CHALLENGE 4 – #Family! #ARTS ED MONTH AK
Alaska Arts Education Month is here! We’re celebrating throughout March with a different Creativity Challenge each week. Get inspired by the week’s theme to explore music, dance, theater, cultural arts, media arts, and visual arts. Share creations by you and your students with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by tagging #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed to join the party!
Our Creativity Challenge for March 20-March 26, 2022 is #Family
Families are essential. They help us navigate who we are and where we come from. Families bring us comfort, joy, encouragement and help to shape even the youngest of creative minds. What a blessing to be able to make memories and share in the abundant rewards of the arts with those we love most.
Today we’re going to share a few ways to investigate Family through the arts. Some may work in your current educational setting and some may need to be saved for a different learning landscape. All can be adapted for different ages and abilities.
LEARN ALONGSIDE AN ARTIST
Try one of our AAEC Art Bytes: Educators spend hours with students and for many, we are family. So what are some ways to get your family moving and making music? In this 60-min training with Hannah Johnston from Eagle River, Alaska educators try distance delivery lessons for the elementary classroom. This session features ways in infuse movement, music and more at home and into your classroom. Mrs. Johnston’s children even helped her create a melody to accompany a bedtime story.
FIND A VISUAL ARTS LESSON PLAN
On Mother’s Lap: Another great resource from Project ARTiculate uses Ann Herbert Scott’s book, On Mother’s Lap. Students have the opportunity to talk about Family and “closeness” as they explore impressionist artwork. Students then create “interactive artwork involving a chair and puppets.” Grade 1
JUMP INTO A NEW DRAMA GAME
Family Portraits: All families are a little different and here is a fun way to act out all sorts. Check out this tableau lesson from David Farmer and the Drama Resource. Participants receive a prompt of a family type and then mime a family portrait. This activity is perfect for online learning. It can be done socially distanced or in the living with those you love most. Grades 1- adult.
SING AND DANCE ALONG
Family and Music Making: The National Association for Music Education NAfMe has some wonderful suggestions to get families involved in the music making process. Families don’t need a drum set or a background in music theory. Sometimes it can be as simple a song about colors or numbers. Check out some of their suggestions in the section titled Anywhere, Anytime Learning.
We hope these ideas spark your creative thinking for this 4th week of Alaska Arts Education Month. Whether you create something from this list or from your own inspiration, remember to showcase your work on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter with #ArtsEdMonthAK + @akartsed. Visit again for a new Creativity Challenge and more ideas next week!