On April 28, students in the art and creativity for young children class lined up along a large sheet of paper and began to paint. Only instead of using brushes like most people, they used dinosaurs, wine corks and their hands.
“(It’s about) giving hands on experience to know why they should do this with children,” said Suzanne Coleman associate professor for the art and creativity for young children course.
According to Coleman the course is to assist the students with understanding children and their creativity.
“I am trying to get my certificate to volunteer at a school,” stated student Manuel Hernandez who said he wanted to go back to his old elementary school and help out because of positive memories.
Other activities the class has is creating lessons for the rest of the class and presenting them in front of everyone.
“We make it ourselves and present to our class,” said Hernandez “It’s like random,”
“Lectures, coloring with crayons, painting with pudding and collages out of someone else’s drawings,” said student Joyce Paz when asked what the students have done throughout the semester.
Students would create collages out of others drawings by taking an index card and coloring both sides a different color. After doing so they would give that card to another student who would have to make a representation of both colors.
Though the class is an elective and not required for any degrees students still flock to it. All of them interested in child education and wanting to learn communication, organization and preparing for the worst. The focus of the course is on giving potential parents or youth workers an understanding of children mentality and creative ways to interact with children so parents can help their children through the developmental process.
Several students even brought their own kids to the class to participate alongside their parents. One child had brought their toy dinosaur for painting.
Students interested in the course should look in the catalog next semester. The course is late starting and titled Art and Creativity for young children.