Pumped up Kicks- Foster the People

Arts Explorer #10: Community Arts Project

Art word of the week: Space

"Artists use space in different ways. Some artworks are completely filled with vibrant colours and exciting designs (positive space), with little white paper (negative space) showing" (Schirrmacher & Fox, 2009, p. 142)

How can a community arts project cover positive or negative space?

One Camp, One Love

Believes that all children deserve the chance to lead an active lifestyle.

Believes that children benefit holistically from participating in recreation programs such as Summer Fun Camps.

We believe (children and our community) can help other children have the chance to participate in active recreation programs and live an active lifestyle through low costs. 

Jerry Love Children's Fund
He was an advocate for all children and believed no matter the families' financial situations, children deserved to participate in recreation programs.
Mayor Hazel McCallion recognized his dreams by renaming the fund after him: The Jerry Love Children's Fund.
Since the fund began in 1985, it has provided memorable recreation experiences for 11, 094 children in Mississauga. 

OUR BIG IDEA!!
To promote US (children and our community) to help other children have the chance to participate in active recreation programs and live in active lifestyle through low cost effective ways; THROUGH schools and the greater community!!

3 ways to stay a healthy kid this summer...
1. Eat Healthy
2. Get Active
3. Have fun doing it! 
Introduction of CAMP!

After the presentation:

The presentation of ONE CAMP, ONE LOVE went extremely well. We stressed the importance of diminishing childhood obesity and getting children to recreation programs for the summer. Incorporating the YMCA song into our presentation was an effective way to get the audience listening to our idea. We also created our version of the "breast cancer" ribbons. The reason why we chose this design was because green and blue both symbolize the outdoors and our goal was to get all children into recreation programs during the summer.

 One Camp, One Love. Diminish childhood obesity and get children into recreation programs this summer. Educate them on the importance of a healthy living! Be happy, eat healthy and get active!

My group worked well together and we all have very creative ideas in how to present the idea of childhood obesity! Being a healthy kid and seeing healthy kids is one things that keeps us interested in the field of ECE. No matter what you do with kids, seeing a smile on their faces and knowing that you have made a difference in their life, is an accomplishment as an educator :) 

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar

 

Arts Explorer #9: Guerilla Art

Art word of the Week: Line

What is a line? It can be something that you draw with a pencil that continuously flows throughout the page. It can be something to which your imagination goes with no limitations. A line can be a pattern, a shape or a reflection. Yes, a reflection; simple yet to the point. No matter what the definition, a line will always be interpreted by each unique individual. 

When applying a "line" to guerilla art, I chose a banana. A banana, to me, is a line. A line that covers the surface of a space and generally...tastes good. 

I found a banana in my house and decided to draw a face and place it outside hanging off of a tree. If I were a casual Joe walking down the street and happen to see a banana hanging off of a tree, I too would stop, look and question. My first reaction would be, "What was the person thinking wasting a really good banana?" But then I would stop and say, "What was the purpose of the banana hanging from the tree?" The possibilities could be anything and that...is something to each person's content. 

 

This is my guerilla art! The concept behind Mr.Banana Man was the idea to get someone to stop and think. I know that if it was me who was witnessing odd behaviour, I would stop....and think. So I put people to the ultimate test!

Mr.Banana Man hanging out

Children running to Mr.Banana Man

Examining

 

Removing Mr.Banana Man

Let's just say...Mr.Banana Man was eaten. These children instantly showed an interest in the weird and strange guerilla art. It was interesting to see how people reacted to Mr.Banana Man. They seemed surprised to see a banana with a smiley face hanging off of a tree. Another interesting observation was the fact that these children just ran onto the driveway of this strangers house. But the nice thing about living in a neighborhood is that everyone knows everyone. When the children ate the banana, I came out and asked them what they thought of Mr.Banana Man. They looked at me and laughed and asked me "Why is I put it there?" I answered, "Well its for my school. I wanted to see your reactions to something strange." They all got a kick out of Mr.Banana Man and are now looking forward to see him again...in the near future. 

As a future ECE educator, I plan on working with children in creating guerilla art. Its a good way to get children thinking outside the box. What is strange? What is cool? Or what will get people thinking? All these questions will get children thinking as well. Keeping an open mind about art will help in their artistic development. Not everything has to be to "the book" but rather taking something simple, like a banana, and transforming it into a piece of art. 

 

Arts Explorer #8: Pretend Play and Magical Thinking

Art word of the week: Mass or Volume

"Mass and volume are appropriate criteria for critiquing three-dimensional art, which has height, length and width" (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2009, p. 142). When you walk down the streets of downtown Toronto, what do you mainly see? Sky scrapers, business buildings, the Toronto Eaton Center, Old City Hall, the CTV building...the list goes on and on.

When you, as an educator, do a three-dimensional activity with a group of children, you have to let their imagination soar. Allow them to create an object or a person and have that creation come to life. Children can also take a building from downtown Toronto and say it looks like a giant mountain and people have to climb that mountain to get to the top. Well, you can then ask, "What will they see when they reach the top?" By then, the imagination is ready to be explored....

This is Charlie FanFare

Charlie Fanfare is the type of guy that likes to be outdoors. Not only is he cool and collected but he really knows how to carry a conversation. His personality is very laid back, outgoing, likes to have a fun time and most importantly, loves watching movies. His favourite is Charlie and the Chocolate factory. Why? Well why wouldn't you like a movie that has the main character has the same name as you. Another one of his favourite hobbies is to roller blade. Sometimes he can roller blade for 5 hours STRAIGHT! I think he's crazy but he loves doing it. I asked him one day why he would rather roller blade for 5 hours instead of 1 or 2, he says he likes the wind in his hair. Charlie comes from a very active family. His mother, Anabelle, is a beautician. She loves giving people makeovers...especially Charlie. His father, Bill, was a marathon runner. At times, he use to run for 6 hours, NONSTOP! I guess that's why Charlie can roller blade for 5 hours without being tired. Unfortunately, Charlie does not have any siblings. But he does have a dog name Scout. As children, Charlie and Scout use to play ball outside of their house. All the neighborhood kids would be terrified of Scout but I never understood why because Scout...is a Chiwawa. Charlie is not fluent in any other languages except for English. He took a Spanish and French course but dropped out because he couldn't get past "Hola" and "Bonjour"

Two of Charlie's favourite foods are pasta and pizza. He had a friend once who brought pizza everyday for lunch. Charlie thought it was super cool to have pizza for lunch everyday so he pitched the idea to his mother. His mother looked at him and said, "No" Charlie was devastated so he would buy pizza everyday at school. This went for 2 weeks when Charlie got sick. The doctor told him that he became sick because of the amount of pizzas he was eating. When his mother found out, boy was he in trouble! 

Charlie Fanfare is a character to know. He always has a smile on his face and loves having a good time. People say, when they first meet him, that he has a real sense of humor. He enjoys playing pranks on his friends and family and is constantly telling jokes. Meeting Charlie would be someone that you will NEVER forget. 

This activity was very interesting. I could go on and on about Charlie Fanfare. Children should be encouraged to bring an inanimate object to life. It allows them to think outside the box and to explore their surroundings. As I was doing this activity, I felt like a kid again! It's entertaining, fun and above all, educational. 

"You're never to old to be a kid again"

Reference

Schirrmacher, R., & Fox, J.E. (2009). Art and creative development for young children 

        (6th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Delmar