Happy Summer ASI Enthusiasts, Supporters and Volunteers!
With ASI, you can have your cake and eat it, too! Teaching art programs that promote respect for our planet and one another can be both meaningful and fun. If you would like to share your skills and make new friends (and eat cake) – join us! Whether you help us in the office prepping art projects, organizing paperwork or sharing your skills as an artist or art teacher – we greatly appreciate your help to bring free art programs to all ages this Summer. Don’t miss the June 30 deadline! Sign up or learn more by emailing volunteer@artsphere.com. First dibs given to paperwork processed by July 23 for Fall volunteers!
Promoting Science Through Art! The ASI teacher asks the students to predict what they think will happen and why? When they repeat the experiment for the fourth time for students to capture on their social media they are asked, “Was making a video of or the actual science experiment (using eyedroppers of liquid soap, milk and food dye to float color to marbleize) more exciting?” It is a tough call – everyone is completely engaged while some students prefer to use a comb or fork to swirl color. As one ASI teacher shared, “Making marbleized paper was the hook for teaching writing first and history later. We used the experiment as a jumping off point for making the paper to craft handmade books, envelopes, and stationary and then practiced writing in the luxury of Venetian royalty.” Or, as one site partner shared, “It’s mandatory that free school milks that haven’t been consumed in a week are thrown out for safety reasons. Great ASI figured out how to use old milk instead of it just going to waste!” As one parent said, “Samples of real Italian-made marbleized paper and having students learn ways to make marbleized paper with everyday materials we have at home makes art accessible for families.”
Creativity has blossomed! This Spring, ASI completed a new semester of programming at Fishtown, Cione, and Cohocksink Recreation Centers for Preschool and After school at Towey and Cohocksink Recreation Centers, Penn Treaty and Southwark School. Our students learned how art applies to many different aspects of learning and get excited to make their mark. As one teacher shared “After art class our students still want to create! Students become consumed with getting their ideas out for the world to see and will continue after class to decorate the playground with a garden independently simply by giving them chalk.”
ASI has a longstanding interest in teaching Resilience through our art programs. Our most recent art project focused on the power of “Grit” to withstand peer pressure and social media pressure. ASI teachers and designers created handouts and designed art projects around sports and one of our students’ favorite mascots Gritty which you can get here!
Promoting Literacy Through Art! We encourage our students explore art in our art programs the way they might investigate all the equipment at a playground- trying out each swing, slide and seesaw before deciding the best fit for the day. Each art piece students made has a story which created conversations and the opportunity for students to get to know and understand one another. Our programs are multi-faceted and our teachers ask meaningful questions such as “What medium is the most fun and rewarding for you to tell your story?” Or as our ASI teacher shared, “A paper stage is the easiest way to help youth fall in love with theatre and learn how to develop characters because its all about PLAY!”
Happy Graduation to many of you! Thank you, our Sponsors, our Teachers: Olly from China and Meredith from Fishtown, Jedidiah from Drexel and Ginny from West Philadelphia and our many volunteers for for making these programs possible.
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