A few years ago my youngest son gave me a toy called The Evolving Darwin Playset. Consisting of five plastic figures representing the emergence of terra-based life from the sea and progressing to a bearded figure wearing a waist coat, this was my son’s tip-of-the-hat to his father’s “geekness.”
The point of this toy, however, was not the figures, but the statement made on the accompanying cardboard background: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent, it is the one most adaptable to change.” That statement made me think about how we all adapt, change and learn by our engagement with every aspect of our lives.
We adapt to our surroundings from the time we are born. Our learning begins instantly, and if we are lucky, we never lose our desire for growth and knowledge. We also discover that our learning is not acquired just from educators and classrooms, but from our involvement with virtually everyone we come in contact with and the infinite number of sights and sounds that our senses allow us to witness daily. The great American statesman Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Involvement is particularly important for children to derive the full benefits of learning. They have a world of experience ahead of them.
At The ARTree, we believe that involving young people in art opens the door to new experiences and encourages learning in areas beyond drawing and art projects. By making our art projects both participatory and involving different media, we allow students to adapt to new artistic techniques, and learn about the world around them as well as about themselves. That is the kind of adaptation and change that encourages growth and learning.
To find out more, contact Bob Hernandez at 818-634-4180 and visit www.theartree.org.