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Recent Posts
- In-gallery Family Activities
- Fun Family Museum Outings for Winter Break
- Facilitating An Artistic Child When You Aren’t Artistic Part II: Being Your Own Kind of Creative
- Facilitating An Artistic Child When You Aren’t Artistic: Part I
- Museum Resources and the Homeschooler
Blogroll
In-gallery Family Activities
“You are at the museum, now what?”
In-gallery activities for you and your child
You are at the museum, now what? Make the most of your visit by trying one or more of the following in-gallery activities. Art museums don’t have to be silent, stuffy places. Show your children that they can be fun, interactive places of [...]
Fun Family Museum Outings for Winter Break
There isn’t much in the way of family programs the week between Christmas and New Years at the museums, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have some family fun. Here are some great ways to spend time together over the winter break. Hope you enjoy!
National Gallery of Art
Warhol: Headlines
{Closes January 2}
This exhibit features works based [...]
Facilitating An Artistic Child When You Aren’t Artistic Part II: Being Your Own Kind of Creative
I know. You said you weren’t “creative.” You may not express your creativity through paint and clay, but creativity can take on many forms. It can manifest itself in new marketing strategies, chemistry experiments, the construction of a fence, or your special soup recipe. Whatever your profession or hobby, [...]
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Facilitating An Artistic Child When You Aren’t Artistic: Part I
What do you do when you recognize that your little one is bursting with artistic energy and you can’t even draw a stick figure? For many parents, this realization can be a bit threatening to their ability to “perfectly” fulfill parental responsibilities. As the mom or dad, you are supposed to be the [...]
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Museum Resources and the Homeschooler
It’s been said before, but it bears repeating, art is crucial to your child’s education. Educators increasingly tout the importance of creativity and acknowledge that art encourages analytical thinking and problem solving. It can further be used to teach concepts from a variety of disciplines. Finally and perhaps most importantly, art is [...]
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Top 10 Teaching Moments
It has been just over a year since I launched Art Within Reach and I have learned a lot about teaching, managing a classroom, and art activities. So, I thought it would be fun to do a top 10 list of my best teaching moments!
#10
Joan Miró’s The Farm
The National Gallery of Art houses this signature [...]
Reflections: Early Childhood Art Experiences with Scientist, Erin Vogel
I am so happy to have had the opportunity to speak with friend and fellow mom, Erin Vogel (her daughter is three). Dr. Vogel is currently a research scientist at the Center for the Advanced Study of Hominid Paleobiology at The George Washington University. Sadly (for me, at least), she is leaving the D.C. area [...]
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Family Summer Fun at the Museums
Family Summer Fun at the Museums
While by no means a complete list of museum-related family events in the DC area, this should give you a feel for what is happening. I hope you can pencil in one or two of these events and take advantage of what our city’s museums have to offer.
National Gallery of [...]
The Importance of Art in My Kindergarten Classroom {Guest Post by Megan Smith}
Being a kindergarten teacher, I have found art to be one of the most important and influential resources I use within my classroom. I use art within my instruction across all subject areas. In addition, I use art in my classroom to allow students to express their feelings in a variety of ways and to [...]
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Reflections: Early Childhood Art Experiences with Curator Lee Glazer
This is the third in a series of interviews featuring members of the DC community. These conversations will provide a personal perspective on art and childhood. It will illuminate the unique and important role art has in shaping our memories and cultivating our interests. This interview features Lee Glazer, Curator of American Art at the [...]
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Art beyond Western Traditions {Guest Post by Elizabeth Benskin}
Elizabeth Benskin, Educator for School and Teacher Programs
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Smithsonian Institution
Exploring art with little ones can be a joyful learning opportunity for child and parent. And exploring art beyond western traditions is an excellent way to develop your child’s visual and cultural literacy, connecting them to examples of artistic [...]
Reflections: Early Childhood Art Experiences with Teacher Megan Smith
This is the second in a series of interviews featuring adults from a variety of backgrounds and professions. These conversations will provide a personal perspective on art and childhood. It will illuminate the unique and important role art has in shaping our memories and cultivating our interests. This interview features a Montgomery County Kindergarten teacher, [...]
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Reflections: Early Childhood Art Experiences with Curator Debra Diamond
This series will feature interviews with professionals examining their early childhood arts experiences, providing a personal perspective on art and childhood. They will illuminate the unique and important role art has in shaping our memories and cultivating our interests. I begin the series with a friend and former colleague, Debra Diamond, associate curator of [...]
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Kids, the Ditigal Age, and the Art Museum
I am a big Kojo Nnamdi fan. Ever since I started staying home with my children, I have been an NPR junkie (much to my conservative father’s dismay). Who can resist Kojo’s catchy theme music! My daughters and I have had many an impromptu dance party to that music. The show has [...]
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Art & Play
After my first round of art classes at a local preschool, I thought that I could make some adjustments to the structure of my class. So I’ve begun reading more on early childhood education practices.
During my readings, I came across a description of good play that I found very interesting. It reads:
In play, children make [...]
On Being a Mom and Running Your Own Business
Imagine it; blue skies, a light breeze, the warm sun, a frosty drink in-hand and the sound of nothing but the waves hitting the surf. My husband and I lived briefly in this world for three days this past weekend while my parents took care of our two daughters. It was a little slice of [...]
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Art & Early Childhood Education
With word that President Obama plans to reform the Head Start program, it puts the spotlight again on early childhood education. It is becoming increasingly clear that investing in your child’s early years can have lasting benefits for them and the greater community. According to Julia Isaac of the Brookings Institution “Children who participate in [...]
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Art Lessons in Perspective: Virginia Public Schools Kindergarten
Art Within Reach’s children’s museum tours and art classes focus on art history, art education and culture, but their objectives include a wide range of inter-disciplinary approaches. This series of blogs will examine how these early childhood classes support the curriculum standards of DC area public schools.
Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools
ABC’s of Art
In [...]
Art Lessons in Perspective: District of Columbia Public Schools
Art Within Reach’s children’s museum tours and art classes focus on art history, art education and culture, but their objectives include a wide range of inter-disciplinary approaches. This series of blogs will examine how these early childhood classes support the curriculum standards of DC area public schools.
DCPS – Kindergarten Learning Standards
Art
Art Within Reach’s curricula [...]
Art Lessons in Perspective: Montgomery County Kindergarten Curriculum
Art Within Reach’s children’s museum tours and art classes focus on art history, art education and culture, but their objectives include a wide range of inter-disciplinary approaches. This series of blogs will examine how early childhood classes support the curriculum standards of DC area public schools.
Montgomery County Parent Guide to Kindergarten Curriculum
Art
Students will explore pattern, [...]
