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Sustainability in the ECC Art Studio

Earlier this month, twenty visual arts teachers from the Rockwood School District came to visit the MRH Early Childhood Center Art Studio to have conversations around the topic of sustainability. The ECC Art studio is steeped in the Reggio Emilia Approach to Early Childhood and the TAB pedagogy for Art Education (Teaching for Artistic Behavior.) Both pedagogics of education are inherently sustainable practices. Art teacher Kari Schepker-Mueller was asked to present on this topic by the Missouri Art Education Association in a webinar this fall and the School District of Rockwood requested further exploration of the subject.

In addition to a tour of the studio and ECC, a guided group conversation was hosted in the studio around:

  • teaching children to care for art materials

  • building studio ownership among young learners

  • choosing sustainable storage

  • creating thoughtful spaces in the studio for children to engage in ephemeral experiences

  • loose parts and community involvement in materials collection

  • how to guide children working through collaborative creation and saving materials

  • introducing natural materials as creative tools

  • including sustainable artists into your curriculum

  • helping children gain confidence as creative stewards

  • tips and tricks to environmentally safe practices in the studio

  • how sustainability works with the National Visual Arts Standards

  • how sustainability works in the favor of the studio art budget

"If you consciously choose to offer sustainable and culturally appropriate resources, you will have the chance to support your children’s understanding of the environment, promote sustainable practices and develop their responsibilities as global citizens." - Janelle McArdle, myteachingcupboard.com