Personal Injury Law

School Art Projects: Creative Process or Deadly Activity

By Megan Roth

Art projects are a process intended to build creativity and confidence, as well as to provide a break from the day-to-day on-goings of the classroom. I lived for art projects when I was in school! They were fun and I welcomed them as an excuse to take a break from math.

I think it's safe to say the majority of students would say this; yes, there are some who don't like art projects (I'll never understand them, but they are out there). But, for the most part, they're welcomed with open arms by parents, teachers, and students alike.

Not to kill the fun-buzz here, but did any of us ever stop to think about how dangerous art projects can be? I'm not just referring to kids who eat glue and stuff, but seriously, art projects can pose serious threats. I'll attest to it - here's a couple of examples from my childhood: 1) classmate gets taken by ambulance after consuming a crystal - yes, crystal - rock. 2) classmate gets ill after consuming paper mache mixture (evidently my class preferred to eat the art, rather than create it.) 3) classmate hits finger with hammer during his attempt to nail together a bird house. And there's lots more where those came from!

Alright, so it may seem like my classmates lacked common sense, but really stop and think about the risks. Art projects seem great and teachers have only the best of intentions in doing them, but they need to approach such projects with a certain level of precaution.

First, teachers should make sure all of the materials involved in the project are safe; certain substances can cause chemical reactions, some may threaten students with allergies, and some can actually turn toxic when they pass expiration.

Second, never leave a student to do an art project unassisted. Young children cannot be expected to follow procedures accurately or in the proper order (we're not saying they're not capable, but it's awfully risky to expect them to). Teachers need to make sure they have adequate aids/assistants to supervise and help students (a great way to do this is to ask for volunteers.there's almost always parents wh

So say both of the above criteria are met. This doesn't necessarily mean you're good to go with the project. The work environment also needs to be considered. If there's too many supervisors and students are involved, students will be working in close quarters. Working close together actually presents more opportunities for students to affect/injure not only themselves, but also one another.

Not to be redundant, but we can lessen this risk by taking the aforementioned precautions. If you think about it, they're all relatively easy to do. And I'm certain parents will be much more thrilled to see their child's new finger painting if that child still has all of their fingers intact.

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on September 15, 2008 (boomark / email).