During ARTSiE’s 2023 Fall session, children grades 1st-4th participated in a 16-week movement, drama, and literacy session in D20 elementary schools. The first half of the session focused on the Ghanian folktale, Anansi the Spider. Children chose characters to play from the story, focusing on the movement and emotions of the character. The cross-cultural class introduced children to the continent of Africa, how to use their bodies to tell stories, and how to work as a team to create a performance piece.

For the second half of the session, ARTSiE kids focused on different iterations of the beloved ballet The Nutcracker. Children were introduced to simple ballet movements and taught how to compare and contrast stories. To further integrate the ideas on movement and literacy, ARTSiE provided 20 family members discounted tickets to see a live performance of The Nutcracker. Take a look at the pictures from the family outing here.

The above testimony was made possible because of the generous support from School District 20 to include high quality after school enrichment programming, our ARTSiE team and D20 school staff, donors, and the eager participation of the bright, imaginative, and loving children and family members. Well done, all!

Please take a look below at the highlight video, and we will see you in the New Year!

Providing arts opportunities for children is an excellent way to teach them responsibility, preparedness, and problem solving skills within a collaborative and artistic atmosphere. Continue to make this impact possible by supporting ARTSiE below.