April 28, 2015 6:00 am Art For A Cause
At the Putnam Indian Field School, the children love to express themselves through their art work. At their annual Art Show on April 24th and 25th, they got to prove to their parents how beautiful their work is. The projects they exhibited were multi-faceted and long term, featuring elements of language, sculpture, paper-making, drawing, and painting.
One Pre K class made their own colorful paper and then used it as a frame for a family portrait they drew. Another class used recyclable materials to create self-portraits.
The 4-year olds studied local birds and animals, creating a story, a drawing or painting and a clay sculpture of their chosen subject. They studied their animal’s habits, what they ate and where they lived, and constructed realistic nests and homes for the animals.
Some of the nursery classes made collages of painted paper and then used the paper to create characters from Eric Carle books, imitating the author’s techniques. Another used bright craypas to recreate Picasso’s hand and flower bouquets.
Many parents were amazed to see the Tiffany-like bowls created by the youngest children. They used brightly colored rice stuck to a balloon. After the rice mixture dried, the balloon was removed to reveal the sparkling bowl.
What made the children work so hard was their knowledge that donations from parents at the event would benefit one of their favorite organizations: Heifer International. Knowing that Heifer gives pregnant animals to poor villagers in underdeveloped countries, the children learned the different benefits that come from a gift of a cow, beehive, pig, goat, llama, etc. They were excited to feel they could help others to improve their standard of living by providing nutritious food to consume and sell. The parents loved the show, and the children felt they were really making a difference. They are!
