It's about time... dag!

(I bet Jodi's thought that exact quote ten ot twenty time in the last few months!)

Ok, so, field days are over (check!)  Final third-grade project turned in (check!)  Final after-school activity day over (check!) Teacher's gifts sent to coordinating parents (check!) Five more school days then our lives are finally ours for the summer... niiiiiiiice.

Alright, so this is what's up.  I have a summer project that is in response to some mom who are interested in me offering art classes geared toward elementary school and middle school aged kids.  I'll be gathering info and posting something hopefully in mid-July.  I think the online idea with in-person meetings once or twice a session would be the way to go.  The classes would start at the beginning of the school year and run in quarterly sessions.  I want to gather info because some of the interest is from home-schooling families looking for art curriculum so I want to see what kind of requirements are needed in different districts around here.

Now please, before anyone says, "Oh!  Sign me up!  I want my kid to be the next Van Gogh!" let me first say that "No, you don't."  Van Gogh voluntarily cut off his ear.  All creative talent aside that's not the action of a man who's mentally stable.  I'd like my little proteges to have all their little body parts in tact when they leave, thanks.

But this is not that kind of art class.  This is a let's see what kind of mess we can make class.  One challenge I'd like to put out is that each child find something in their home that they absolutely believe they could not use to make art (my son insisted I couldn't use a Matchbox car.  My son was way wrong.)  I want kids to see that art isn't all about the technical aspects.  They figure out soon enough whether they're talented enough to move into that area.  This is just as much about how you look at the world as it is how you interpret it artistically.   I think that aside from being an "art class" it will give kids a more creative way of looking at the world that can really help develope their creative thinking skills and them through other areas of their lives as they grow.

I have three parents who have let me know they're interested in some version of this.  If you are interested, let me know and I'd like to take your opinion into account as well.  Feel free to email if you're not comfortable posting a comment!

(Ooooh... this must be a good idea because I'm starting to get a little giddy... are you giddy?  I'm totally giddy...)