Summer Spree 2011

Session V- Enchanted Kingdom- WK 2, Day 3

2011-08-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today is the last day that this blog will be updated.

This was the third day of the second week in Session 5 here at Summer Spree.

The kids got to visit with Sandy today and learn how to and glaze their beautiful projects from last week. With Sandy's help, these projects were able to be fully colored and as soon as they are fired in the kiln, each one will be changed into a wonderful treasure that the kids will love even more than they already do.

With Josh, the kids were working on finishing the scale models and their trees and each one looks fantastic! It will be a great thing to see this scale model up and around the art center soon!

Today was also the day the kids got to have Scott put on a concert for everyone. The kids all really enjoy hearing the music and all of them love to dance to it. Just take a look at the part that happened today!

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in afternoon adventures the kids got to hang out with Scott some more and learn more about how to make a song and share more songs together. The kids got to make up their very own group song and each one sounded wonderful, and they even got a chance to play the guitar too!

The other activity was also visiting Sandy in the ceramics studio and once there, the kids also got to finish their work on their projects from last week. Today was glazing and with Sandy's help, the kids learned that to get vibrant colors, means to put multiple coats on every piece of their project. When these are fired, these projects are going to look even more fantastic than they already do!

Thank you for following the camp this summer!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session V- Enchanted Kingdom- WK 2, Day 1

2011-08-08T15:24:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the first day of Week 2 in Session 5 here at Summer Spree.

The groups got to work with Sandy today in the ceramics studio and got to experiment with glazes and learn all about how to apply them. With Sandy's help, the kids really brought their clay soap dishes to life and filled every space with beautiful color. When these pieces are fired in the kiln, they will look even more wonderful.

The turquoise group, lead by Kalin, got to do something really special today, marble coloring their paper. This is a really neat project and surprisingly easy to do one too! Kalin got special ink that when dipped on the very tip of a paintbrush and then into a shallow pool of water, make lovely and colorful shapes. After these shapes are distilled in the water, the kids then gently and lightly put a piece of paper on the very surface of the pool and let it soak for a minute before pealing it off and revealing the beautiful design made left by the water. They all looked beautiful.

Today with Josh, the kids got to continue their work on the Enchanted Kingdom the whole camp is making this session. They were finishing their trees today and adding googly eyes to them to give each one a funny personality. They look wonderful!

**Afternoon Adventures **

In Afternoon Adventures today, the kids got to visit Josh and work on their map making skills. First the kids worked on making bushes for another project and then got used identifying shapes on a 2-D range and then learning how to draw them from a bird's eye view for their maps. Josh helped them by teaching them more about how things look above in the sky looking down and setting up objects for the kids to try to draw. These maps turned out great and after they had done the initial outline of the shapes of the objects set out, they were able to color them.

Sara's group in the afternoon was hard at work making more beautiful projects full of color and decorated with so many pretty things. For wall hangings, Sara had the kids take cardboard drink holders, paint them, and add beautiful feathers and shells and other sequences to make them look very beautiful. They were then decorated with ribbons as well, to give the projects a tail of sorts to hang down as well. Some kids even made flowers to decorate with.

New Post on Wednesday!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session V- Enchanted Kingdom- WK 1, Day 3

2011-08-06T16:47:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

The Wednesday of this week was the third day of Session 5 here at Summer Spree.

All the kids have been hard at work creating fantastic pieces of art and this day just exemplified that so much!
Today the kids worked on the special for the session, Enchanted Kingdom with Josh. They painted and put together trees today and worked on buildings that they have created this week. The main point for this project is to make a scale model of the arts center and add their own magical additions such as animals, places, and anything else they can imagine. This should look amazing when it's done and with help from all the kids at Summer Spree, this will definitely be a project to remember.

The kids were also able to work on some great projects their teachers helped them make and to also explore their own imagination by making their very own beautiful paintings and pictures.

