About arted4kiddos:

How I came to create this at home art education service.

I am Doy Gilbert. I am a retired elementary art teacher. There is nothing I loved more in my job than planning and preparing lessons. I loved writing curriculum, a fact which mystified my fellow art teachers to no end! Lesson and curriculum development over the years became my creative outlet. If my students would ask me what kind of art I made, I would say "You are my work of art!" , and I meant it.

I could clearly see how my efforts to present them with meaningful, engaging art learning made a huge difference in not only how they thought about art, but also how they thought about themselves. By taking on challenging art tasks, my students came to see themselves as the capable people they were and are. Human beings are amazing! Our ability to adapt and create is endless. The potential of even very young learners to think deeply, solve problems creatively, and express themselves uniquely is boundless.

Teaching art is difficult, messy, and labor intensive:

I hope you have taken a minute to look over our products. I have researched the status of art education on a national level and came to realize how many elementary students do not have access to an art specialist. I know how difficult teaching art to young learners is! I taught for 12 years before I really felt like I knew what I was doing, really!

There were many projects I taught and then retaught again and again, improving them as I went along. Sometimes I would change what I was doing as one group walked out and the next walked in. Some projects were just clunkers (quickly ditched), but some I came to look forward to every year. I have a pretty good idea how daunting the process of putting together a comprehensive art program for your child must be. With that in mind, I created these products. Think of it as having an art teacher delivered to your door with nearly everything your kiddos need to dive deep into art learning.

If you are here, you must care:

If you have accessed this website, you must value art education for your child, and in all likelihood your child values art as well. Most of the parents I interviewed in the process of developing this site, were providing their kiddos with art supplies, patching together some art experiences and hoping that the learning will happen naturally. To a certain degree, it will. Any child following their own curiosity is a good thing. However, I would compare this way of learning to looking in the refrigerator to see what you want to eat, rather than having a balanced, prepared meal. There is value, but maybe not what it could or should be.

To be honest that was my art educational experience as a child. I pursued what interested me, and it worked out okay. I was first introduced to actual art instruction for the first time as an art major in college. I will tell you, that was a lot to take on. I was blessed to have a patient and gifted professor who believed in me. I was eventually given a full scholarship in art after two years in the art program. I wish I had started college with a better footing both academically and financially. I vowed when I started teaching, that my students would have the mental and physical tools they needed to do whatever they wanted creatively.

A Creative Child is a Gift to the World:

In other blogs I will dive deeper into creative thinking, but for now suffice it to say that I think art education is valuable for every learner. I hope you feel the same. Most children love to create art and know on some intuitive level it's value. I have, to the best of my ability, tried to recreate my art program for those kiddos who do not have access to an art educator. I thank you for taking an interest and hope we can work together to give your child the opportunity to explore art and themselves as makers of art.

Please do look into our products and see what we have to offer you and your family.

Please do look into our products and see what we have to offer you and your family.