Nebraska Art Net

Nebraska is leading the nation with their high emphasis on the fine arts in the public school system.  In fact, Nebraska elementary schools offer art classes to nearly every student as part of their routine curriculum.  As students get excited about the various adventures in art, educators are noticing an increase in test scores.  Research points to the fact that art unleashes the mind and allows students to learn the process of creative thinking.  This website was developed to give you a firsthand look at how art is changing the way Nebraska does education.  Take some time to read through our archive of practical ideas that will help you incorporate art into the learning process for all ages.

There are many reasons that people choose to become teachers.  Some like the opportunity to work with children and some find it rewarding to explain a concept that can help a student later in life.  Art teachers are particularly special because they teach more than a practical skill or set of facts.  Art teachers open up the minds of their students and teach them to see the world through a different lens.  They are masters of creative thinking and they show a student how to look at life outside the box.  While the entire world might see a stray weed in the yard, the art teacher will show the student how to see the most exquisite flower instead.

Art teachers enjoy making a real difference in the lives of their students.  The effects of a good art education will last for a lifetime.  They will change the way a student thinks, feels, and experiences life.  You can teach art on many levels, whether professionally or as a part time hobby.  If you have a knack for a particular medium such as painting or sculpture, you could offer classes at your local community center or in your home.

If you want to teach in the school system, you will need to get a degree in education with an emphasis in art.  This takes about four years if you attend school full time, but the last semester of that time is spent in the classroom doing a student teaching internship.  Once this is completed, you can get a job teaching art in any school.  Art teachers have more options than the typical educator.  They can choose to work with various age groups throughout their years in education.  Art education offers training in the elementary ages up through high school.

This gives you more flexibility if you want to change paths ten years into your career.  You could switch from an elementary school to a high school as an art teacher.  Art teachers also enjoy more flexible working hours.  Some schools hire art teachers on a part time schedule, which is perfect for those who want to spend more time doing art professionally.  As you can see, there are many benefits to working in art education.  Consider starting your own career in the exciting world of art today!

Art is an important part of the curriculum for every age group, starting with the youngest preschoolers.  It might seem a little intimidating to think of teaching art classes to a group of rambunctious three year olds, but it can actually be a lot of fun!  This age group is naturally creative and their imaginations are still innocent and untainted.  If you are a preschool teacher, you can incorporate art education into your classroom routine in several ways.

First, make art supplies easily accessible.  Don’t make the mistake of thinking art activities all have to be structured.  The best way for children to experience art is through play.  During your typical center time and free play hour, set up a table with art supplies.  You can vary this from day to day or week to week.  Use different materials to coincide with your curriculum and unit for the week. Allow the children to each have a turn at the art table and give them no instructions.  Just let their creativity guide them as they explore the supplies and create whatever comes to mind.

Second, provide hands on experiences.  You can talk about famous painters and show the children pictures of great art work, but it isn’t going to click with a preschooler until they hold it in their hand.  So much of a preschooler’s learning experience centers on their ability to experience it with all of their senses.  That is why young kids are famous for licking things that aren’t edible!  They are just exploring the environment using every sense.  Allow the children to explore paints with their fingers rather than brushes.  It will allow them to have a better experience.

Finally, point out art in the ordinary.  Point out a majestic rainbow in the sky as art.  Then take your children inside and let them replicate the rainbow with crayons or colored pencils.  Show the children that a simple flower is inspiration enough for a masterpiece.  They will love looking for the newest piece of art each day as you go on a nature walk.  You can also teach them to connect art with music.  Allow them to paint whatever music makes them feel.  This can be a lot of fun for preschoolers and their teachers!

If you are looking for a fun family activity to do in Nebraska then check out the Arbor Day Farm. This is a unique center that packs a lot of fun and education into one great location. This isn’t a typical tree farm. You start out your visit to the Arbor Day Farm by taking a ride on the Discovery Ride, which are huge open air wagons pulled by tractors around the property. You will ride through vineyards, orchards, and forests with a tour guide to share information with you about each site.