This day was also the day that Scott came to perform for the kids and give them a really nice show. This show was different from any other show he's had at the arts center this summer. The kids got to come on stage and shout out their favorite dinosaurs and sing along with the songs. The music was so much fun that all the kids started to dance and run around. They even formed a dancing line and paraded all around the stage.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in the afternoon, the kids got to visit Sandy in the ceramics studio and make some beautiful clay mandalas. Together with Sandy's help, the kids learned how to roll out the clay and cut the exact shape they needed to make this project. The kids then decorated these projects with shell imprints and clay coils and glass gems to show what reminds them of the ocean. These projects still need to be fired, but when they have been, the kids will then visit Sandy again to paint these clay hangings. They are definitely going to be beautiful.

Scott was also able to stay later today and play some more music with the groups of the afternoon. All the kids had fun learning about music with Scott and sharing some of their favorite songs with each other. It was great!

** Extra **

Today, Paul Downie, the Art Center's Program Director, went to the sushi restaurant in Media, called Temaki, to hang up the paintings and works from some of the groups at Summer Spree. Now, all the walls display the works of the kids at the camp and they all look fantastic!

New Post On Monday!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session V- Enchanted Kingdom- WK 1, Day 1

2011-08-01T08:37:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the first day of Session 5 here at Summer Spree.

The red group got to visit Sandy in the ceramics studio today and work on a special project. Today, Sandy had the kids make soap dishes out of a slab of clay. She helped the kids roll out the clay first and then cut and shape it to look just right for a beautiful soap dish. Then the kids got to decorate the dishes with stamps and letters giving the projects a perfect summer theme and look! These dishes will be fired in the kiln and then given back to the kids to paint next week. Looking forward to seeing these all done!

This session, the special and theme for this camp is Enchanted Kingdom. This special is being taught by Josh and he is having the kids work on this project all together. For this session, the kids will be creating the arts center on a smaller scale using architecture skills and their own imaginations. Josh wants the kids to make a scale model of the entire grounds and fill it with things that make it magical. Using their imaginations the kids will be able to create building, animals, trees, and much more and add their own style and thoughts into them as well. This will take a long time to create and the result is eagerly anticipated. It's going to look fantastic!

** Afternoon Adventures **

New Post On Wednesday!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 2, Day 5

2011-07-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the last day of Session 4.

All the groups were working to get things ready for the art show. Each group has their own classroom and all the kids were very excited to show off their great works of art. Just take a look at all the wonderful things that were made this session!

** Afternoon Adventures **

This afternoon the kids got to continue with their Lego structures! They got to make cars, fortresses and much much more. While they made wonderful 3-D shapes with the legos, they kids also got to make their very own tree houses by sketching them out and bringing them to life with tons of color.

The green group got to work on a mosaic project today!

The red group got to work on making great crafts like fishes they cut out and decorated with shells, glitter, markers, and made background for them so that everything came together beautifully.

The yellow group got to bake some muffins today! Each kid in this group got to help out by measuring the ingredients for the recipe and helping to stir everything too.

New Post On Monday!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 2, Day 4

2011-07-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the fourth day of week 2 here at Summer Spree Session 4.

The purple group continued on their projects by adding more to the books they were working on this week as well as making other great things like friendship bracelets and maker and watercolor drawings. Their work has really been impressive so far and it will be great to see them all displayed tomorrow at the art show.

The yellow group was also finishing up some more art projects and have done especially well with their mobiles. Along with them and their completed and painted secret spaces they made with Suzanne and all their other wonderful projects, their room will be something marvelous to behold. To add to the fantastic pieces of art, the group also went to see Sandy in the Ceramics studio today to start to finish up their clay owls project. They finished painting the owls and then used Rub N' Buff to give them a polished, shinny, and metallic look!

The turquoise group was working on some watercolor projects today as well as getting things set up for the art show tomorrow. The watercolor projects they were working on today will actually be donated to a Japanese restaurant in Media a the end of this week so then more people can see just how creative these kids are! This group's work is just truly beautiful and inspiring, along with all the other group's classrooms, this one will be sure to take everyone by wonderful surprise.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures the kids got to continue their work on their Lego masterpieces. The green group got their first chance today to work with Margaret, on finishing their structures and making great additions too. These pieces look fantastic!

