Another Delivery!!

On the 16th of November, we were able to deliver more Young at Art bags!  This time they were given to Shriner's Hospital for Children.  What a wonderful organization!

Shriner's Hospital for Children provides orthopaedic care regardless of the family's ability to pay.

Laura Lewis told us that "we love the children to still be kids even though they are in a hospital.  Kids love to be creative.  The art bags will allow the kids to be just 

that--creative. Being creative allows you an escape. For patients at Shriner's Hospital, the escape is sometimes just what the doctor ordered."

MJ Miller, Director of Development said, the art bags "will help make a difference in the lives of the children we serve and further our mission.  By working together we can truly build a better tomorrow for kids."

These comments tell us that what we are doing is worthwhile and needed.  We hope you will join us in our efforts to provide all children with inspiration and tools to discover the wonderful world of art.  When you purchase a Young at Art bag, you will receive a bag for a child on your list, and we will then give one to a child in a hospital or shelter. 

Together we can make 

a difference!

     (Young at art bags make great Christmas gifts... just sayin'...)  ;)

young-at-art.com

etsy.com/shop/weareyoungatart

Exciting Announcement

We are very excited to announce that our Young at Art bags will be available in the gift shop of the Bountiful Davis Art Center for the holidays.

BDAC has a beautiful new home on main street in Bountiful! If you have never been there, it's worth planning a visit.  One of our favorite programs is their monthly Family Art Night. 

On the fourth Monday of each month you can attend a family activity from 7:00 - 8:30 pm.  

You can play a game of "I Spy" based on their current exhibit.

There is always a fun art project to do, and of course refreshments!!

And the best part of all, it's FREE!!

BDAC is located at 90 North Main Street in Bountiful, Utah. To find out more about their exhibitions and programs, check out their website at bdac.org.  And don't forget to stop by their gift shop and pick up one of our Young at ART bag!

Wishing you all a very safe, healthy, and 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Lovin' the Bag

Emily Thomas from "Mom Struggling Well" was kind enough to send us her thoughts on the bag.  We would like to share!

"I wanted to tell y'all about a new small business I found that was created to give back to the community. As an RN I love the heart behind this. It was started by a family who spent loads of time in the hospital with their sick child. They created an art bag that has crayons, colored pencils, markers and a blank sketch book. But it also has an activity book with a brief history of each artist (with fun facts about them that kids like) and then an art assignment based on the artist. My kids were HUGE fans of the bag and since the girl child knew who all the artists were already she reasoned that she was very cultured indeed. The best part: when you buy a bag, they give a bag to a child in the hospital. So good!! Just wanted to let you know about them in case that sounds as cool to you as it did to me! Young-at-art.com"

We are so grateful for those who are helping us spread the word. We hope it will continue so we can continue to donate more and more bags!!

Thank you Emily! 

Make Something Beautiful

According to the New York Center for Arts Education, one of the many benefits of exposing children to art is that they can practice problem-solving skills and critical-thinking skills. 

"Physiologically, the human brain consists of 2 parts, the left and the right hemisphere.  The left brain is used in logical thinking and analytical processes.  This is typically what is trained in school work that consists of math, reading and science.  The right brain is used in emotional perception, intuition and creativity.  It is the right brain that is mainly used when a person is involved in creative endeavors such as making art.  It is this part of the brain that typical school environment neglects to train.

It is shown that when gifted kids solve problems in their areas of giftedness, there is increased electrical activity in both hemispheres.  It appears that for the brain to be efficient, the two hemispheres of the brains must work together.  By stimulating and exercising the right hemisphere of the brain, the arts strengthen the connection between the hemispheres. Kids should be exposed to the arts as their cognitive skills mature so that their right brain will be as developed as the left, and both hemispheres work in tandem, thus achieving the full potential of the mind.

Aside from the physiological effects, the New York Center for Arts Education also lists other benefits of exposing children to art:

• Your kid learns to think creatively, with an open mind
• Your kid learns to observe and describe, analyze and interpret
• Your kid learns to express feelings, with or without words.
• Your kid practices problem-solving skills, critical-thinking skills, dance, music, theater and art-making skills, language and vocabulary of the arts
• Your kid discovers that there is more than one right answer, multiple points of view
• School can be fun – playing can be learning
• Your kid learns to collaborate with other children and with adults
• Arts introduce children to cultures from around the world
• Your kid can blossom and excel in the arts.  Even with physical, emotional or learning challenges, can experience success in the arts.
• Arts build confidence.  Because there is not just one right way to make art, every child can feel pride in his or her original artistic creations.
• Arts build community.  Schools with a variety of differences can celebrate the arts as one community.

According to Kimberly Sheridan, Ed.D., coauthor of Studio Thinking: The Real Benefits of Visual Arts Education, “”It’s not as easy to test the skills that children learn from the arts, but that doesn’t make them any less important”  

Source: http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/33-benefits-of-arts-to-kids

                                            Ella, Age 7

First Donation Delivery!!!

Source

       Last week we had the amazing experience of delivering our first set of Young at Art bags!  All our planning, dreaming, and working is starting to come together and it is so much fun!!

   Half of the bags we gave to the hospital will be used in the School Zone.  "School is a normal part of a child's day.  In a hospital, school work can provide a degree of normalcy and offer a positive distraction.

   The School Zone is a new, dynamic learning environment and part of School Services at Primary Children's Hospital.  Patients, family members and hospital staff may participate in academic programming, individualized tutoring and literacy activities in the School Zone.  The School Zone includes:  a children's library and reading nook, computer work stations and tutoring staff." 

This cute lady is Jody, the teacher.  She took time to tell us a little about the school.  She said that when a child is  there in this room, for just a short time, they don't feel like a sick child in a hospital but a just a regular kid "in school". 

In a much smaller way, we hope to accomplish somewhat the same thing, to give a child, sick or well, inspiration and tools to escape into the wonderful world of art and into the wonderful world of their own imagination.

We hope you will join us in our Young at ART project!

youngatart2015@gmail.com

young-at-art.com

Etsy.com/shop/weareyoungatart