The Ironton Lawrence Street Center featured its students’ work in an art show for parents in the school’s gym.

The art show included paintings, sculptures and crafts all created by the children. According to school administrator Becky Harper the creation of the artwork and displaying it in a gallery has multiple benefits for the students.

“Things like this can seem like play to a lot of people,” Harper said. “But, what people don’t always understand is that the kids learn through play. While making these things they’ve fined tuned their motor skills, they’ve learned shapes and lots of different things. Then hosting it here for their families will help their confidence.”

The artwork also helps instructors at the school evaluate the children to see where they stand and what they may need to work on.

“You can see in what they create what they’ve learned,” Harper said. “We’ve been studying animals in lots of classes and lots of the kids made animal things. You can gauge their cognitive and creative levels through their artwork as well.”

While giving the children a creative outlet enhances their education, events like the art show are crucial to the parents, Harper said.

“It helps them get involved,” she said. “It shows them what their kids are learning, what their capable of and it gives them something to be proud of. All of that is important in our school and our children’s lives.”