The yellow group, lead by Kalin, worked on a new project today, making their dream houses. These houses are first being drawn out and then they will be colored and mounted on a piece of cardboard so that they will stand up. Each kid in this group had some very creative ideas and all their dream houses are going to look amazing when they/re done.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 2, Day 3

2011-07-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the third day of week 2 here at Summer Spree session 4!

The kids got to really try new thing today and had a great time learning some new crafts.
The purple group got to try their hand at tie-dying today with Ann, their teacher. These kids got to do the traditional spiral pattern as well try out some new ones using rubber bands.

Meanwhile, the green group, lead by Tree, got to visit Sandy today and work on some clay sun discs and use a new ceramics decorating tool. Sandy had the kids first paint their discs black and then had them use a metallic- like rubbing paint called Rub N' Buff, to give the disc some shine and beautiful color. The kids used silver, gold, copper, and blue for this and each disc turned out wonderfully!

The red group got to play for a bit after they had made cookies, played with Legos, and worked on projects form the day before. It looks like they had a wonderful time being able to run around in the sunshine today!

Since today was Wednesday, the special for the day was to have music with Scott. Scott put on another great performance and all the kids had a blast listening to his songs and dancing to the beat. Each of the groups had a fantastic time and luckily for the kids, Scott was staying for the afternoon too to keep the music party going.

** Afternoon Adventures **

This afternoon, Scott stayed later to play songs with the kids! Today they went over old favorites as well as sung some new songs made up with the group and Scott. The kids got to dance with these great melodies and have fun learning about making their own rhythm by using rods to make noise. The kids had a lot of fun and always enjoy being able to make music with an established musician.

The green group got to visit Sandy in the Ceramics studio today and they worked on painting their moon mandalas. These clay discs were painted all different colors by the kids and then had Rub N' Buff rubbed over them by the kids as well to make them look like they were made out of metal. Each moon and sun disc was full of color and they all seemed to just glow with creativity that came from each and every kid in the group. They look fantastic!

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 2, Day 2

2011-07-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was day 2 of week 2 at Summer Spree Session 4.

The purple group got to keep working on their books and they are really looking beautiful so far! The kids decorated the covers of old books that no one wanted and used the pages that already existed inside to make them colorful and full of life and meaning. Anne, who leads this group, has made these books before and has filled them with different subjects such as good and inspirational quotes gathered from cards and other places. She's even made one that was about her family. These are similar to scrapbooks but they can be much longer and bigger and are so original with these kids ideas, that they far exceed the average craft project. Soon these books will be full of color and memories. Using markers, watercolors, glue, and all kinds of other materials, these books are fantastic and absolutely beautiful already!

The yellow group was hard at work today too. Today, their teacher Sara, helped the kids to paint small houses, continue their work on their mobiles, and even try a new method of painting. The houses were made of wood and the kids did a wonderful job of decorating them! The mobiles project was one that was started last week and today they worked on cutting out colorful spirals to hang down from the top of the mobile to make them look beautiful. These mobiles will have a big colorful cut out of a shell, decorated by the kids and it will also have a few fun shapes decorated by them as well to go along with the spirals that were made today. When they kids needed a break from the mobile construction, Sara taught them how to paint with toothpicks! That's right, toothpicks. The kids had so much fun with this and they really made some wonderful paintings with them as well.

In Secret Spaces, Suzanne is helping some of the groups paint their pieces. Just look how great they look already! Once they're fired, they will be shinny and vibrant and filled with color.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures, the kids got to do some really special things!

The red group got to make boats out of wood with beautiful cloth sails. The kids got to decorate their boats with markers, shells, glitter, and so much more! Each one sparkled in the sunlight as they dried outside.

Today the kids also got to work with Bob and make tie- dyed tshirts, bags, socks, and whatever else the kids might have brought to dye that day. This time, Bob taught the kids how to make the "X" design for the tie- dye project and each kid made their own very unique, colorful, and just wonderful. It will be amazing to see these shirts washed and dried soon!

