Aesthetic Realism Foundation

Outreach

FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

After-School Programs

"Learning to Like the World," a class for young people from age 6 - 13. Taught by Barbara Allen and Robert Murphy, Aesthetic Realism consultants.“A groundbreaking after-school program for youngsters ages 6-13” — Read article in The Philadelphia Sunday Sun

“Learning to Like the World” — In after-school workshops, teachers Barbara Allen, Robert Murphy, and Alan Shapiro show children that their deepest desire is to like the world on an honest basis, and that everything—from a flower to mathematics to their mothers—can be used to like the world. They’re encouraged to love knowledge, and to respect one another more and become kinder to family, friends, and people of other cultures.

Workshops include:

  • Books Tell You the World & You Are a Deep and Surprising Team
  • What Will Make a Person Truly Strong; or Martin Luther King & the Children’s March
  • Do We Want to Be Like Music?

Thomas Comma

Thomas Comma Seated on Stoop. From the animated film by Ken Kimmelman, based on a story by poet Martha Baird,“Younger viewers can benefit from its life-affirming lessons on confidence and perseverance.”  —Library Journal

Thomas Comma, (24 minutes), an animated film based on a story by poet Martha Baird, is the charming, humorous, and also sophisticated adventure of a lonely comma looking for the right sentence—that which truly represents him in this world. “We’re all of us like commas,” wrote Ms. Baird, “looking for the right sentence.” Ken Kimmelman, Emmy Award winning filmmaker, gives an exciting talk on the making of the film and its meaning and shows the film.

Poetry Classes

"Poetry Shows: We Can Honestly Like the World!" Class for children conducted by Margot Carpenter and Karen Van Outryve“Poetry Shows: We Can Honestly Like the World!”
In this class conducted by Margot Carpenter and Karen Van Outryve, children learn what poetry truly is, and how it shows what the world is and how they want to be! Through poems by Ruben Dario, Po Chu-I, Lewis Carroll, and more, children learn that poetic music comes from a person’s seeing the world honestly, as the oneness of opposites. These are the same opposites that are in them, in their family, in classmates—like soft and hard, slow and fast, high and low. Poetry will be closer to children, as they see that it has beauty and power! The music of a true poem makes for a big feeling of honestly liking the world!

Bullying Can End!—Aesthetic Realism Explains the Cause & the Solution

"Bullying Can End" presentation by Ken Kimmelman

“Mr. Kimmelman’s presentation is essential to any school or district trying to stamp out bullying and inculcate the culture of kindness.” —Model Schools Coordinator

In this interactive presentation Ken Kimmelman speaks about & shows 3 of his short award-winning films. He says: “I’ve learned the cause of all injustice—including bullying—is contempt: ‘the addition to self through the lessening of something else.’ When contempt is understood and criticized, bullying can end and change to respect and kindness.”

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