CREATIVE
ARTS IN AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAMS by
Renee Conrad MA ATR-BC
When I see children
in our after school programs being
quiet and working intensely on their
art project I am reminded of the
quality of play that children bring
when doing their own art work. Though
some children need the interaction
of others and desire companionship,
others become so engrossed that
they are quiet the whole hour.
One such hour a girl I will call
Marry appeared ready for art time.
The schedule that day said the group
would be offered materials and could
create wooden spoon puppets. In
the quiet way she always worked,
Mary created bride and groom puppets.
The groom had a tux including a
black tie and the bride of course,
had a long white dress including
a matching veil.’
At other times the After School
Group has been a place to express
feelings. An example of this was
the day Janie came into the art
room; We have a schedule and usually
give the children a warm up activity
that allows them to transition to
the art space. On this day we called
it a free drawing time. Janie picked
up an orange marker and began making
round movements on the drawing paper
at her table. She had signed in
and in an unusual way had gone straight
to her place to draw. Janie usually
greeted others and generally made
a lot of noise letting her many
friends know she had made it to
the after school creative arts group.
One of the art therapists greeted
Janie and asked if she would like
to work on the puppets that were
being created in order to be in
a play in the puppet theater. Jane
just shook her head and kept working
on the drawing that now was beginning
to be circled with reds and yellows
and green. Janie seemed unaware
of the noise as fellow group members
arrived. When she had created a
large circular looking mandala she
stopped and looked for the art therapist
who had stopped by earlier. She
wanted to talk now and as she began
it was very clear that Jane was
sad. “My pet rabbit died
yesterday and we had to bury her
in the back yard.”
“I’m sorry.” replied
the art therapist. How long has
she been your pet? “ Jane
replied,
Three years. And all I want to do
is draw.” So that is what
we all allowed Janie to do.
We appreciate the sound of children
being wholly engaged in their own
art process. These silences are
full of life. You get the sense
of the emotional life of the children
as they engage in their work, which
is also play. It became clear that
Janie knew just what she needed
to do to soothe her sad feelings.
Working with children in the after
school creative arts groups brings
back childhood memories. Though
in these groups there is usually
a fair amount of noise, this was
not so in my own play time. What’s
that old song by Simon on Garfunkle?
It starts “Hello darkness
my old friend” and end, “The
sound of silence “
There were times in my childhood
when silence filled afternoon spaces.
In my mind, an inner storyteller’s
voice recalled stories by authors
Laura Ingalls Wiilder and Robert
Lous Stevenson. As I played, I would
be strong and creative and invent
ways of learning how to be self
reliant. I became a waitress and
sold clay hamburgers from my imaginary
restaurant and served imaginary
plates of food on the picnic table
by the outside barbecue.
A dream when I was about eight or
nine was like an after school play
time experience In the dream I found
a treasure chest. I can still remember
how I opened the lid with anticipation.
Instead of jewels and gold coins,
I found yardage of many different
kinds and weights and colors. On
top of one stack of material was
a lovely crisp blue striped cotton
fabric for a dress. Soft gold silk
could be made into a dress up blouse.
And warm red wool seemed the perfect
material for a winter coat. There
was an abundant feeling in the dream.
Layers of bolts of fabric were stacked
inside. That dream foretold an ability
to sew my own clothing. From early
teen years, with the money from
baby sitting, I became productive
by making dresses, skirts and blouses.
Even before this dream I played
dress up with old clothing and linens
from the family closet. I invented
costumes out of old curtains and
as I walked, my veil would trail
down the stairs of our musty old
cellar.
The experience of personal empowerment
that I felt in the treasure dream
has helped me to feel resilient
during tough times.
In the creative arts program children
are allowed the opportunity to begin
the process of discovering how to
handle their emotions in ways that
soothe their troubles. We are grateful
for the support we receive from
everyone involved in our community.
Thanks for the opportunity to allow
us to listen with our hearts.
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