Many children in the Los Gatos Union School District know that a parachute is the answer to the question, but it's not because they've done hours of intensive research on the life of the famous Italian. It's because Mari Yamashiro, a volunteer in with the Art Docents of Los Gatos, taught them the answer through an interactive, Jeopardy-style game.

Art Docents of Los Gatos, founded in 1973, is a non-profit organization that strives to expand children's educational and cultural experience through ongoing programs and classroom activities about art history, criticism, aesthetics and techniques. The program serves all students in the district, which includes Blossom Hill, Daves Avenue, Lexington and Louise Van Meter elementary schools as well as Raymond J. Fisher Middle School.

The program is funded by membership dues, community grants and individual contributions by parents, local businesses and community members. But as cuts and fiscal limitations continue statewide in education, it's a program that art docents and educators said is becoming more necessary and is in need of support.

Jackie Cannizzaro, vice president of membership, said the program has about 100 members, about half of them active status. The non-active or "sustaining members" continue to contribute to the program financially. In addition, financial support is received from the district, home and school clubs at all five campuses, the Los Gatos Education Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Los Gatos, Los Gatos Rotary Club, The Valley Foundation, Arts Council Silicon Valley and the town of Los Gatos.

The program is seeking new volunteers to bring art into the classrooms, with training beginning on Sept. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Art Docents of Los Gatos office, 17000 Roberts Road. Additional training dates continue on Oct. 5, 19, 26, Nov. 2, 16, 23 and 30.

During the extensive training sessions, the volunteers, who are paired with mentors, learn everything about how to be a docent, from correct artistic vocabulary to how to lead a classroom of students. There's also a library at the docent office, which is open to students, teachers and docents that's filled with books, videos and resources.

"An art background isn't needed to be a docent," said docent Barbara Harrison, also the mother of four children who have participated in the program.

Harrison stressed the program is a great way to meet students, parents and teachers not affiliated with her children's schools. She explained docents have study guides they can take into the classroom, which feature curriculum in line with California state teaching standards. But they use the study sheets only as guides, so they don't lecture to the kids. The curriculum remains mostly the same from year to year, said art docent and past president Denise Wells, but at the request of district staff it can be altered.

"We do tweak the curriculum on a minor scale and periodically we'll do a major renovation," Wells said.

Wells added that Proposition 13 cutbacks in the 1970s resulted in art no longer being offered in classrooms, hence the inception of the Art Docents program. The program was founded by district art teacher Emma Rau and community member Em Hopp.

The docents visit every classroom in the district five times a year, bringing portfolios containing prints to aid their presentations.

In addition to the 20-minute print presentations, the docents offer hands-on workshops relevant to the skills learned at each grade level, from kindergarten through sixth grade. For example, kindergartners create foil sculptures while third graders engage in drawing and shading. Fourth graders paint portraits and learn the proportions of the face and body.

"It brings real art and real artists into the classroom on a regular basis, and the concepts are covered very comprehensively with the lessons the art docents have developed," said Daves Avenue kindergarten teacher Eileen Perkins.

Perkins described the presence of docents in her classroom as "delightful," teaching her students everything from primary colors and shapes to horizontal and vertical lines.

"It's really important for children to see that art is something that all sorts of people enjoy," she added. "With the emphasis on standards and tests, it's so valuable and important to know that we are more than reading, writing and arithmetic. The arts feed our soul."

The program culminates in the spring with an art show where every child is encouraged to display one piece of art they've completed, said Kathy Meleyco, art docent and former art show co-chair. Students also benefit from the program through a guest artist series, follow-up lessons and special art-related requests of the docents from teachers.

Meleyco said her goal is to bring art alive for children and allow all children to express their opinion about art.