Develop Creativity in 500 Underprivileged Children for a Year

We strongly believe that creativity is the answer to solving most of Africa's most pressing problems. Beaux-Arts is the only extramural in South Africa that specialises in developing creativity in children.

Our Programme is for children aged 3 – 13. By using pottery and child-related craft lessons. Beaux-Arts Kidz Kraftz includes a motor-skills development programme in their exciting lessons. With careful planning, and knowing how to enhance these very important skills, we present our lessons with specific goals. As with any skill that must be improved, practice makes perfect - thus our lessons are ongoing. Each child will receive a total of 32 lessons for the year (four per term).

Making use of professionals in their field, Beaux-Arts Kidz Kraftz has developed a Creativity, Educational and Motor-Skills Development Programme. The Creativity and Whole Brain Development was done in consultation with Dr Kobus Neethling, President of the Creativity Foundation of South Africa, and the Motor-Skills Development Programme in consultation with Betsie Vlok, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, Stellenbosch University. Beaux-Arts has been in operation for more than 24 years now.

Lessons are half an hour long, weekly and offered at schools who allow our Facilitators to make use of a classroom or similar area – we do not mind working outside as some of the more rural schools do not have classrooms. All lessons are based on fun and games. To add to the fun, Beaux-Arts have their own Lesson-Songs that will be played during the lessons. These songs are to set the ambiance, to ensure that all children in the group are focused and that the muscles are warmed up – and that our students are ready to learn and practice a skill.

Some of the skills that are focused on include:

• Creativity development: all lessons are presented to implement whole brain thinking, using methodologies supported by Dr Kobus Neethling. Children are motivated to solve their own problems that creations will present
• Fine-Motor development: including muscle strength, hand function, hand coordination, hand skills and very importantly, eye movements
• Cognitive development: including concepts like shapes, numbers, colours, attention, concentration and memory
• Emotional development: including cooperation, experience and expression
• Perceptual development: including shape and space perception as well as directionality
• Life skills: by ensuring students evaluate their end result, identify and correct faults and that they know they must organize, and that they are responsible for their workspace.

The skills Beaux-Arts Kidz Kraftz teaches children are important for tasks like reading, writing, problem solving, thinking out of the box, social interaction, etc. And all this happens by having fun with clay and crafts in a safe environment.