In the Art Program at Wilder Elementary School, Grades 3-5 have 45 minute lessons, and Grades K-2 have 35 minute lessons every other week. Also, the fourth grade participates in special Gifted and Talented Arts programs with the music and visual arts teachers.

We use the Davis Publications Adventures in Art series. This program is a valuable tool for inspiring students to perceive, create, and appreciate the visual arts. The students are taught basic techniques in drawing, painting, collage, ceramics, and printmaking. Art history and appreciation are also introduced. In the intermediate programs, they are also encouraged to analyze and critique artwork.

As the Art Teacher at Wilder, I have a favorite quotation from Elliot Eisner, one of the foremost art educators of the twentieth century: "Children who do not learn to see will not be able to write, not because they cannot spell, but because they will have nothing to say". Children who are taught to observe the world around them will be prepared to go forward into the twenty-first century!