Next you might want to take the kids to play in the Nature Explore Learning Classrooms. Here kids can learn about products made from trees, play with the giant marimba, or build a replica of a small stream dam. If you have bigger kids or maybe you are a big kid yourself, then why not take a hike on the South Table Creek trail? This well kept trail winds through lush forests and by a beautiful creek.

Top your adventure off by climbing the 50-foot-tall tree house with an observation deck at the top. This tree house gives you a bird’s eye view of the whole farm. The Arbor Day Farm isn’t just for kids. In the summer there are weekend wine tastings at the farm’s vineyard. There are also special events that take place throughout the season. If you are staying in Omaha, the Arbor Day Farm is just a short drive south, and you and your family are going to love this unique nature based activity. With so much to do it is easy to get lost on the farm for the entire day.

It’s been a long year. I’ve been teaching art classes at three Nebraska high schools for nearly thirty years now, but this has been the toughest yet. Maybe it is because I had more students than ever before. That meant more traveling from one school to the other. There were more projects to grade and more art appreciation research papers to read. It seemed like I was so busy teaching kids about art that I forgot to be an artist myself. That is why I decided it was time to retire.

In April, I gave my notice to the school board that this would be my last year as the art teacher for our county. I filled out my paperwork to begin drawing retirement benefits and then I made a plan for the future. Now that the end of May is here, I’m almost finished with my teaching career. It’s been a great experience, but I’m excited to pack up teaching supplies and return to being an artist.

My plan is to board a cruise ship on June 1 and set sail for the Caribbean. I’m not just going on a 5-day cruise though. I’m planning to stay in the Caribbean for at least a year. I’m taking a suitcase of clothes, a suitcase of art supplies, and a backpack holding my camera, my laptop, a cellphone, a wad of cash, and my important documents. With two suitcases and a backpack, I’m starting over. I’m going to see the world, experience a new culture, and find some fresh inspiration to begin painting again.

An old friend recently asked me why I had chosen the Caribbean for retirement and it took me a minute to formulate my answer. Here’s what I told him…

When I was a little girl, we spent summers in Florida. I would spend hours on the elevated boardwalk at one marina or another. I watched the dock building in action as men worked in the 100-degree weather to install new boat dock systems each week. One day, I was watching these two guys bolt some kind of huge dock accessory onto a track system when I made up my mind.

“Someday, I will climb on a great big boat and sail right away from here to see the world.” I made my declaration to the squawking seagulls that loomed overhead.

Today, I’m fulfilling my promise to those rowdy birds. I’m living my dream. I’m packing up my easel and sailing away to a new beginning in the beautiful Caribbean.

Even if your best friend tells you that they have fallen in love with new bingo sites, you shouldn’t automatically sign up. You need to be smart. Do not let yourself get distracted by one glowing recommendation and some cheerful graphics. You owe it to yourself to do some research and make sure that the online bingo room is going to be a good match for you. It doesn’t take much time and it shows you have good sense. By checking out the website, you will find that you end up getting the most from your bingo playing time and never find yourself questioning your safety or your judgment.

Ninety-nine percent of the online bingo rooms currently in operation including sites like XBingo and Landmark Bingo, are legit sites which will provide you with hours and hours of bingo playing delight. When you become a member of these online bingo rooms you’ll find yourself ensconced in a safe, friendly virtual environment where you’re surrounded by fellow bingo players who will love playing one classic and rollover game of bingo after another with you. What you also need to keep in mind is that you will occasionally stumble across a fake bingo site that has been set up to scam bingo lovers. You need to make sure you avoid this type of nasty website.

The good thing about the online bingo rooms interested in running a scam is that they generally don’t stick around very long. It doesn’t take very long before someone catches on. When this happens the website disappears. You need to make sure you’re never sucked into a trap that this kind of website has set up.

The first thing you need to do is take some time and read through some online reviews of the website that your friend recommended. Not only will you be able to use the online reviews to confirm that the online bingo room is legitimate, but you’ll also learn about the quality of games offered, the reliability of the website, and the general happiness of the other members. The more reviews you read, the more accurate your impression of the website will be.

Never, ever, give the online bingo room your real credit card information. Doing so is asking for trouble. Using a pre-paid credit card when playing online bingo does two things. First, it protects your finances, even if someone does manage to hack the site they won’t be able to access your bank information. The second thing the pre-paid credit card does is makes it easy for you to track how much money you’ve lost while playing online bingo. Once your winnings have been deposited in your account, you’ll be able to use that money for additional games of online bingo.

