So what’s this blog about
As you can see, this is an art website for kids.
However, I want to make one thing clear. I am not an artist and I don’t even have an art background.
That’s actually my problem and why I started this blog. I WISH I had an art background. But, my creative instincts froze years ago.
Something creative died in me years ago, probably as a result of being fed a steady diet of copycat, cookie cutter arts and crafts as a kid which depresses any creativity you may have. (more about that later). I haven’t given up on myself yet, maybe one day….
Now here’s where this blog comes in…..I don’t want kids to end up in my situation.
I love art and kids and want them to develop in ways that I couldn’t.
I did get my Masters in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street college of Education in the early 80′s, and spent years as an early childhood teacher and director….but my heart has always been with the art (yup I coined that myself) and always spent lots of time on the art in my teaching and directing years.
As a matter of fact I have also given many workshops for teachers in early childhood departments, teaching the teachers how to give kids the right kind of art.
I’ve had some of my own art classes for kids in my home and we run an art camp in the summers. I even got myself a job as an art teacher in a new school coming this Fall 2013.
So I’ve learned that you don’t need an art background to teach kids art.
Let me qualify that (before all the art teachers jump down my throat)
I am more of an “art enabler” (I made up that term as well ) than an art teacher.
I can go just so far with kids. When the kids get ready to start learning about perspective and stuff like that, its time for the big leagues. REAL art classes.
But until then, I can and you can too, teach younger children oh so many wonderful things about art. You don’t even need to know how to draw a straight line to do so.
Why art?
Very simple. Good art doesn’t just teach kids how to be better in art. Or to develop a career in the arts.
It makes kids better learners. It makes kids more creative, It makes kids more fulfilled.
So I started this blog to help you teach (or enable) your kids to become more creative, less timid about their art, more confident about their abilities (cuz all kids have abilities to varying degrees, it just has to be nurtured)as a result feel good about themselves and most of all to help kids become better learners.
I have been on a crusade to move parents and teachers away from copycat arts and crafts and if you want to know more about why copycat crafts is so detrimental then go get my 2 FREE reports
Where I live
So this is the personal stuff .
My name is Faigie Kobre . (its legally spelled with one i but, I added and i to help people pronounce it better) (hard g)
I have been married for almost 30 years to the same guy. I have 6 kids (youngest is 16), 4 grandchildren (so far) and live in a suburb of New York. I live in an Observant Jewish community. (I wrote all about that on a post at Mama smiles which will be published shortly) I and spend my time working on this blog and other stuff.
I did spend 25 years as a high end portrait photographer but, have stopped that in the past few years. (for many different reasons)
I’m into health because my health depends on it and have gone Paleo in the last year.( no grains, sugar, dairy, soy etc.)
Since I haven’t been teaching in a while but, I do post art activities through a few different venues.
- We run an art camp out of my home in the summers.
- I do art with my grand-kids whenever I see them (they live 4 hours away)
- I have many little neighbors that I use to try out different art activities that I want to post about.
- AND I got myself a job in the coming fall to teach art in a new school in my areas that opened up.
I am planning on spending the coming school year “enabling” children doing art and developing some of my theories on how to get kids to be creative on their own. My goal is to stop the hearts and rainbows and see what kids can really do.
I’ll be chronicling my experiences through the year, so stay tuned.
One more thing. If you really want to get away from crafts but, feel stuck? Let me know and I will start a CCA group…copycat crafts anonymous.
So I hope to take you on a journey of learning all kinds of great art things that you can do with your own kids (or students) and hopefully they will develop the confidence in art and themselves so important to be a successful learner in school (or at home)today.
I am looking forward to sharing my own info and that of other bloggers and experts with you.
As most bloggers, I would love to hear from you on this page or on any other page. Or you can email me at faigie@eduart4kids.com
Thanks for visiting
Faigie Kobre
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