Schools regularly find themselves dealing with the aftermath of family, community and national tragedies. In this article, two university-based educators share their experiences of working with schools to engage children in arts-based activities to support the processing of the traumatic events they endured. In both cases, children in local…

This qualitative study looks at how an art studio run by children in crisis impacts what we can learn about art and relationships. Room 13, an art studio on school grounds managed by children ages 7-11 years old, began in Scotland in the 1980's and is now worldwide. Room 13 young artists manage the studio, raise funds, and even hire an adult…

This article discusses the international interdependence Hexagon Project for Haiti which invites students, ages five through eighteen, to create an image within a hexagonal template and respond to big questions surrounding a global culture of interdependence. The hexagon is a visual metaphor for interdependence, with its potential to infinitely…

This book collects the thoughts of some of the world's most astute observers of child art. Essays in the book include: (1) "Art as a Unifying Principle in Education" (Sir Herbert Read); (2) "Stages of Development in Preschool Art" (Rhoda Kellogg); (3) "Child Art and Visual Thinking" (Rudolf Arnheim); (4) "The Mental Foundation of Art Education in…

Presents students' drawings that resulted from a discussion of literary works and their illustrations. (RL)

Suggests that in contrast to art as "recess" creating a collective mural is a process of self-exposion and conquest. The child's image expands not only to arm's reach size, but to the size of the whole wall. For once the child is acting on his own environment rather than being acted on. (Author/AM)

Analysis of drawings by 26 children indicated striking contrasts in subject matter and style between girls and boys, but did not present stereotyped images of sex roles. The contrasts could not be specifically attributed to genetic, social, or psychological differences between the sexes. (MJL)

Examines relationships between child and adult art, proposing an exploration of meanings of children's art activity by examining relationships between art-making and other activities of the same developmental period. The paper posits some basic human needs and considers how various activities might serve as instrumentalities to realize such goals.…

Children are born artists, and artistic talent emerges from the interplay of proclivity, cultural enrichment, and nurturance. Intended to demystify art for parents and teachers and to help them understand what the art experience is like for the child or adolescent, this book discusses visual art concepts in simple terms and presents art as a…

Recommends ways in which parents can foster creative development in their children. (DS)

The background and dual evaluation approaches used in a nationwide arts evaluation project for Very Special Arts (arts programing for disabled and nondisabled children and adults) are described. Results of a field test in eight states of one of the assessment instruments developed in the evaluation are discussed. (SLD)

Sandtray therapy, in which students use figures and the sand itself to build and design miniature worlds in a tray, can be a powerful and effective tool in meeting the mental health needs of children and adolescents, including and maybe especially children who are deaf and hard of hearing. It is a highly visual approach that crosses language and…

Presents the author's personal experiences teaching art to Australian children of Vietnamese background. Most Vietnamese art students feel most comfortable with a formal approach to schooling and to artwork. Understanding students' culture assists the teacher in planning projects that affirm their skills and talents. (SLD)