Why is it that when we think of Nebraska we only think of great college football and scenery that is flatter than a pancake? In reality Nebraska has plenty to offer travelers who are willing to take a look.

1. A trip to Omaha is a must for those who enjoy the hustle and bustle of urban settings.. Not only is Omaha the state capital but it is home to a fantastic zoo, fine dining, horse racing, a fine Botanical Garden, theater, super shopping malls and of all things – a Naval Museum complete with a mine sweeper and submarine.

2. Baseball enthusiasts must catch the College World Series at the newly opened (April 2011) stadium where America’s best college baseball teams vie for the championship in a double elimination tourney.

3. Anyone who is the least bit outdoorsy knows the name “Cabela’s”. Cabela’s is a Nebraska born and bred company. The company was started by Dick Cabela in 1961; since then it has become a mail-order behemoth with brick and mortar stores located in Kearney, Sydney and LaVista.

4. Kearney is home to the University of Nebraska. It is a thriving community with a proud history. The Great Platte River Road was the term used to describe this area where the trails west merged. Today the trail through the valley is known as Interstate 80; in the past such famous trails as the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, California Trail, Lincoln Highway and the Pony Express made their way through this historic area.

5. Wide open spaces abound in Nebraska. Don’t forget to take in the blue skies and green plains on your way through the state. There is a wide assortment of wildlife in Nebraska; everything from bears to whooping cranes. Species such as prairie dogs and flying squirrels are native to Nebraska and well worth driving off the Interstate into the grasslands.

Get off the freeway and spend some time in Nebraska; a pleasant surprise awaits.

Living in Manhattan is very stressful and in my line of work it gets even more stressful. First you have the cost of living here, then you have the commute to work, which can be a nightmare, and lastly in my line of work you have to deal with some of the hardest headed stressful people you will ever happen to meet in your life.

I work as a hairdresser for a high-end hair salon and I am no stranger to stress. I should tell you right away that being a hairdresser were never my desire. Instead, I dreamed of being a full time artist. While I do paint and sketch several hours each day, it’s not enough income to pay the bills in Manhattan! So I turned to a cosmetology program to find a stable income to support my life as a Manhattan artist.

I constantly have to deal with irritated or over particular clients, high expenses, commuting and a broad variety of other frustrating things about living in the city. While things can be stressful I do love living here and I do love the opportunity to sell my art in the big city. To calm myself when I am stressed I began smoking. I am now up to around a pack and a half a day. An expensive habit but one that helped me with all the stress I am going through.

Eventually clients at the hair salon started complaining about me smelling like smoke. I always tried to smoke away from the building and use some kind of body spray but some of my older more particular clients noticed right away. They started to threaten to find new hair stylists so I knew that I had to find a way to quit before I lost my job and everything else.

I started researching ways to quit smoking. In my research I saw several articles showing how bad cigarettes are for you and what they do to your body. I was even more scared when I saw statistics on how many people get cancer from smoking. I knew even more that I had to quit smoking. Going cold turkey would not work for me and I was kind of scared of the patches and prescription medication.

I came across one article about a cigarette alternative that was brand new: electronic cigarettes. I clicked on the link where the article explained to me that an ecig is battery operated, uses refillable e cigarettes cartridges, and contains nicotine but no other harmful chemicals. According to the electronic cigarette review, e-cigs are also odorless and fairly inexpensive. I kept reading and became more interested in ecigs. The more I read at the V2 Cigs Review, the more I wanted to buy so I followed some of the links. Before I knew it I had ordered my very first set of Cirrus 3 electronic cigarettes.

They got here within a week and I started smoking them and was very surprised. I never had any weird cravings or side effects and smoking them was just the same as smoking regular cigarettes but with no smoke smell. I now smoke my ecigs just as much as I did with regular cigarettes and my clients never notice and are all pleased. Some of the stress has eased in my life and ecigs help to make that stress go away even better.

