The Art of Learning

by Jennifer Stratton

I've been artsy-craftsy for as long as I can remember. Much of my childhood was spent reading Volume 9 of my Childcraft Encyclopedias; Make & Do under the covers with a flashlight. It was worth it, even if I got caught poring over the bright, slick pages. I spent so many hours reading and crafting from that one volume that tonight when I typed the title into the search engine, the memories took my breath away.  Even after thirty-five years, I still want to color a tiger onto sandpaper with oil pastels and paint a bird onto corrugated cardboard. It was as though the projects came alive for me in that book and I could not wait to do it for myself. It is clear to me now that I am part visual and part kinesthetic learner, meaning that I learn by seeing first, then by doing it! Seems simple, right? 

Learning Styles by Percentage

Well, it is if you are among the 65% of visual learners or the 30% of auditory learners. 

>Teacher writing on a board.<  

>Teacher giving a lecture.<

Schooling is based on the above learning styles and it's been done that way since dinosaurs walked the earth. 

But wait... what about that other 5%... the tactile learners? 

Since I am a visual learner, I of course looked for a pie chart to show the percentages of visual, auditory and tactile learners. Research shows that most females change to visual learning in the second or third grade, while males tend to retain their tactile learning style throughout life. Well damn! This makes so much sense why my second grade kinesthetic daughter is struggling in school and why so many boys struggle and the  rate of male dropouts is so high!

Tactile students learn by doing, touching, wiggling, cartwheeling and generally distracting all the other learners in the class. They are often misdiagnosed as ADHD or Trouble (see that capital T?) Yeah. My sweet, scary-smart eight year old daughter who loves reading, is a natural leader and cannot seem to sit still for 30 minutes was given and "ISS" or In School Suspension a few weeks ago for wiggling and running at the inappropriate time. It has since been retracted, but the fact remains that these learn-by-doing kiddos are getting the short end of the stick! I get it. She is busy. Ok, she is really busy and it's an issue in a traditional classroom. Until I can find a kinesthetic classroom that allows for her to move about the classroom because the "fasten seatbelt light" is off, we have decided to home school her. In our free time. Truthfully, time was a big concern, but how can we not carve out the time to provide her an education in the way that she learns? 

Bonus for Mama; arsty-craftsy activities are kinesthetic! 

If I'm going to home school, there will be art in her learning,
because for my child, learning is an art. 

Celebrating Life from Nov 26 - Dec 2

All the ways you can just celebrate the fact that you are alive for the upcoming week and a few humble suggestions as to how you might do that. Enjoy the little things... they ARE the big things.

 

Monday the 26th - Mustache Monday AND Shopping Reminder Day

It is your last chance to don a mustache and recieve 10% off your dinner at any Don Jose's in Alaska for Mustache Monday! This applies all day and statewide. If you don't have a mustache, just ask your server and they'll hook you up!

In addition... just a friendly remider to shop... and shop local.

Tuesday the 27th - Pins and Needles Day

Interesting to find out that this day actually has two meanings, when so many of these random holidays have no history on their origin! So, you can tuck one meaning into your random bit of knowledge pocket and then celebrate with us by giving a holiday gift hint to someone so that they are on pins and needles! Or... create something using pins and needles.

 

Wednesday the 28th - Make Your Own Head Day

This is a perfect sculpture project for you and your kids. Try papier' mache, draw a picture or sculpt out of Play-dough and remember... there is no wrong in art.

Friday the 30th - Stay at Home Because You Are Well Day

Here you go... a bona fide reason to play hooky! We don't know if it will fly at work, but if you have the opportunity to take the day off for some much needed family fun, we highly recommend it!

Saturday the 1st - Eat a Red Apple Day
Apples are delicious. Apples are nutritious. That's a great combination. It is really easy to participate in this special day. Your mission today, is to pick an apple among the many varieties, and eat it.

A little apple trivia: The science of growing apples is called pomology.  

Sunday the 2nd - National Fritters Day

If you live in Anchorage, I fully believe that a lunch or dinner date at the Sourdough Mining Company is in order. That way you can celebrate by eating the BEST corn fritters in town with honey butter! YUM!

 

If not... give the recipe a whirl!

