 October
2003
SmARTkids
Highly interactive virtual museum visit for kids.
Grade Level: Pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, Parents
http://smartmuseum.uchicago.edu/smartkids/index.html
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CONTENT:
This site from the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago was developed to help students ages 7-12 to "discover ways to look at, think about, and respond creatively to art." |
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AESTHETICS:
SmARTkids uses Flash technology to present the site in a bright animated format that children ages 7-12 will enjoy. Users have the option of changing the background color of the site. Flash Player is required and can be downloaded from the site. |
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ORGANIZATION:
The site is organized into four major sections; Look and Share, Art Detective, Art Speak and Artist Studio. Links to each are located on the main page and navigation through the site is intuitive. There is also a link to the handy site map in the upper left corner of the page. |
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REVIEW:
SmARTkids offers kids and adults new ways of learning about art. The four main areas of the site each give a different way to think and learn about art. The Art Detective is a game that allows youngsters to choose the right labels for some of the artwork in the Smart Museum. Think and Share offers ways to make sense of artworks by exploring a sculpture, learning what makes a painting or photograph or how artists tell a story through art. Children can visit the Art Studio for a look at how photographs are developed, read an interview with and artist and tour an artist studio. Art Speak teaches children the language of art. This illustrated glossary gives a simple definition, pronunciation and offers an open-ended question and a link to an online journal to help children organize their thoughts. Additionally there are hands on activities that can be printed and completed offline, a teacher's section with ways to integrate the site across the curriculum, a parent's section with ways to use the site with their children and an artwork of the month page that features one artwork from the museum's collection with focusing questions and a related activity.
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