Dear Sapitos’s Parents:

As you know during this month we will be talking about art in general, but for this upcoming week we have prepare many cool activities focusing in visual arts. We are sure the children are going to enjoy a lot making art.   

Art may seem like fun and games, and it is! but you may not realize that your child is actually learning a lot through exploring the arts and doing art activities. Your children will gain useful life skills through art, so encourage them to get creative, and you will quickly see that your children are picking up these skills:

1. Communication Skills: When a child draws a picture, paints a portrait, or hangs buttons from a wobbly mobile, that child is beginning to communicate visually. A child may draw to document an actual experience like playing in the park, release feelings of joy by painting swirling colors, or share an emotionally charged experience like the passing of a loved one through art. Art goes beyond verbal language to communicate feelings that might not otherwise be expressed.

2. Problem-Solving Skills: When children explore art ideas, they are testing possibilities and working through challenges, much like a scientist who experiments and finds solutions. Art allows children to make their own assessments, while also teaching them that a problem may have more than one answer. Instead of following specific rules or directions, the child's brain becomes engaged in the discovery of "how" and "why." Even when experimenting or learning how to handle art materials effectively, children are solving challenges and coming up with new ways to handle unexpected outcomes.

3. Social & Emotional Skills: Art helps children come to terms with themselves and the control they have over their efforts. Through art, they also practice sharing and taking turns, as well as appreciating one another's efforts. Art fosters positive mental health by allowing a child to show individual uniqueness as well as success and accomplishment, all part of a positive self-concept.

4. Fine Motor Skills: Fine motor skills enable a child do things like delicately turn the page of a book or fill in a sheet of paper with written words. Holding a paintbrush so that it will make the desired marks,  snipping paper with scissors into definite shapes, drawing with a crayon, or squeezing glue from a bottle in a controlled manner all help develop a child's fine motor skills and control of materials.

5. Self-Expression and Creativity: Children express themselves through art on a fundamental level. Sometimes their artwork is the manifestation of that expression, but more often, the physical process of creating is the expression. Creating art allows children to work through feelings and emotions, and referring to a finished piece of artwork helps a child talk about feelings in a new and meaningful way. Art also develops a child's creativity. Rather than being told what to do, answers and directions come from the child. Art is an experience that requires freethinking, experimentation, and analysis, all part of creativity.

Special Activities: 

Most of our children are already working on spelling their own names and organizing the letters that form their names. The technique we are using for this propose is building puzzles with the letters of their names. We will appreciate if you help your children to reinforce this information by practicing at home,  to improve their writing and reading skills.   

This is our last week working on the theme “Las Artes”  (The Arts). Through this, the Sapitos Class will practice some different painting techniques, will listen some stories (Literature) watch a poetry video, will model clay (make sculptures).

We also will celebrate The Earth Day talking about how to care of our planet and making crafts with recycling material.

Words of the week:

Pintura: paint

Pintor : painter

Literatura: literature

Poesia: poetry

Escritor: writer

Escultura: sculpture

Escultor: sculptor

Friendly Reminders:

We want to be sure that Sammy the frog visits all of our kids home. Please check the signup sheet we have posted out of the classroom so none of the children will miss the opportunity to have him at home.  This week  Sammy is visiting Gabriel Haffey's home… great!!

 

 Important Dates and Reminders:

•       April 22^nd.   The “Earth Day” is an annual event, on which special activities  are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. We at the classroom had prepared plenty of recycling projects and ecological activities for our children.  If you have the opportunity at home, talk to your child about taking good care of our Planet. Don't forget to make fun activities and crafts with them. All the  children can bring only Tuesday (April 22nd) all the Ecological activities they did at home show and talk about it to the class.

 

 •          April 28^th to May 2^nd . “Art Fair”. We will have a great exhibition of your child’s art.

Thank you note:

We want to thank all of you for your support sending some goodies for the Easter Celebration, specially Ms. Laura Koshel who helped us filling up the eggs. The children had a lot of fun!

 Have a wonderful weekend!!! and Happy Easter!!!

 

Miss Arte & Miss Amparo