According to Americans for Arts, art education for children and youth includes many benefits. Learning about and participating in art throughout childhood can increase critical-thinking skills and enhance children’s ability to follow-through with goals throughout life. Since art is something that is enjoyed by people of all nations and backgrounds, exposure can help children move across socio-economic boundaries to develop diverse friendships throughout life.

A great teacher goes a long way to creating interest in art among elementary, middle and high school students, but quality art supplies can help keep students motivated to create their best projects. Here are five creative supplies that could enhance student learning in various environments.

Melissa & Doug Table Top Easels

For use at home or in school, a desk top easel of any type helps elementary-aged children feel like true artists. Easels from Melissa & Doug are especially colorful and are designed to catch the attention of young artists. Two ways to make art let children expand their imaginations and provides the youngest artists with multiple options when attention spans run short.

Light Boxes

Light boxes are appropriate for use in upper elementary, middle grade, and high school art rooms. These tools make it easy for kids to transfer images onto fabric or other specialty projects, opening art education to kids of all craft skills. Many students lose interest in art because they find it difficult to perfect drawing skills, but light boxes allow everyone to move on to painting, wood work, stitching, or other forms of art.

Kopykake Kobra K5000

The Kopykake Kobra K5000 art projector takes the idea behind a light box to a new level. With the projector, you can cast an image from almost any page or item onto the art surface you are working on.

Images from pages, books, and 3-dimensional objects can be projected onto an art canvas, sketchbook, or other surface on the work table. You can use the projector to teach students about sketching and drawing by providing them with templates to copy. Practice makes perfect, and the projector offers the same practice that early-elementary handwriting books do.

The project can also be used in middle and high school classrooms to boost student productivity on painting projects, murals, or drama sets.

Artist Stools

When you think about art supplies, you probably don’t consider chairs and stools. Uncomfortable students are fidgety students, and they aren’t paying full attention to the lesson or project. Make sure your school art room is outfitted with stools, tables, or chairs that are ergonomically appropriate for the age and size of the children using the space.

Art Learning Kits

As with any subject, all the learning can’t be accomplished at school. Parents or teachers that provide art learning kits for in-home use encourage students to bring the creativity and imagination of art class to the rest of their lives. Art kits usually include the basic tools and art supplies needed to create one or more projects in a specific niche, such as woodwork, painting, or sketching.

- Sara S.
www.MadisonArtShop.com