A preschool student works on a painting while participating in abrakadoodle, a new arts education program which is now being offering in Cherokee County. Children in Cherokee County could soon experience magic of a different sort when Rick Furse brings his abrakadoodle art education program to town.

Abrakadoodle is a comprehensive arts program which brings classes, curriculum, teachers and art materials into different community settings. The focus is on inspiring students to develop their artistic talents while working in different mediums such as painting, sculpture and drawing.

The program is based on the ideas of Swiss education theorist Jean Piaget who believed children learn through active exploration.

Since December of 2004, Furse has used the national abrakadoodle curriculum to provide enrichment activities in the arts for children from preschool through sixth grade. His 10 instructors are currently providing art classes for preschool programs, daycare centers, afterschool programs and recreation departments in western North Carolina and the Upstate in South Carolina.

“There is a real need to provide more arts opportunities for children, particularly at an early age. Abrakadoodle involves students in many different types of art mediums from working with oil and watercolor paints to stamp art, drawing and designing mosaics,” Furse said. “This is a specially designed curriculum with lesson plans that allow children to experiment and be creative. There is a selfesteem component where children can share their art work and take pride in what they have created.”

Furse became interested in abrakadoodle while researching business opportunities in the field of education following many years as an adult education instructor. Intrigued by the rich content in the art curriculum, he purchased a franchise and now has 10 instructors involved in teaching art classes.

Abrakadoodle has become a year-round program that involves everything from preschool and afterschool instruction to summer camps and teaching parents how to provide appropriate art materials and activities for their children.

Furse said he hopes to work with Cherokee County daycares, schools, and recreation programs to provide a wide range of art activities locally.

“There have been a lot of studies which show students who are involved in arts programs do better academically. Art allows students to exercise their creativity and learn how to problem solve,” Furse said. “We want art to be a fun, learning experience for children. Our instructors spend time teaching students about different artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Andy Warhol. We encourage children to try new techniques, experiment with ideas and use their imaginations.”