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In her Exchange article (September 2005), "Art for All Children: A Conversation About Inclusion," Nancie Tonner West presents stimulating ideas on art as a means of supporting inclusion. For example, she observes...

We can think of art as an integrated component of all children’s educational experiences. What are the outcomes for all children when we include children with differing abilities in art experiences? How do art experiences develop an appreciation for diversity? How can art activities be designed to allow children to participate without the need for specialized equipment?

Ursula Kolbe, author of Rapunzel’s Supermarket �" All About Young Children and Their Art , describes the development of children’s social understanding when she writes, "As children listen to other’s ideas and see each other’s work, they have opportunities to learn that there are different points of view." Young children continually categorize, arrange, match, and transform the objects and materials in their environment. According to Deb Curtis and Margie Carter, children have a natural eye for design and "can make good use of diverse, attractively displayed open-ended materials. As they explore textures, shapes, colors, and sizes, they notice how things are alike and how they are different." Teachers and special education staff at the Arvada West Preschool in Colorado maintain, "Children learn they can show the world who they are inside and what they are thinking, even though they can’t say it in words. We need to believe in and be comfortable with all children exploring materials and experiencing art in their own way whether through total immersion or simply touching the materials."

Try this:
• Help children discover the ways their art and art process is similar and different.
• Facilitate open-ended art experiences with potential for variation and discovery.
• Build on children’s interests when planning art experiences.
• Promote inquiry, problem solving, and creative thinking.
• Encourage children to talk and collaborate together on group projects doing sculpture, murals, weaving, printmaking, and clay work.

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