A piece of work has so many components and specifics that make it original. The only qualifying factor for a piece to be called art is sheer creativity. Many artists go to college and study art, find art, and make art. They can see a blank canvas and their mind immediately creates what to paint, draw, mold, or make. Art is not just a painting anymore. It is anything that someone puts together that expresses something. It can be an idea, a simple form, or a built project. Art has moved past paint and colors and has come to be structures and forms.

Many artists have a gift that is beyond most people’s thinking. They can feel something and put those feelings into an expression of an object or project. Art can be stress relieving for some people and helps get all those emotions out. Some artists create things that do not make sense to the person looking at it but makes complete sense to the creator. The earth is art. The sky is art. Nature is art. They all have a Creator that put them together just perfectly for us humans to live and breathe. The earth, sky, and nature have become our inspirations to create art that means something to us. We create because we can and because we see ourselves in our creations.

Art can take over a room or defy gravity. It makes you want to look longer and figure out just what that piece is saying. It is almost like these pieces have personalities themselves. They show emotion, fear, love, sadness, joy, and humility. Art can be a way to make something have a voice. Art is a way of life for many. They were created to create art.

Ever since I decided to become an artist I have spent many hours thinking about how to make my art stand out from the crowd. The solution for me was to specialize in nothing and therefore become an artist that can make anything. From painting with many different kinds of paint and drawing many different kinds of subjects, I consider myself able to create almost anything that want out of whatever I have on hand.

But along with all of that creativity, comes a high level of stress. Of course I will always be doing my art for myself and not for anyone else, but there is still a deep down desire to please those who will be judging my art for themselves. When the stress of being an artist starts to get to me, I try to relieve it in ways that do not relate to art. One of my favorite activities for stress relief is playing games on online casinos like caesarscasino and Sky Vegas and Virgin Casino.

Online casinos like gonzos quest slot and Mr Green Casino are great options for me because they allow me to play the games that I love without having to leave home. While I could just as easily leave home and visit one of the many casinos near my home, I find that playing online is much easier and sometimes a lot more fun. I also like that I can play some of the games that are offered for free. Though I know that I will not win any money playing these games, they are still some of best games online.

I often find myself visiting Uk casino sites as well because of the variety of games that they offer to visitors of their sites. I would like to say that my specialty is one specific game, but I really do like to play more than one kind of game, much like how I do not really specialize in one specific area of art. One of the newer games that I have just started playing and really enjoying is the frankenstein video slot game.

And did I mention the money that I win when I play online casino games? Of course not every game is a winner all of the time, but I think that I do pretty good considering I do not have a lot of free time to spend playing games online. I suppose even if I only play games once a day, it could easily give me an advantage over others with less time for playing online games.

One thing that I have learned when I play games at online casinos is that it is important to research the games that you play beforehand, especially if you will be putting down money to play them. Taking the time to look up games and websites ahead of time could save many players time and money and possible aggravation if the site does not meet your needs. Make sure to ask other players what sites they recommend, especially if you want to find a site with specific games or jackpots. This is a priceless piece of advice that I hope gets to all new online casino players.

Starting a career as a professional artist can be challenging, especially if you aren’t living in a large city full of art galleries and museums.  If you are an artist that needs to find work without constant travel, the internet is a great tool to use.  You can show off your artistic skills through an online portfolio and then place bids on various freelance jobs that are available.  Creating an online portfolio is the first step to launching a successful art career, so here are some tips to guide you along the way.

First, take some time to check out different web design possibilities by looking at other artists’ portfolios.  You can get a feel for the various templates and layouts so you know what you really want when you start working with the website designers that will build your portfolio for you.  Notice which portfolios really grab your attention and take notes from those sites.  Was it the color that grabbed your attention?  Did you like that the web design was easy to navigate?  Make a list of the important things you want to include in your own website design.

Second, talk with a profession website design firm.  If you live in a small town, you may only have local access to one or two website designers.  Use the internet to find other designers that could help you.  Look for website design firms based in Chicago, Milwaukee, or even Austin.  Most big cities have multiple website design companies that can build your site and show you how to use it to market your art work.

Finally, choose the art pieces that you want to display in your portfolio.  You should select the best of your work to use in your portfolio.  Since it is online, you will need to take high quality digital images.  Get a photographer to help you if you don’t have a good camera.  Image quality is extremely important for a portfolio.  If your photos look amateurish, your art will too.

