Art Kits for the Community (ArtBCause)
All of my art kits are reproducible; the instruction sheets are free to download on my website (artbcause.com) along with the weekly interfaith messages I have started to include.
I am currently creating about 300 kits each week. Approximately 120 are distributed by a local elementary school with their free food program. The remainder I personally deliver or send in the mail.
Materials needed:
*Gallon baggies (and sandwich baggies) for each kit
*Manilla envelopes for sending kits
*Gas
*Printing instructions and messages
*Paper and cardstock for projects
Material included in kits: yarn, burlap, plastic needles, pins, ribbons, popsicle sticks, beads, cords, origami paper, clothes pins, fabric, etc.
Please see below for more information!
Downloadable PDF of art kit instructions
I have taught art to students of all ages for more than 20 years, from preschool to elderly and handicapped.
Although I have offered free summer art classes for many years, the purpose for the art kits I am now creating during this COVID- 19 period is more than merely teaching art. I incorporate a variety of positive ideas along with the art projects with the hope of helping the recipients of my kits navigate their course well during this unusual phase.
One of the art kit projects was creating positive messages to uplift other people using post-it notes. Other projects encourage compassion for those in need; there will always be someone whose situation is more difficult than my own. Developing appreciation for nature and how art, science and technology borrow from nature are also stressed through numerous lessons. An awareness of the unique beauty of international cultures naturally lends itself to a stronger understanding of others as well as geography.
By integrating ideas from a broad spectrum of fields, I hope to inspire the youth, stimulate their imagination and spark curiosity which hopefully will lead them to personally further their search.