The kids in the green group got to help out some wildlife today too! First they helped a small baby bird get back into it's nest that had fallen around the watchtower on CAC's property. Thanks to these kids, this bird will hopefully now have a better chance of surviving this summer heat and living a long happy life. They later found a praying mantis on the side of the ceramics studio and boy was this was ever big! Then after being one with nature for a while, the kids got to try a new kind of art using marbles to paint. These kids got to take marbles and roll them around in a box with a piece of paper at the bottom so that they could back beautiful designs. It was great fun and it made some great paintings.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 2, Day 1

2011-07-25T09:42:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the beginning of the second week of Session 4 here at Summer Spree.

The red group got to work with Sandy in the ceramics studio today and got to work with glazes. With Sandy's help, the kids learned how to make sure their pots they were painting would not stick to the shelves of the kiln by covering the bottoms of their pots with wax. Next they learned how to paint with the glazes properly. Since the glaze paint is not like regular paint, they kids really had to learn to not mix the colors, because then end result would not be as beautifully bright and colorful. Today the younger kids got to paint their pots with their new found knowledge and also got to paint a smaller piece of their ceramics work using designs and shapes. When all of these works are fired in the kiln, the kids will have wonderful pieces that look like rainbows to show everyone and they should all be so proud of the beautiful work they've done!

Working with Suzanne for the special of the session, making secret spaces, the kids of the turquoise group got to work on something special. Today, Suzanne had the kids make beautiful bells out of clay to hang up in the secret garden. Some of the kids put a lot of designs into their bells, while others focused on making the shape just right. These are going to look and sound beautiful and it will definitely be a must for checking out when visiting the arts center.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Due to some technical difficulties, the Afternoon Adventures groups were canceled for today. The art center is working to fix the problem and will have the programs up and running as soon as possible.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 1, Day 5

2011-07-22T08:42:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the ending of the first week of session 4 here at Summer Spree.

Since it was very hot outside the groups mostly stayed indoors and did fun projects today.

The red group got to make playdough and play with it while the kids took shifts with doing their tie- dye today! This group was lucky because they got to use squirt bottles for their dye and made some beautiful shirts and bags. So while a group of the kids worked with the colorful tie- dyes, the other part got to play with and then take home some of their home made playdough so they can play with it whenever they'd like. Then the group got out a parachute and had fun trying to keep a ball on the top of it. These kids really know how to work great together as a team.

The yellow group stayed inside today too and stayed cool with some cupcakes and special V8 juice. They also got to work on their mobiles and started working on decorating their lucky bags. Sara had brought in these plain, small tan drawstring bags and had the kids color them with permanent markers. Then she put some rubbing alcohol on them to make them look like they were tie- dyed. These bags look beautiful and each kid made their own, unique and very colorful.

** Afternoon Adventure **

The Lego fun continued today in Afternoon Adventures! Just take a look at what was worked on today and what's already been made. Everything looks great!

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 1, Day 4

2011-07-21T09:20:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the fourth day of session 4 here at Summer Spree.

The purple group got to work with Suzanne today to start their work on their secret spaces. It was great to see the kids so excited about this project and everyone had their own great ideas. While some of the kids worked with rolling out their clay, others used the time to build the walls for their structure. They even helped each other out if anyone needed any help. Everyone was working really hard today on this project and it will be great to see their finished products next week! Take a look at the great progress the kids have already done!

The yellow group, lead by Sara, was also hard at work today with their own projects. The kids got to use watercolors today and used them to color the drawings of their perspective on the tower on the CAC property that they had made yesterday. They look wonderful! Along with some other activities the kids have done, it is easy to see that they all have a passion for art. Later, this group got to go and work with Sandy in the ceramics studio today and started a new project. Today they worked on making owls! These animals are adorable and the way the kids were adding to them today was magnificent. They will add the color to these owls next week and they will look fantastic.

The turquoise group, lead by Pat, got to tie- dye today. Some seasoned dyers and some new ones tried to make their shirts and bags beautiful by carefully selecting the perfect combinations colorful dye and creating patterns with them on their material. It will be great to see these garments done and worn around in the days to come and hopefully we'll see them next week too!

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today the kids got to work with the Legos and make their own creations. Each kid in the afternoon green group, lead by Tree, made their worlds full of color and imagination. They looked great!

