South Bay : Getting a Lesson on New Ways to Use Art to Teach

Three artists are showing kindergarten teachers throughout the South Bay how to bring art into virtually every aspect of the classroom.

The artists from the Virginia-based Wolf Trap Institute for Early Childhood Learning just finished their first week of the Start Smart program, which aims to strengthen basic academic and life skills through art.

Teachers are trained for one week at special workshops and in 45-minute classes with their students.

For its nine-week South Bay run, the program is funded by a $200,000 grant from TRW and hosted by its Space and Electronics Division in Redondo Beach.

“If the kids learn the basics it will help them throughout the rest of school,” said Steve Bayrd, a TRW Space and Electronics spokesman.

During the first week, schools in Redondo Beach, Lawndale and Hermosa Beach participated in the program. Similar workshops in Lennox, Compton, Hawthorne and Carson are expected over the next few weeks.