4At HALB Lev Chana Early Childhood Center, our four-year-old Nursery and Kindergarten children enjoy and benefit from a unique art program specifically designed for them. Conceived and developed by Morah Karen Fromowitz, the children are introduced throughout the school year to the work and techniques of many modern artists, such as Matisse, Warhol, Mondrian, Carle, and Van Gogh. They learn about the creative process utilized to create these pieces of art, as well as the terms and techniques. The children are exposed to and use many mediums, including pastels, textured paper and materials, acrylic paint, and recyclables.

At this time of the year, however, with Yom HaAtzmaut fast approaching, we shift our focus from the modern artists to the Jewish artists. The children are exploring the Jerusalem scenic paintings of Amram Ebgi and the intricately detailed water colors of Adam Rhine. They are learning about kinetic art by creating three-dimensional drawings based on Yaakov Agam’s moving art. They are also discovering the wonders of micrography and calligrams, in the form of Hebrew poems, phrases, or words in minute typefaces, calligraphy, or handwriting arranged so as to create a visual image. When the children grasped the idea that artists were able to embed the entire book of Shemot in a picture depicting Kriat Yam Suf, they excitedly tried to emulate the artist by writing their own names in Hebrew over and over, filling shapes that they had previously drawn.

The children love the Lev Chana art program. It affords them the opportunity to think creatively, to learn to observe, describe, and analyze; it empowers them to express feelings, with or without words; it assists them in practicing problem-solving and critical thinking; it facilitates their understanding that there is more than one right answer; it supports collaboration with other children; and it builds confidence as the children blossom as they create original artistic creations. v

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