The afternoon yellow group, lead by Sara, was busy making beautiful weavings made out of cloth, and getting things ready for making their mobiles. This group works hard, and they are always working on a new project everyday and getting to use the creativity they all have to make everything wonderful.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 1, Day 3

2011-07-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the third day of Session 4 here at Summer Spree.

Tree lead his group in making recycled paper today. The group worked together and tore up paper and learned how to soak and blend it using a hand-cranked blender in order to make a paste. Next the kids helped Tree by pouring the past onto screens for drying. This was a great way for this group of kids to learn about the importance and excellence of recycling! The kids also were able to make snowflakes and decorate their very own hand made sketch books for anything and anytime they might want to draw this session.

The turquoise group got to work with their teacher, Pat, on making a project that would help them this very day. Pat brought in some paper used for installing an air conditioning unit, and had extra accordion-like paper. With this paper, the kids learned how to decorate section of it and make them into very intricately designed fans to help them stay cool in the summer heat. These projects looked wonderful and very colorful!

The special for today was to have Scott, the musician from Media, come in and share his musical talents with the camp! The kids all love his songs and it was great to see some of them getting up to dance right along with him. This was a great way to end the morning section of Summer Spree today.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures, Scott was able to stay for a bit and teach the kids new songs and just have fun with them. Together the kids and Scott learned new songs and new dance moves to go along with them and it was a great way for the kids to learn more about music. The kids even pretended to be snakes in the grass, airplanes, and did their own freestyle dancing as well.

The other special for this afternoon was to work with Sandy down in the ceramics studio today. The green group, lead in the afternoon by Tree, was able to visit Sandy and learn how to make clay moon mandalas. Everyone started off with just a slab of clay that they rolled out themselves, and then with Sandy's help, they made them into beautiful crescent moon shapes that they decorated with many different materials. It will be exciting to see these unique clay pieces after they have been fired in the kiln. The kids also got a treat in that they got to use red clay today instead of the usual gray one they're used too. Now when their pieces are fired, they will come out more with a red/brown coloring to them.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 1, Day 2

2011-07-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was Tuesday, the second day of Session 4 here at Summer Spree.

The purple group got to try some work with ceramics with Sandy. Today they were making cupcakes! These looked amazing were made with two major pieces of clay. The kids got to decorate them however they would like too! Some made some great looking frosting and others even added sprinkles. Each cupcake was unique and looked great. The next step will be to paint them next week. More pictures to come for them!

The special this session is Secret Spaces, taught by Suzanne. She will be helping the kids to make their own secret places out of clay and make little furniture and anything else they may want in their little worlds. Some example that were shown were a turtle box, a house with a removable lid, a cave, and even a house on feet! The kids were all just starting their own work on this project today and seemed really excited about it. The result for this project is great anticipated.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today since it was way too hot out, Bob played with the kids with Legos! The kids got to make some great structures and kingdoms with these toys and had a lot of fun helping each other out too. Just look at what they made!

The green afternoon group, lead by Tree, was able to help teach the younger kids how to make recycled paper. Together, both Tree and Jenn, the leader of the afternoon red group, were able to get the kids to rip up old newspapers into small pieces, mix them with some water, let them soak, and then blend them together to make a paste in a hand- cranked blender. This was a great way for the kids to learn about recycling and all the good it can do and the many uses it has in our environment. With the paper needing now to just be dried, it will be great to see all the colors they used in the finished result.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session IV- Secret Spaces- WK 1, Day 1

2011-07-19T08:48:00.001-07:00

** Summer Spree **

This Monday was the beginning of Session 4 here at Community Arts Center. This session's special is Secret Spaces.

Today, the red group, lead by Jenn, got to make picture frames and decorate them to each child's own design. They all glittered in the sun! They then got to go to ceramics. This time ceramics is being taught by Sandy and since they will have this special for the next couple of weeks, the kids started out by making pinch pots. These pots will go on to getting fired in the kiln and then glazed or painted.

The purple group, lead by Ann, got a chance to get to know each other by drawing free style and making folders for their work over this session too. Each kid has their own style and it was great to see them on display.

