This wonderful outdoor program blends social-emotional learning (SEL), art, literacy, and environmental education to foster mindfulness, creativity, and a love of literacy in elementary school children while cultivating an open mindset. This one-day program is for children grades K-5. Families must sign-up for each one individually. Each Art in The Park lasts sixty minutes, and we ask students to arrive thirty minutes before we begin for check in.
When students arrive, they are given a Creativity Kit that includes all the supplies necessary for the activity. We start each workshop by telling jokes while our students are getting settled in. Following this are Mindful Moments, where we use our breath and intention to focus on the present. The program continues with an interactive presentation of an illustrated children’s story leading into a discussion about a variety of social and emotional concepts. Themes include kindness, feelings, positive thinking, perseverance, acceptance, empathy, and diversity. Following the reading, we do a creative activity designed by The Empowerment Factory, which continues to reinforce the book’s messaging. The workshop finishes out with self reflection, positive affirmations, a one-minute dance party or parade, and group cleanup.
