The TinkerLab Journal: Creative Picks of the Week

Hi John,

This week I met with some arts education leaders in my community and learned that the National Gallery of Art is hosting a free class on visual thinking! So awesome. I checked it out and wanted to pass it along to you. Related, today's newsletter will look at how we can talk with kids about art as a tool for developing creative and critical thinking skills.

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Five Easy Steps for Talking with Children about Art. This is an older TinkerLab article on how you can easily talk with kids about art as a way to build critical thinking skills. I used this with my then preschooler, and turned the conversation into a making activity. The tips are still relevant today! In a nutshell: Find real art, be open minded, encourage careful looking, ask open-ended questions, and look for an opportunity for related art making. Teaching Critical Thinking through Art with the National Gallery of Art: A free online class that's especially helpful for elementary classroom teachers and homeschoolers. The class is live and active through March 5 (note, this is tomorrow!), and access to materials closes May 26. Looking at Art with Kids - Why and How. The Art Class Curator offers useful tips here, and they relate to Visual Thinking Strategies, a process for looking that developed through the Museum of Modern Art. Looking art and Talking about Art with Kids. Art education professor, Craig Rowland, shares a fabulous PDF that's packed with what he calls Fat Questions, or open ended questions for art inquiry such as What sounds would this painting make (if it could)? as well as Art Postcard Games that would be great for the classroom or groups of kids. March Art Challenge. After all of that careful looking and discussion, you might enjoy making some art of your own. Join this month's art challenge via TinkerLab for creative making inspired by a daily word. TinkerLab March Art Challenge​

Thanks for reading, and drop me a line if you try one of our activities or if you want to share thoughts with me.

Wishing you a weekend filled with creative adventures,

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Rachelle Doorley

Founder, TinkerLab

Read my books: TinkerLab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Inventors + Creative Adventures in Cursive​

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