FIRST WORD
Awakening Arts in Education
T Michael Vyskocil
Editor mvyskocil@midatlanticmedia.com
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info@thefamilymagazine.com hinking back to your childhood days, you may
remember dedicated classes for art in school.

You created art projects and took them home
for mom and dad to admire, but then what? Did your
teachers ever try bringing art concepts into math,
science or social studies?
Arts integration into academics may seem like a stretch
to make happen, but research about its positive effects
on student learning is promising. Thanks to initiatives
such as Changing Education Through the Arts (CETA)
through The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, educators can benefit from arts-based learning
tools to enhance their curriculum. Our feature story by
contributor Jacqueline Renfrow (see “Integrating the
Arts Into Your Child’s Education,” page 26) examines
the impact of arts-integrated learning on children’s
educational development.

In celebration of March as National Reading Month,
contributing writer Megan Conway explores ways
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you can nurture your child’s love for reading (page
30). We’re also thrilled to share the story of another
significant celebration. Camps Airy and Louise kick off
their 100th anniversary celebrations this summer (page
12). Learn about the enduring legacy of these Jewish
camps that cultivate camp relationships among children
from across the DMV and beyond.

As we prepare to welcome spring later this month,
our Top 10 calendar (page 6) and a cool leprechaun
handprint craft you can make with your kids (page 10)
offer plenty of inspiration for family fun. Don’t forget to
sign up for our newsletters at washingtonfamily.com.

We have many more stories like these in this issue to
share with you. Happy reading! P
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