One of the main characters in the movie Rise of the Guardians released last November 30, 2012 is Mr. Sanderson Mansnoozie or most commonly known as Mr. Sandman. In the movie, he is the guardian of dreams. Although he doesn’t speak, he communicates through the sand images that he conjures above his head much like the game of charades. He is ancient and wise and incredibly powerful (riseoftheguardians.fandom.com). This movie created a huge boost in the creativity of those who’ve seen it both young and adults. The value integrated in the film reached the heart of its viewers making it a great hit in different parts of the world.

Aside from being used in the movie as an object of magic, sand by nature is a medium that provides avenue for creativity and wonder. That being said, sand is one of the great objects used in enhancing artistic minds to children especially in the special needs set up.

In STEPS sand is also being used as a medium to cultivate the creativity of children in Art and Crafts subject. Using sand art, learning can take place ingeniously. STEPS believe in fostering growth both academically and cognitively just like what was stated in the article published in the website Mommy University or mommyuniversitynj.com that there are six (6) benefits from using sand art in Art and Crafts activity:
1. Enhances color recognition – it increase a child’s ability to label colors. It also helps children understand what happens when certain colors are mixed together.
2. Increases fine motor – it requires a certain amount of fine motor control and manipulation.
3. Enhances eye-hand coordination – it requires one to carefully pour the sand into the small spout so it enters the bottle neatly. This involves hand-eye coordination.
4. Involves planning and organization – creating the perfect sand art master piece takes planning as the child has to decide how much of one color to use before beginning the next color. They also have to decide what type of pattern or design they want to use. This involves thinking and reasoning skills as well.
5. Boosts creativity and imagination – creativity begins when the child chooses the bottle they want to use. Then they choose what kind color sand they will use and what pattern to make.
6. Allow kids to make choices – it involves so many decisions and choices. Making these decisions allows kids to become more independent while also discovering their likes and dislikes.

In STEPS children learns through creative art and crafts. The right environment, resources, and experience for learning to take place are in this school.

For inquiries, you may visit the school’s website at www.steps.edu.vn or like their page in Facebook at www.facebook.com/stepsspecialschool or call the school’s hotline 039 546 3532 / 028 2253 4728.