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Hands-on expression: Art for kids a hit
BY GINA HAMILTON • CONTRIBUTING WRITER
 | | Lauren Sheridan, left, assistant to artist Peg Sheridan, watches Samantha Stinespring engrossed in her art project. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) |
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BATH COUNTY - Kids and art projects tend to go together enthusiastically, and last week 15 children had the opportunity to get creative with paints and paper in a special summer program at Valley Elementary School and Millboro Elementary School.
Guided by artist Peg Sheridan of Hot Springs, they participated in the program with the theme "What's in My Garden?" The twoday classes were attended by 11 children ages 5 and 6 at Valley Elementary School and four at MES.
The classes did not involve hands-in-the-dirt gardening, but used a variety of art materials to create paintings, collages, pinwheels, drawings and prints. The four-hour sessions also involved reading books by authors Eric Carle and Leo Lionni, among others, which include colorful textural artwork and garden creatures and plants. As part of the project, the youngsters created their own illustrated books to take home.
 | | Happy to show off their artistic creations at Millboro Elementary School are, from left: Taylor Gentry next to artist Peg Sheridan, Samantha Stinespring, Kaleb Loan, Tyler Riley, and Lauren Sheridan, who assisted in last week's program. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) |
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"These activities will enhance the children's natural curiosity in nature," Sheridan said.
This week, Sheridan said, "We also learned about mixing colors. The children were amazed when they mixed yellow and blue and it became green. It was magic."
She said at this young age, children are gaining many hand-eye skills, including using paintbrushes, scissors, fingers, crayons, oil pastels and markers. "It was interesting to watch them work, experiment and learn," she said. Sheridan explained one exercise involved step-by-step directions to create a picture. The children had to listen, translate that to what they had to do on paper, and pay attention to spatial relationships as they drew.
They developed manual dexterity with paintbrushes, scissors, pastels, markers, prints, and finger painting. The activities were also designed to increase the children's vocabulary and understanding of the natural world.
 | | Having fun with art at Valley Elementary School in Hot Springs are, from left: Sean Flenner and Ranger Clarkson, and in the background, Hunter White. (Photo courtesy Valley Elementary School) |
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"Many studies have shown that students who regularly experience art do better in their other subjects also," Sheridan said. She believes art encourages them to "think outside the box" and said, "In most other classes, there is a sequential way to solve a problem. In art, we come up with our own interpretation of the problem, our own way of thinking through a solution, and our own way of executing it. Who doesn't need these skills in their job, no matter what it is?"
She said some of the students had special needs and the small groups seemed to work well for them. Along with artistic benefits, they learned social skills such as waiting in line, being polite, taking turns, and listening.
"They wrote words, dictated a story, and constantly practiced language skills," Sheridan said. They listened to books and gained confidence in writing and illustrating their own books. "We learned about science by talking about garden plants, insects, animals, and weather. (It was) an amazing amount of growth in two days," she added.
 | | Page Mandy takes her painting serious during last week's art program at Valley Elementary School. (Photo courtesy Valley Elementary School) |
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Sheridan said she'd like to see the program continue next year, plus add a session for older children.
Sheridan teaches watercolor painting in Bath and Highland counties and operates an art business, Inspirations, from home. She also teaches art classes in various locations around the region and arts and crafts classes at The Homestead. She was recently accepted into the juried Virginia Watercolor Society show in Hampton.
The children's program was paid for with a $1,540 grant from the Virginia Hot Springs Preservation Trust. The curriculum was made available by the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education in Waynesboro. The foundation seeks to bring the arts into all educational programs and especially for children who learn in different ways.
 | | Dell Philpott from the P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children's Education in Waynesboro is impressed with a book a student created in the foundation's art program. (Recorder photo by Gina Hamilton) |
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VES principal Les Balgavy submitted the grant application to the trust. "We had the program last year," he said. "It was fully funded through the P. Buckley Moss Foundation." He noted money from the foundation was not available this summer, so the schools had to find another source to bring an artist to the two schools.
The program was open to all preschool and kindergarten students. Of the approximately 50 letters the school sent to parents, Balgavy said, "All we got was 11 students." Millboro had six youngsters signed up, but only four actually participated.
"It's an excellent program; there's also an exercise component as well," he said, noting that having preschoolers sit for four hours is a lot to ask them to do. "So at break time, we made it an actual exercise activity for them." The children went out to the lobby of the cafeteria for stretching exercises, running in place, and playing some games.
"Given the limited amount of art offered in public schools, I would like to see the program happen (again), if we can find funding next year; I'll see what I can do," Balgavy said. He said at VES, a formal art class is only given eight times during the school year, 45 minutes each class.
"The students had a really good time and I'm hoping that the parents will take the opportunity to expose their child to art next year," he added.
Balgavy expects VES to open with about 268 students in grades kindergarten to seven on Tuesday, Sept. 4.
At MES, principal Martha Reish said she also sent letters to parents about the program, and six students were signed up.
"We also had it last year," she said. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity for children." She would also like to see the program continue. Reish said in Millboro, 12 weeks of art are provided to students, from the beginning to school to fall break, with Bill Lindsey, the art teacher from Bath County High School. Her school then shares the art teacher with VES for the rest of the school year.
At the P. Buckley Moss Foundation, program coordinator Dell Philpott said the art program prepares children for a rigorous kindergarten. "The whole idea is to encourage teachers to use the arts, and to involve parents in the child's learning process," she said. "Art is a means of communication."
While the foundation normally provides the program for a whole week, Philpott said the local grant paid for it completely for two days at each school. It provided the curriculum and Philpott attended in an advisory capacity. "The artist worked with me. Peg filled in some things with what we could do with the basic curriculum from the Moss Museum," she said. "The foundation does all the planning and we conduct the program at the museum. We'll travel to other locations interested in a preschool art program for their children."
Philpott added, "We're not trying to develop artists; we're trying to allow children to use the arts as a means of communication and expression and develop their natural creativity."
In Hot Springs, Preservation Trust executive director Sally Johnson said this was the first year the Trust was asked to pay for the program. "We do community support funding. Once every three months we look at applications," she said. After a grant-funded project is completed, the trust asks for a report from the recipient to find out if the money was used as stated in the application, and whether the project was a success. She anticipates a report from Balgavy about the art program.
The trust pays for projects in Bath County about environmental conservancy, historic preservation, and local arts and culture. Operations and programs of the trust are funded by real estate transfer fees on Homestead Preserve properties.
The next deadline for grant applications is Saturday, Sept. 1. More information is available by calling Johnson at the trust office in Warm Springs, (540) 839-2407.
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