EDEC : 421 Young Children and Creative Arts By Yashmin Ali Student No:

Integrated Creative Arts Topic

Introductory Statement Creating aesthetic environments in a childhood setting is important in providing opportunities for children to develop personal awareness, emotional well being, communication skills, body awareness and physical movement (Edwards, 2002). Childrens sense of belonging is reinforced through participating in the arts and rituals of their own community and those of other cultures. Art is an amazing and pleasing experience that provides young children with opportunity to explore their understandings and communicate through self-expression. Offering artistic and aesthetic environments increases self-understanding it allows children freedom of choices and gain self-knowledge. Children explore ideas, materials and the environment through the arts. When expressive art is encouraged, through a variety of media children discover abilities they have never experienced. Expressing ones uniqueness or individuality, artistically, brings a sense of joy to children which they are able to perform, express or create to aid develop higher level understandings about the concepts they are learning. Importance of Creating Aesthetic Environments

Justification of Catalyst When undertaking this task, initially, I had observed the children role playing fire fighters in the dress up corner, reading picture books about fire fighters and also playing fire trucks with the blocks. This led me to the broader concept of Fire. Fire in itself is beautiful and can be portrayed through various artistic representations. It has been portrayed through visual art, movement (fire dancers, jugglers), as well as dramatic performances about fire and its impact on our lives. Even the music of Fantasia, represented the element of Fire. I then searched for some artistic images of fire online. This led me to choose the picture of the eye on fire. It would lend itself to many open-ended questions I could offer the children, that they could explore., I wanted the children to explore deeply what their perceptions of fire was. Could fire be artistic? How could it be represented? I felt these series of pictures, as catalysts, would stimulate their imagination and also allow them to perceive that one view isn’t what we always see in life.

Catalyst Images

Integrating Three Art Forms Because the children were also very interested in playing with fire trucks in the block corner and reading and hearing stories about fire and fire fighters. I wanted the children to imagine what fire was, how it looked, sounded. moved like, discussing the use of fire, how fire is represented in art forms as well as in our society. Through our senses and our artistic knowledge, I wanted the children to express their understandings visually, aesthetically, dramatically and with dance. Wendy Schiller discusses in her overview how art can be associated with aesthetics, creativity and imagination, but that it can also lead into portraying ethical dilemmas, multiple perspectives and personal interpretation. She suggests that the arts can assist us in developing new ways of thinking if the combinations of media are open ended (Schiller, 2002:2) My children would hopefully experience a new way of thinking about fire and enhance their already informed understandings of what fire is and its importance to us. I aimed to supply them with several forms of media to achieve this. My activities would involve four art forms. Initially, we would develop a visual representation of fire, by using collage with several types of craft materials to choose from., Next I would extend on their visual interpretations by encourage the children to portray their own images of fire in a painting.

Integrating Three Art Forms cont.

The Integrated Arts Program

Goals of the Integrated Experience Goals For the children to explore their senses through dance, drama, and visual art and music. For the children to understand that fire can be represented in various creative art forms. For the children to create their own interpretations of fire. For the children to use imagination to communicate dramatically For the children to use a variety of media for various cause and effect to represent fire. For the children to use prior and newly acquired knowledge to develop concepts about fire.

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