Young At Art
September 22 2009
OVERVIEW | This program for children 0-12 months of age uses art media to improve family bonding. Fifteen unique activity kits including elements of visual art, dance, and music are rotated through childcare facilities or checked out by parents for free in-home use. Bright colors, pictures, music, soft sounds, and textures encourage sensory integration and motor skill development. Using the kits strengthens family bonds and increases the adult’s knowledge of parenting and child development. Serves: Children birth to one year old.
In partnership with Smart Start Payne County (SSPC) and the City of Stillwater's MultiArts Center, the Museum Without Walls program Young at Art has been created to introduce young children and their parents to the therapeutic as well as playful functions of art. This program supports SSPC's "Strengthening Families" strategy which works with child care facilities and families to build strong nurturing relationships. Research has shown that child abuse and neglect can be reduced or prevented through building protective factors around children and their grown-ups.
Designed for infants, birth-to-twelve months of age and their parents, Young at Art includes fifteen take-home kits filled with materials and activities focusing on hands-on elements of visual art, dance and music. Young at Art utilizes art media to help parents understand child development, improve family bonding, strengthen attachments, stimulate children's learning, and improve motor skills, all while supporting the infant's social and emotional development.
Children who are not socially and emotionally ready for school cannot form the brain connections that promote cognitive learning. Art helps children express themselves before they are verbal. Young at Art offers parents and childcare centers a turnkey approach toward that healthy outcome.
Young at Art began the first week of September 2008 as Stillwater Children's Museum (former name of Oklahoma WONDERtorium) and Smart Start Payne County staff conducted training with parents and teachers at each participating child care site. The initial program involved 34 infants and their parents who were eligible to utilize this program. Participating sites now include Kids Under Construction (Virginia Street), Early Head Start, the Oklahoma State University Family Resource Center. Patrons of the Stillwater Public Library can also check out the kits to take home.
Young at Art was funded with grants from Stillwater Arts and Humanities Council, ONEOK Foundation, and Smart Start Payne County.
| Young At Art Descriptions | ||
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Each kit contains all the needed supplies and a music CD. |
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| Paper Exploration An assortment of colorful and crackly paper provides an opportunity to engage in play and dance with the accompaniment of a music CD. Explore the colors, textures, and sounds that each paper provides while moving with the rhythm of the music. |
Musical Instruments Experimenting with musical instruments provides opportunities to enhance your child’s language development as you describe what your baby is experiencing. |
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| Motion Bottles The motion bottles are filled with various types of objects that create the perfect inspiration for creating stories for your baby to hear while he or she is exploring the unique bottles. |
Sticky Adventure With a sheet of sticky paper, each baby is able to experience how different objects, or even themselves, react in sticky situations. |
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| Shake, Rattle and Chomp Brightly colored tubes, a rain stick, and a cheerios drum provide excellent opportunities for exploring various sounds. While your baby is exploring what they hear, describe what he or she is experiencing. |
Colored Sand Whether it’s pouring and measuring the sand, or simply experiencing the cool sensation that sand brings, your baby will enjoy the simplistic satisfaction that comes with playing with sand. |
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| Paint with Water Whether using wet sponges or wet hands, water provides a hassle-free medium for your baby’s first paintings. |
Touch and Feel Touch and Feel provides a great opportunity to begin the life-long love for reading with your baby. As you read to your baby, he or she has the opportunity to follow along with the pictures and feel the various textures. |
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| Scarf Play A compilation of music provides a fun environment for your baby to explore scarves. Toss them up and watch them float down or use them in a game of peek-a-boo. |
Model Magic and Mozart Mozart provides the perfect back drop when creating model magic. Roll it, tear it, squeeze it, or simply touch it. Any way you do it, your child will enjoy the endless possibilities that clay has to offer. |
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| Balls for Babies Babies will have fun exploring the various sizes and textures of balls. |
What's in the Can? Each mystery item provides a new sensory experience for your child. Allow them to explore each item using the sense of touch. |
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| Textured CDs The textured CDs allow your baby to experience various textures that appeal to the senses. |
Color Discovery Colorful paddles and a flashlight allow you and your baby to experiment with mixing and creating new colors all while dancing along with music. |
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| Wrist Ribbons Ribbons especially made to fit your baby’s wrist or ankles are perfect for engaging in movement activities with your baby. Gently wave your baby’s arms and legs with the music as you talk or sing to your baby. |
Pot Banging Sit down with your baby and create a beat and variety of noises with pans and spoons. |
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