My name is McKenzie Carlos, or better know as Mrs. Carlos. I've been married to my best Tristin for almost 3 years. We have two adorable dogs Jack and Molly. We met at working at Ross in 2015. And got married in April 2017. We love going on adventures with our dogs and being outdoors. I am the art teacher at Odyssey Elementary in the great state of Utah. I am very new to all this, it’s my first of being an art teacher. Before this I was working at Bountiful Elementary in the Functional skills classroom for 4 school years. Though I loved that job, art is definitely my passion, and teaching it truly is my dream job!
I have always had an interest in the arts from drawing, painting, photography, and music. You could say that I got my artistic skills from my family being the youngest of 2 other siblings I have great examples of arts. My sister is a photographer, sings and plays the piano. My brother always was drawing or painting. The most art influence in my life is my dad, he is a graphic designer, plays the guitar and signs, and a great photographer. When I was little, I remember watching my dad just draw something from memory and I thought it was the coolest thing ever!
Why is art so important you ask? Art promotes creativity, confidence, problem solving, patience, dedication, and it can also help kids communicate. Art is great for building the skill of fine motors, for example when you are playing with playdough as a young child, that is building the muscle in your wrist, hand and fingers, that strengthen your hand to make learning to write easier! Some fun ways to improve your fine motor skills are, Drawing and coloring, making a snowflake, and origami and so many more! Art also teaches us our colors, lines, shapes, texture, space, value and form. These are called the elements of art. They are what helps us form our art, even if we don’t realize we are using them.
We are in a time of change, it can be scary, but we can take this time to reflect on what we are truly grateful for, Like SCHOOL! Who knew we’d be missing school, right? When it is time to go back, we will be happy and willing. While we are being safe and staying home it is SO important to have creative outlets, even if it’s just and 45 minutes a day. I am here to help with any art idea you have and want to share.
Hope all of you are staying safe and healthy!
Love,
Mrs. Carlos