Reactivity: Shelter Art Kit
Simone Roark
Reactivity: Shelter Art Kits is an art initiative inspired by the kids of Sderot, a town in southern Israel under frequent rocket attack. These therapeutic art kits for children ages 5-10 are meant to be used as ready-made activity kits facilitated by the parents and/or other literate adults in the room, to both distract and heal children in time of emotional trauma. The kits would be pre-supplied in bomb-shelters, and would accompany the kid home post-attack. While these kits are meant to supply immediate first response needs, these activities performed repeatedly and continually are more effective and should continue to be utilized at home post-trauma. The older, literate figure acts as both the supervisor and assessor of the child’s behavior and creative performance. The adults’ manual is supplied with diagnostic indicators, behavioral overviews, and helpful guidance for the given activities. While parents cannot administer professional therapy, this kit acts as a first step – keeping parents attune to their children’s emotional impairments, prompting them to seek needed professional involvement. Inside the kit are three parts in a folder: an overall account of the situation and brief of art therapy as a means of assessing mental wellness, a parent’s manual, and a children’s guided activity book, all in both English and Hebrew. Also included are branded art supplies and other objects (balloons, sand, gloves, etc.) that help facilitate emotional dialogue with their uses outlined in the manual.