Grace Kisa, Artist and Creativekidzplay Guest

 

 

 

 

Grace Kisa visits the Creativekidzplay Arts Enrichment Program once again, to display her handmade sculptures. Students really appreciate when guests come to the program not only to view their work but to talk to the artist to ask questions that may influence their own love of art.

 

Kisa is one of the best guests to invite to speak with budding art students. She is very open to students touching and investigating how she created her pieces and answers mounds of questions that they may have.

 

View more of her work at www.gracekisa.com.



What's Happening Now? New Year, New Goals!

Moving into a new year comes with excitement for kids and parents. An efficient way to keep track of your goals is by creating goal and vision boards as an individual and family. It is never too early to educate your children on setting goals for the things that will nurture their self esteem, finances, academics, etc. for the future. Start helping them to write their goals on an index card and placing it on a large piece of cardboard. Create sections for education, family, sports or whatever your child's interests are, and place it somewhere they will be able to see it every day and be accountable for what they are working towards. If your child has goals to improve his/her comprehension with reading, then read with them an extra 15 minutes a night for two weeks and see how it will improve their understanding of the information they are reading. I call this giving your goal energy! It is not enough just to write the goals down. You have to give it energy to bring your goals to light!

Once the goal board is completed, construct a vision board of pictures of things your child would want as a result of his/her hard work. Encourage them to work as hard on their goals as possible
because the rewards from the vision board come with hard work and diligence.

Children who are in the habit of setting goals, accomplishing them through hard work thus reaping the rewards from it, will have a higher self esteem and build their character.

Photo By: Paige Lackey Martin for Paige Martin Books © 2012

Start Teaching Entrepreneurship To Your Kids Now!!

Growing up as a child you always want to do big kid things. Such things as playing big kid games and handling your own money. What better way to help kids express this than to teach them entrepreneurial skills now?

There are many ways to help kids become entrepreneurs. The first way is to teach them how to pitch, which is persuading someone to buy your product and convincing their buyers that their product is worthwhile. In the pitch, kids have to include why their product is the best product they could buy.

Another way to teach your kids entrepreneurship is to help them think quickly. For instance, they will have to come up with good answers quickly to questions about their products, must be able to do mental math instantly, and are generally one step ahead of their competition. This is where basic math skills are essential to understanding money and figures.

Budding entrepreneurs must have a target audience of who they are marketing or trying to sell their products to. Most kids would probably market items that would be beneficial or liked by other kids. A perfect example is candy. A kid entrepreneur could purchase a bag of candy from the dollar store for $1.00. If the bag has a total of 20 pieces of candy in it, costing 5 cents per piece, the kid entrepreneur could sell each piece for a dime which would cover the cost of their investment and double their profit. The kid entrepreneur paid $1.00 for a bag of candy and made $2.00 back. 

One last strategy to have in mind is to make sure they have as many opportunities as possible to make money. It could be something as simple as setting up a local car wash for the neighborhood, selling old toys they don’t want, or even household chores. There are so many ways to teach kids entrepreneurship, but the fact is, it is up to us to teach them.

What's Happening Now? Fall is here!!

Fall is here and for many kids it is there favorite time of the year! In fall, children get a first glimpse of the dramatic changes that occur in the changing seasons. The most notable change is how the leaves transform from green to bright orange, yellow, and crimson reds. Another is the drop in temperature which takes us from T-shirts and shorts to light jackets, long pants and sometimes sweaters. Even the smell in the air changes as the season shifts from warmth to the beginnings of cold wet weather.

Some of the greatest experiences of fall have to include those juicy pumpkins that can't be missed while passing pumpkin patches and decorated porches. Pots of yellow, purple, and orange mums fill the air, apples are at their ripest and hot chocolate and hot cider can be a family's all time favorite treats.

What are your favorite things about fall? We would love to hear from you!