Check out these websites to find some web designers with experience building online portfolios:

• Get portfolio ideas from this web design Milwaukee WI site.
• Get quotes on website design Chicago IL here or check out website design Appleton WI here.
• This Minneapolis website design team will help you show off colorful art work in creative ways.
• Look at this Austin website design group for basic design tips or visit these website designers Madison WI.

Many professional artists rely heavily on cigarettes to relax during their creative process.  If you watch any Hollywood film, you will see that a stereotypical artist is a chain smoker that wears black and lives in a studio apartment in the big city.  While artists don’t always wear black or live in tiny apartments, many of them do smoke.  That is why the electronic cigarette is so popular among the creative crowd.

Electronic cigarettes offer a healthier alternative to artists who rely on nicotine to stay calm while they paint, sculpt, or work on other art forms.  Many artists find it difficult to stop their work long enough to have a cigarette.  However, they don’t want to smoke directly over their work because of the smoke.  It would leave a stale odor and even cause slight discolorations in some cases where the artist was using a canvas.  By switching to electronic cigarettes, they can continue working while they smoke.

The e-cig eliminates the odor completely because there is no smoke involved.  When you smoke an e-cig, it releases a slight vapor mist that is water based and completely odorless.  There are no harmful carcinogens so you eliminate second hand smoke too.  This removes a lot of the dangerous health risks of smoking.  You are still getting your nicotine fix without the nasty chemicals in the smoke.

Artists love electronic cigarettes because they are easy to use while you work.  They are discreet and easy to refill.  You can even get different flavors to make the whole smoking experience more fun.  For those who want to stop smoking completely, you can buy cartridges in various nicotine strengths.  To break the nicotine addiction without miserable withdrawals, try gradually reducing the nicotine strength until you are using no nicotine at all.

Follow the lead of many artists and give electronic cigarettes a try.  Here are a few websites that will provide more detailed information of how they work and which brands are best:

• Before you buy your first electronic cigarette, read the e-cigarette reviews here to learn more about the various e-cig brands.  You may also want to read some Ploom reviews to see if this product might be a better fit than an e-cig.
• After you read the Premium e cigarette reviews, buy your Premium electric cigarettes starter kit here, but don’t forget to use this Premium coupon code with your purchase.
• Speaking of e-cigarette coupons, here are some links for Green Smoke coupons, the Safe Cig coupon code, the V2 Cigs coupon code and even some Smoke 51 coupons too.

New studies have shown that art education offers amazing benefits to people of all ages, including senior adults.  Activity directors at many nursing homes and assisted living centers have been using crafts to amuse residents for years.  Most of these directors had no idea that they were also helping their residents to preserve memory and keep a sharper mental awareness of the world around them.  Those are just a few of the benefits that art offers to the older generations.  Here are some ways to incorporate art education into a residential facility for senior adults.

First, don’t limit your art classes to simple kindergarten crafts.  Even if most of the residents have shaky hands and limited memories, they can still explore all kinds of art mediums.  Instead of providing a structured cut and paste activity for them, set out a canvas for each resident and some paints.  Lay out various things that they can use to paint.  Some ideas might be regular paint brushes, cotton balls, tissue paper, marbles, or sponges.  Allow them to experiment with how various textures affect the look of paint as it goes onto the canvas.

Second, don’t be bossy!  No one likes being told what to do, but this is especially true for those who are stuck in a residential facility for the aging.  After living a life of freedom, now they are bound within white walls and bossed around by nurses and care takers all day.  Let the art class be a time when they can experience true freedom.  If they make messes, it will be okay!  Be prepared for it and have sheets covering every surface.  Then let them go to town with the art supplies.  Try not to step in and interfere in any way unless someone does something that is truly dangerous.

Finally, try recruiting an art student from a local college to come in and teach a class.  The residents will enjoy a new face and they might even learn something about art in the process.  You could invite a student to demonstrate some beginning painting techniques or maybe you could do a simple lesson in mixing colors.  The point is to find something new and exciting that will let your residents be creative and have a little fun in the process.