I think most educators have known for a long time that arts and crafts aren’t just for filling time or replacing recess on rainy days. They contribute to overall well-being, too. The author of a new study even says, “Governments and national health services might consider funding and promoting crafting, or even socially prescribing these activities for at-risk populations as part of a promotion and prevention approach to wellbeing and mental health.” You can read about the study here.
It makes me sad that so many school districts cut arts programs, though I know many individual educators who embrace art within their own classrooms and media centers. If You Want to Knit Some Mittens would be a great discussion starter around art and creativity (and you can find a couple of crafty downloadables at that link). You could also check out the Crafts and Color and Draw sections on my Resources page.
Happy crafting!
[My Classroom Connections posts share a way to connect one of my books or poems to a classroom topic–often something timely that you might be covering in the next month or so. Please share this post if you have educator friends who might be interested–thanks!]