Pictures by Paige Lackey Martin

Back To School Blues

What a fantastic summer it has been for our family which included vacations, camps, and a little hard work to keep those academic juices flowing! But now school has either began or is about to begin after Labor Day depending on where you live in the United States. Although I treasure the time when my children are on their way back to school to learn new things, participate in new adventures, and socialize with their friends, starting a new school year can be a daunting and stressful time for parents.

Any parent who wants the best for their child is usually involved as much as they possibly can be in their academic development. This means partnering with the teacher to create a successful year in academic achievement, being a part of school activities (PTA, curriculum nights, etc.), and encouraging your children to experience new challenges such as science fairs and contests to name a few. But what if your child's teacher is unapproachable or if the way your child learns is not how the majority of the class learns? What if your child has a problem with a classroom bully? Or, what if the administration is not supportive of new ideas that could benefit the school as a whole?

Now, these possible challenges have not yet impacted our family, but in speaking with other parents, they do exist and have been a reality for some.

I personally believe that their are great teachers in classrooms across America but all teaching styles are not suitable for all children. Because I know the needs of my children, I am aware what kind of personality and disposition a teacher needs to have that will be conducive to my children's learning experience. If there were a situation where my child's teacher is not good for him or her, I would have no problem moving him to a class with an instructor that would be better for him.

In the instance of dealing with a classroom bully, document the incident, schedule a meeting with the teacher, parents of the bully, and the principal to resolve the issue and discuss consequences. If nothing changes, make a move to the board of education for that county and meet with the superintendent of the school system.

In reference to a closed administration, if it does not have an open door policy with suggestions that can be voted on or taken seriously, then maybe that environment is not good for you and seek other options and places where your child can receive the kind of education that will make him or her successful. Whether those options are switching from public to private school or vice versa, no school is perfect but there are happy mediums out there. Don't be afraid to explore.

Tips From Creativekidzplay For A Happy And Healthy Summer For Your Kids!

The school year has ended and you have almost 2 months free to spend with your kids, so the big question is, what do you have your children doing this summer? There are so many options now from many kinds of camps, vacations, science programs, to academic enrichment and athletic programs. So many choices, but,  which one is the right one for your child.

I would suggest that you gear his or her activities mainly toward their interests. It certainly doesn't hurt to insert some new activities in just for exposure. They may complain and be resistant, but from a mom's point of view, my children often approach new things with skepticism and end up enjoying and learning new things about themselves.

Our main challenge is television and media. It seems that kid's natural movements in the morning is to want to eat breakfast and watch television, at least in my home. Our goal is to definitely work on getting out of the house and enjoying the outside more. Look into the local section of your newspaper for free events and outdoor activities. You would be surprised at how many free or low cost events that are available for your family during the summer months.

Another important goal is to keep your children reading and preparing them for the next grade level that they will attend in the fall. Just about all cities have education stores that will help strengthen weak skills from the prior year and introduce new skills that they will face in the next.

Just a few suggestions on how to keep your children focused while having fun all at the same time from Creativekidzplay! Enjoy your summer!!

Pics by Paige Lackey Martin for Creativekidzplay

The Creativekidzplay Arts Enrichment Program Ends Its 2011/2012 Sessions For The City Of Atlanta With Artist, Maurice Evans

Last week, the Creativekidzplay Arts Enrichment Program came to end as the 2011/2012 school year closed. What a joy it was to serve the youth of Atlanta in four recreation centers this year and meet such wonderful kids who were open to learning new creative things. Students learned the basic skills in photography, creative writing, songwriting, and visual art and produced art from each component with very little instruction.

This semester's session ended with the visual art component. Maurice Evans (artist, photographer, filmaker, and musician) graced us with a wonderful presentation and shared some of his artwork with Creativekidzplay students. He is just one of the fantastic guests that took the time to mentor to these students on the reality of maintaining a successful career as an artist. Thank you Maurice!!

    

Pictures by Paige Lackey Martin