Ingredients:	3 eggs 3/4 c. creamed corn 1/2 c. canned corn, drained 1 3/4 c. flour 3/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. half-n-half 3 tsp baking powder
Directions:	Mix all ingredients, then drop by large spoonfuls into deep fat fryer. Fry until golden brown. Serve with honey butter. Mmmm!
	Personal Notes: We devised this recipe after a night at "The Sourdough Mining Company" restaurant in Anchorage. They serve what they call "world famous korn fritters". I think we came pretty close! If you're ever in Anchorage, this is an Alaska experience and food worth stopping for!



There are NO mistakes in art.

If you get me chatting about art, I will eventually share my theory of creativity with you. Basically, I believe that everyone IS creative and that we ALL share that same gene. Now, before you argue, "Jennifer, I am so NOT creative!", let me explain.

 

As tiny children, we all color and create with abandon. Scribbling and fingerpainting to our heart's content; not worrying about the final product. Back then, we created for the fun of it. It's not until one day when you are showing your art to a "grown-up" that you heard, "Cows aren't suposed to be purple," or "Oh, you didn't stay in the lines," that you begin to second guess your self expression.

 

I dare you to challenge that way of thinking! There are no mistakes in art. NONE. If you "mess" up, just use it to embellish or start again. Trust me, you were made for this.

Create image credit: Tangram SM Store

You're are gonna get in troooooouble!

True story:
For years I had an art studio in our house. It was a joy, full of creative mess and open space. I had eight bar stools in there for years, but one summer, on a whim I decided to alter my plain-o chairs. Now, let me set the scene for you...

So first thing, I do NO prep work at all.
I just start to paint, alter and create!

I begin painting the first chair and my oldest comes downstairs and stops in her tracks.
"What are you doing? You're are gonna get in troooooouble! Daddy's gonna be mad at you."

And I start laughing. "Honey, they are my chairs, Daddy won't mind if I paint them."
Dubious, she said "Well, I don't like them. I won't sit in them and I'm NOT helping you."

Of course, I got the giggles and continued on my project. When Daddy did come home, he liked them and then OH! Suddenly, she has a favorite! (See the pink one in the middle?)

So, now that we are opening a play studio, I want to bring that same whimsical element to the space. While I don't doubt that I could do a whip out some chairs for the space myself, the point of Kaleidoscape is to draw our community together. Wouldn't it be more fun to feature twelve extroidinary artists as a permanant exhibit within the Play Studio as a collaborative effort?
So, I'm hosting a call to artists...

Allow yourself to be inspired by kaleidoscopes, playtime, fun, kids, birthdays, party (any of those, not nessecsarily all of them!) Artists may select a sturdy chair to "flip" and transform with the inpiration. I invite you to take a look at what style we are drawn to in my "eye candy Pinterest Collection of art chairs".

The collection here are just ideas found online, NOT to copy.

 Criteria: MUST still be a functional chair to sit at regular table height and be family friendly.



Deadline to submit: December 5th by midnight.
Submit detailed photos by email to: kplaystudioak@gmail.com subject: “Chair Party”​
12 chairs will be selected for the final project display.

Selected submissions will become the property of Kaleidoscape Play Studio.

Each artist selected will recieve:
Artist Credit for their work at Kaleidoscape Play Studio
A commerative, limited edition Chair PARTY calendar.
If you have any questions: please contact Jennifer: kplaystudioak@gmail.com 

"Thank you for believing in my weirdness."

Kaleidoscape Play Studio is a dream coming true for me. I honestly believe that my whole life’s work has led me to to do this. Our name is based off of how when you look through the lens of a kaleidoscope and turn it, the picture changes. We believe that as our community changes and our children grow, how we play changes too! 

With paint in my cuticles and glue in my hair, I laugh that if I had a super-power, it would be transforming ordinary items into new forms. I have always said there are no mistakes in art – only room for more embellishment! I am a mother of two and a longtime Alaskan and I take pride in using that super-power of creativity for the betterment of our community. (Hmmm is that a real word?)



Creativity is my super power!

I have taught art classes based on literature, storywriting workshops, have been a fairy-for-hire and it thrills me to take birthday parties to impressive heights. With Kaleidoscape Play Studio, we just expanded the party to everday life.

One of my favorite quotes is from pop icon, Katy Perry and I used it to lead off this post, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Thank you, truly, for believing in my weirdness.