Artistic teacher inspiring young minds
PENNY VOLKOFSKY’S passion for art-making has extended to her role in early childhood, where she uses her own creativity to inspire the minds of young children.
The Dubbo Christian School educator put her artistic skills to work in Term 1 to create a wonderful paper mâché tree complete with native Australian birds that the children sometimes spot in the playground.
Mrs Volkofsky explained that a lot of early childhood services use trees to display family photos for the preschoolers.
“Sometimes they have a cut-out tree or a picture of a tree,” she said.
The creation was also partly in response to the drought which has impacted our region for a long time.
The best part is that the project was entirely made from newspaper – the Dubbo Photo News!
“The newspapers were at home, I just pick them up when I do my shopping,” Mrs Volkofsky explained, adding that she constructed the tree at home before taking it into school where the children helped to paint it.
She also constructed a paper mâché dinosaur and volcano and mushroom stools for a fairy garden.
As well as being a wonderful teacher, Mrs Volkofsky has been practicing her art for some years.
She has had solo exhibitions at Western Plains Cultural Centre exploring a range of themes. The first of these featured a series of paper dresses, a collection now owned by the Cultural Centre.
“I was also the artist in residence at the Cultural Centre for three months, I ran workshops for schools and produced a series of small paintings while I was at the gallery. I made holders and each held a tile that were hung on the wall. In that exhibition, I was saying our lives are like a song. I choose my life as a hymn.”
Mrs Volkofsky loves inspiring young minds through her interest in art and hopes to encourage adults as well.
“I love getting kids interested in art. It’s good for them to see adults making art too – making isn’t just for kids.”
Mrs Volkofsky described the many benefits of artistic pursuits for every age.
“Doing art and teaching art teaches perseverance, problem solving, persistence engineering, experimenting. It’s a very big part of learning.”
During this time of isolation and remote learning for many people, the mum of seven is also encouraging families not to get too caught up in the details of practical application of their child’s studies.
“We are encouraging families to do their best. I hope that parents understand it’s not about ticking boxes. You want to hear ideas and be excited about efforts.
“One of the most powerful things to do is to express love for a child.”