly stories imaginable! We're going to use this ball to tell a story together.
- Holding the ball, start out the story. For example, "Once upon a time, there was a little girl. One day she woke up and looked out her window and saw the most amazing sight: there was spaghetti falling from the sky!..."
- Pass the ball to your child encourage him/her with "And then what happened?" Encourage child to add a sentence or two to the story and then pass the ball to the next person in the circle.
- After the ball has gone around or back and forth several times, find a way to end the story.
- Extend it!
- Encourage children to illustrate the story you have just told together. Talk through the sequence of events as your child works on the picture. What should they include? What can they leave out?
- Flip through a magazine and find an interesting, open-ended picture. Encourage your child to tell a story that has to do with the people or places in the picture.
- Create storytelling dice by taking an old square block and attaching pictures from magazines on each side. Have your child roll the dice as a jumping off point for their story, or to help them when they get stuck.
We're excited to include this engaging activity and many more like it in our February Vacation Arts Program. Breakfast, lunch, snack, field trip, and art materials are all included in the enrollment cost, and financial scholarships are available based on need. Spaces are limited in this unique and engaging program. Visit the following link to learn more and register:
February Vacation Arts Program
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| Spotlight on: Teen Art in the South End
Teen Art in the South End is focusing on Urban Juxtaposition this session. Youth ages 12 - 15 have explored community spaces, analyzed the Close Distance exhibition at the Mills Gallery and collaborated with Boston Center for the Arts' Artist-in-Resident, Silvia Lopez Chavez. Through these experiences, students have gained valuable insight into the creative process as they absorb concepts to push the boundaries of personal expression.
Why didn't you add any color to the background?
Who is the little girl in your paintings, do you know her?
I like it because it reminds me of something old.
How do you create ideas for your work?
These are just a few examples where students have exercised critical thinking skills during a studio visit with Silvia Lopez Chavez. Why are critical thinking skills so important? Studies show that students who develop these skills early in their lifetime are more likely to have self awareness, which is important to demonstrate confidence in yourself and your opinions. Those that have this skill are more able to understand others from multiple perspectives. Critical thinking skills are important to developing original ideas and thoughts. More employers are seeking these soft skills for today's workforce because critical thinkers are more likely to make effective decisions.
The Teen Art in the South End program is completely free. For more information on how to register, you may follow this link HERE.
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From The Archives...
The CAC's International Exhibitions
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A flier advertising the exhibition of artwork from the Children's Art Centre at the Kaichon Festival of Arts in South Korea, 1959
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Artwork from the Children's Art Centre has been displayed throughout the United States and across the world over the past 70 years. In the 1940s, the CAC entered into a partnership with the International Art Program at the Smithsonian Institute to organize a series of international exhibits that brought CAC artists' work to over 35 countries including China (1947), South Korea (1959), Ghana (1961), and India (1979). With exhibition titles like "Bubble Gum and Apple Pie," the exhibitions were intended to give visitors an insight into the lives of American children through their artwork. Exhibitions like these show the Children's Art Centre's pioneering role in promoting the importance of art education for all children. Learn more about the CAC's amazing history by visiting the Northeastern University Archives. |
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Save the Date
February 2 |
6:30 - 9:30pm
Brewers Helping Neighbors Fundraiser
Tickets are still available for this fun craft beer tasting event benefitting United South End Settlements. Click here to learn more and buy tickets.
Must be 21+ to attend
February 21 | 8am
February Vacation Arts Program Begins
This full-day program for children ages 4.5-12 runs from February 21st to 24th. Scholarships are available! Click here to learn more and register.
February 27 | 8am
April Vacation, Spring Community Classes, and Summer Arts Program Registration Begins
Register early to ensure your slot in our parent and child community classes and our April Vacation and Summer Arts programming for school-aged children. Visit this link after February 27th to register and learn more!
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CAC Around the Neighborhood There's more to the CAC than our programs at 36 and 48 Rutland Street! Here's some of what The Children's Art Centre has been up to in the South End / Lower Roxbury community recently: Bringing CAC Programs into the Community 
In early January the Children's Art Centre held a free parent and child art class at housing developments such as Villa Victoria, Mandela and Interfaith, providing all families who attended with a free arts engagement pack and a voucher to attend an eight-week session of our Arts in Early Learning Series class. The class was a great success and a fun time was had by all. Thanks to all children and families for participating!
This class was made possible through a partnership with Thrive in 5, a city-wide school readiness initiative. Click here to learn more about Thrive in 5's programs!
Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association Silent Auction
The Children's Art Centre has contributed a session of our Arts in Early Learning classes to the Blackstone/Franklin Square Neighborhood Association's Annual Silent Auction Fundraiser. The event will be held Thursday February 23rd at 6 pm at Estragon, 700 Harrison Avenue. Funds raised from the auction will provide need-based scholarships for youth residents of the neighborhood to purchase text books or supplies for college. Funds from last year's auction were able to provide 11 of these scholarships. Click here to learn more about the scholarship, and follow this link to learn more about the work of this great important neighborhood organization.
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CAC in the News!
The Children's Art Centre's own Chelsea Revelle was recently profiled in the South End News about her work as Director of Arts and Culture at United South End Settlements. Click here to read the article!
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