The Reluctant Artist

Book Summary

To many talented and skilled teachers, the prospect of engaging students with useful, creative art projects is a scary one at best. They are the 'reluctant artists': teachers who realize the importance of hands-on learning but think they lack the creativity, know-how, or time to pull it off. Enter Laurie Bellet, an Art Specialist at Camp Shelanu in Walnut Creek, Calif. and a familiar face in synagogue classrooms and family education programs throughout Northern California. Also, the new columnist on the Torah Aura Bulletin Board. 'Any teacher, even with no artistic background, no innate skill, and no confidence can create a wonderfully meaningful classroom art program,' says Bellet. Her book, The Reluctant Artist, provides teachers with everything they need: ideas, lists of supplies, and tips for integration into curricula. The (durable) paperback is different than most texts on the subject because it focuses on projects that can be done year round (and are not holiday specific) and is designed to expand the scope of teachers' views on Jewish classroom art. This book will encourage you to take a risk and explore the exciting dimensions of your own creativity. When I was a little girl, I desperately wanted to be good in art. It seemed to me that my friends needed nothing more than paper and crayons to create magic! Inevitably, my mother had to break the news to me. She informed me, with gentle honesty, that I had absolutely no artistic talent. This recollection confirms for me what I now know to be absolutely true. Any teacher, even with no artistic background, no innate skill, and no confidence can create a wonderfully meaningful classroom art program. And that is what the projects in this book are all about. You will find this book different than most books on this topic. These projects are not specific to any holiday nor are they uniform in their final result. Rather, these projects represent a variety of techniques. The results can be so valuable in and of themselves. Also available: Tiyulim - Journeys: A Hebrew Primer - ISBN 1891662244 Where God Dwells: A Child's History of the Synagogue - ISBN 0933873069 Torah Aura Productions publishes books for Jewish schools and families that help celebrate our heritage and our faith. We have over 25 years of experience as the leading creator of high quality educational materials that enable Jewish children to become empowered Jewish adults. Our books guide and enhance the Jewish knowledge, spirituality and identity of children and their families, and our innovative tools bring Judaism alive in synagogues, Hebrew schools, and day schools. Torah Aura Productions was founded in 1981 by a group of innovative Jewish educators who looked out at the field of Jewish education and found materials that were shallow and dull. They started a company to create new tools for families and teachers that would be exciting and meaningful. For more than two decades, Torah Aura has revolutionized the way Jewish schools enable their students to become empowered Jewish adults, and has helped families make Judaism a meaningful presence in their homes. Some of the areas we publish in: - Torah and Bible - Talmud - Jewish teaching - Jewish parenting - Jewish ethics and values - Jewish holidays - the Jewish lifecycle - Israel - Hebrew - Jewish prayer Torah Aura Productions: Making success in Jewish education an achievable reality.

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