Help me give my students materials to create mini Palmitas - small cardboard houses - with black paper, metallic and chalk markers, paper crimpers and templates to build a Village of Kindness.
I am a visual arts teacher at a wonderful school that has become a kindergarten through second-grade school. My students are sweet, curious, and challenging at times, but there's no place I'd rather be than with my art classes.
My students love to "give back," and we do many community and global projects throughout the year to teach acceptance and kindness, such as blankets for animals at the Humane Society, The Memory Project, and participating in Peace Day.
I have taught art classes for 16 years; nine years at this school. I love every minute of it. Our staff is nurturing, highly qualified, and we care deeply about our students.
My Project
In Palmitas, Mexico, a government project to brighten up and rehabilitate the town, enlisted Mibe, a Mexican street artist, to paint a mural on more than two hundred houses. This created a sense of community spirit throughout the neighborhood. People began to talk more and children began playing with each other where before, no one went out after dark.
Seen from a distance, the individually painted homes combine to form an abstract, swirly rainbow design.
In addition to the beautification of the town, the mural also boosted tourism in the area.
As the new school year begins in August, I would like my first project to be a "Village of Kindness" that will teach awareness and acceptance of the diversity at our school.
All art classes will build small, cardboard houses, decorate with window and doors and paint them in bright colors. Displayed together, these should make quite a statement. Inside each house, we will place a small battery operated candle to light them up.
Students will learn about Palmita, Mexico, street artist Mibe and create their own kindness house to promote acceptance of the diversity in our community.
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