Art Smarts: How to Become an Advocate for Arts Education - Part 3

What can you do?

After learning about how the arts can influence a child's academic succes in in Part 2 you hopefullly wan to know what you can do to help. Well, if the arts are threatened in your community's schools, and you recognize the importance of arts in children's lives, then read on to find out how you can do something about it!

At home:
Children get excited about learning when it's done through art. Here are some ideas that you can use in your home to raise creative children.

• Turn off the TV and get turned on to art! Designate a night of the week as "Family Art Night." You can either plan an activity or just set the entire family free with come arts and crafts supplies. It's fun to see what everyone comes up with and it's also quality family time spent. Be sure to display everyone's creations in a special place.
  
  
• Start a family newsletter to keep relatives and friends up to date on what's going on in your lives. Give each family member a job - writing the articles, illustrating the articles, laying out the design, sending the newsletter, etc.
  
  
• Let children enjoy the process of creating on their own work rather than the results themselves. Encourage them to do things their own way.

At School:
Parents can make a difference when they get involved!

• Get to know your children's teachers. Volunteer in classrooms for arts activities and communicate the importance of arts learning from yore firsthand experience.
  
  
• Work with the teacher to create a list of household supplies that kids' parents can donate to be used in arts and crafts activities- paper towel rolls, empty egg cartons, empty milk jugs, paper bags, old socks, etc. Teachers' arts and crafts budgets are small, and any extra bit will help.
  
  
• Become an advocate. Attend school board meetings and get to know the players. Analyze the arts program at your child's school and distribute it widely. Obtain curriculum standards for the arts and show how these standards are addressed through samples of students' creative works.

In the Community:
Even if you don't have children or if they're all grown up, you can still get involved:

• If you are an artist, discover whether your school district has an artist-in-residence program. Volunteer and share your love of art with young people.
  
  
• School arts programs can always use extra funding. If you are a business owner, considering supporting your local program. Or as an individual, join the fundraising team and drum up support for arts education.

Resources:
The following websites were used in the writing of this article. They are excellent sources to learn more about becoming an advocate for arts education:

Americans for the Arts
www.artsusa.org

Crayola (A Binny & Smith Company)
www.crayola.com

New Horizons for Learning Electronic Journal
Oddleifson, Eric; A Fifty School Arts Education Demonstration Project
www.newhorizons.org/art_fiftyscharts.html

President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities and Arts Education Partnership
Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education
www.pcah.gov/gaa/study_findings.html

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