Hands-on activities enrich fine arts at Pine Knob Elementary

It isn’t every day that students get to learn the latest hip-hop dance moves right along with their teachers. That was the idea behind Pine Knob Elementary’s Fine Arts Day on May 19.
Designed to be an ‘in-house field trip? sponsored by PKE’s PTA, the day presented different fine art fields along larger group presentations in mime, dancing and illustration.
To commemorate the day, PKE students created a large mural outside on the school grounds. With the help of a donated billboard, students tossed paint-filled balloons on the canvas to create a unique work of art.
‘It’s a nice mix of individual and group workshops,? Colleen Smith, Fine Arts Day contact, said.
Students learned the basics of such art activities as making candles, scrapbooking, how to play a violin and even story telling.
‘I think we did a good job of covering the gamut of art,? Smith said.
PKE student Rachel Quinn spent part of her morning at the ‘food art? stop where she used licorice and bubble gum to create works of art.
‘You get to play with your food,? Quinn said. ‘You’re not supposed to play with your food.?
Each year PKE tries to rotate a different theme for the day-long activities. Past themes have included science topics, disabilities and countries of the world.
A focus of the day was to remind students that interests, such as those in the fine arts, don’t have to be solely devoted to future jobs and careers.
‘We want them to understand the definition of art and I think that’s what we conveyed,? Smith said.