Teaching Art from the Heart - Review Part I : Which Animal Walks Sideways?

It was once my dream to be an art teacher. Not just any art teacher, but one who teaches young children below the age of five. It seems like the perfect job which combines two things I love most in life - kids and art.
You probably know that I love crafting from my Creativity 521 projects. While part of it is because of the fun involved, it is also my belief that art and craft is beneficial to the development of children. It helps to foster creativity, improve dexterity, and most of all, it trains up their patience, concentration and perseverance which are skills that will accompany them for life.
In art, there is no right or wrong and this helps to unlock the imagination of children and let them explore the world from different perspectives. It is not about learning to paint like Van Gogh or sculpt like Picasso, it is about nurturing their souls and building up their characters too.
Recently, we had the opportunity to let Angel attend art classes at heART Studio and that really psyched us up. 
Located at Soo Chow Walk along Upper Thomson Road, heART studio is easily accessible by many bus services and it is only one bus stop away from Marymount MRT station. What I love is that right across the road lies the famous Roti Prata House where the hubby and I used to hang out, so it was easy for us to grab a bite after class and reminisce the good old times.
The moment you step into heART studio, you are instantly greeted by a splash of warm colours over the walls and the beautiful art masterpieces of the teachers and students. I remember looking at them and thinking "Woah! Are you sure these are done by kids?" and at the same time wondering if Angel will ever be able to paint like that someday.

One thing that thrilled Angel was that she could punch her own card every time she entered or exited. Does it serve any purpose? Not really but it sure helps to bring on that lovely smile and sense of satisfaction in your child.

Theme #1 - Crabs

For Angel's first art project, she worked on the eight-legged animal and learnt many new things about it, for instance the number of swimming/walking legs, the uses of its antenna and so on. What I loved was that it was not just about learning to paint, she was also taught about the different body parts, the spelling of the word 'crab' and she even learnt to sketch one before the real painting began.
See? Here was the crab she drew using ovals, rectangles, triangles and circles. Part by part, step by step. It was time consuming but she did it.
Teacher Syafiq, one of the most engaging and cheerful teachers I know, had an amazing ability to make Angel open up to him within a short while. With the help of some jellybeans, but I won't say that's cheating. It was easy to see his love for kids and I appreciated how he had the patience to cater to the needs of every individual. The fact that classes are kept small at a maximum of six students (in fact, Angel's class only had two) meant that the teacher would be able to devote time and concentration on every child and bring out his/her potential.


Angel chose a reddish orange background for her crab and you have seen how her face lit up whenever it was time to paint. Looking at how delighted she was to hold her brush, how she looked like a pseudo painter with her apron on and hair tied back, how she learnt to use her brush to 'hop like a bunny' and mix colours, it had a magical way of touching a mummy's heart.

Here at heART Studio, kids perform tasks like drying their own paintings, getting water from the toilets, picking out paintbrushes, scrubbing hands with soap and so on. This is indeed helpful especially for young kids around the age of 3-4 who are taking their first steps towards independence. Moreover, it's not every day that they get to hold and play with hairdryers, right?

Over a span of four lessons, Angel worked hard on her crab and bit by bit, it slowly came to life. She also had the chance to learn about toning, shadows and highlights, all of which were new knowledge for her though a part of it might be a little too complex for her understanding.

In the last lesson, instead of brushes and paint, she was tasked to use oil pastels for her crab. That was when she got bored and started fidgeting after ten minutes and I realised that different art activities engage kids on different levels too. The good thing is that Teacher Syafiq understands this too and thus he will accelerate or decelerate the pace of the lesson according to the child's interest and attention span, which I believe is vital to let them enjoy every art class. 

Here is how Angel's crab looked in the end. Yes, a green one! Can you believe that she chose all the colours and she practically painted every part of it herself? Ok, obviously she needed help here and there but I'd like to think that this is her masterpiece and her first real work of art.
What I feel about heART Studio:
- Environment
The place is clean, comfortable and fully air-conditioned. There is also a washing area and toilet facilities. However, since there is no kids toilet, small children might require the assistance and supervision of an adult, for which the receptionist is always there to oblige.
- Professionalism of the staff
They are friendly, prompt to react and always there to lend a helping hand. For instance, the receptionist helped me to carry Ariel when I had to attend to Angel for a moment. Also, there was an evening when Angel had a meltdown and refused to enter the class. The staff was very caring and understanding, and they allowed her to go home and arrange for a make up class.
- Lesson contents
So far, I am pleased with how the lessons have been conducted in a fun-filled manner. Besides painting and drawing techniques, Angel also gets to learn other new things and there is a recap at the end of every class on what has been covered. I also come to appreciate that instead of conjuring up a different art piece each week, heART Studio does it progressively and every project spans 3-4 weeks, allowing children to maximize their learning from every theme.
Last but not least, I guess the fact that the girl always looks forward to her next art class says a lot, doesn't it? 
******
heART Studio believes in providing quality Arts education for all their students to gain mastery in making art, to nurture their creative potential and to cultivate a community of artists and art lovers of all ages. Its class programmes include age appropriate activities uniquely designed to engage and inspire young artists, aged 3-12, to cultivate their creativity and learn technical art skills. For more information, visit www.heartstudiosg.com.
Disclosure: This is Part I of a series of reviews between heART Studio and A Happy Mum. Angel attended complimentary art lessons for the purpose of writing this review. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions are my own.