A representative of National Geographic magazine visited Siegfried Elementary School Dec. 23.

"At Siegfried I want the students to understand about planning and that making mistakes is part of learning," said Amanda Rogers, visual arts teacher. "So often students are only interested in seeing the immediate results, when so much of what is worth doing takes time and effort."

Matthew Twombly, graphics designer and editor at National Geographic, held seminars with third-grade art classes at Siegfried.

"The seminar is to teach children and or adults to first organize your thoughts, explore, think out of the box and that making mistakes is a part of the learning process," said Twombly.

"Teaching students to use a sketchbook is one way for them to practice, revise, and revisit work that they may have completed," he continued. "Many students may not use art as a career choice in the future, but teaching students to be creative and work hard is something they can use in any career."