The turquoise group, lead by Pat, got to also take it easy today and learned a new way of weaving. This technique involved straws and beautifully colored yarn. Some kids made rainbow bracelets or anklets and others made ones that had other colors in them. This turned out to be a wonderful way to spend the morning and now each kid in this group will know how to make more of these beautiful pieces of jewelry.

** Afternoon Adventures **

This session in Afternoon Adventures the kids got to work with Margaret to learn more about Lego building than they ever knew before!

Margaret plans on helping the kids to create a large structure using the kid's Lego building expertise and today they summed up ideas for what to make. They also got to practice a little bit with this concept and made smaller models of what ever they would like and had a great deal of fun making them! This is going to be a fantastic project and the finished result is already greatly anticipated.

The red group today, got to work on neat projects of their own today too! The kids learned how to make crowns and also got their chance to make picture frames for their families and to decorate planting pots so that they all shimmered in the sunlight! They all turned out wonderfully.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session III- Terrarium Treasures- WK 2, Day 5

2011-07-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the art show for Session 3 of Summer Spree!

All the groups organized their classrooms to make them look beautiful and show off all their great work! Just take a look!

All the groups worked really hard this session and it's wonderful to see the amazing results.

** Afternoon Adventures **

This afternoon was perfect for a sunny day that was this Friday.

The red group was busy finishing up some great projects they made that day and even got to make things like boats to float out in the water table in the playground. IT was a great way to cool off in the summer heat. They also made treasure boxes and put together a little show to perform for the parents at the end of the day.

There was an afternoon class just outside from the red group's classroom and they were working on painting a mural in the courtyard. The result is just beautiful.

New Post Starting Monday for Session 4!

Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session III- Terrarium Treasures- WK 2, Day 4

2011-07-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the fourth day of week 2 in Session 3 of Summer Spree here at the Community Arts Center.

The purple group got to work on creating their own little worlds in an egg shaped habitat. These structures were made out of paper mache and then were getting work done on the inside by having the kids paint their own habitats what ever color they liked the best. They then made little seats and tables and all sort of small things out of materials in the classroom that would be from outside. Some kids even made mushrooms out of construction paper and other material, painted them to look as such, and then used them as part of the habitat they were creating. Each one of these looked fantastic!

The yellow group then got their turn with Nancy at building their own terrariums over in the secret garden today. Together with Nancy's and the group's leader, Sara's help, the kids made terrariums with organic soil, native plants, and beautiful flowers. The kids were then able to take their terrariums and use their imaginations to create stone paths with pebbles, rafts for the water section of the terrariums, and use things like shells in their forest kingdoms. What a great day to be outside! The group then headed back to their room to get ready for the art show tomorrow and they have some great projects to show off!

The red group got to get their turn at getting their picture taken in the tepee!

The morning ended with a few rounds of Limbo, handled by the Summer Camp director, Ann Suchecki.

** Afternoon Adventures **

This afternoon the kids got to work on the worlds that they were creating with Anna in Everyday Extraordinary. From a simple cardboard box, these kids have been able to make amazing worlds filled with all they things they like! Some made their worlds be centered on a favorite hobby such as dancing. Others made them more about something they really like, such as their pets and other animals. Each one of these worlds are filled with color and the imagination of these kids seem to have no end in sight. They were all finishing theirs up today and they had a great time doing it too! Just take a look!

Everything looks great with this project and it's easy to see that these kids really know how to utilize their creativity and express the artist inside each and everyone of them!

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session III- Terrarium Treasures- WK 2, day 3

2011-07-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the third day of the second seek of Session 3 at Summer spree.

The purple group got to work with Nancy to create their own terrariums filled with materials found all around the Art Center. It was great to see the kids so excited about nature. Nancy helped them to get plants and organic soil in these terrariums made out of donated plastic containers. Each terrarium looked fantastic and they were all unique as to each kid's preferences. Some had more leaves in them, while some had soft moss in them. Then they kids were able to use their imaginations and put in small things to make it look like a forest kingdom. They each got a small portion of their terrariums filled with water to give them a pond of sorts in their terrariums. After they were done with their terrariums, the kids got to work on the weaving for the tepee and then got to pose for a picture in it. What great nature builders!

The green group, led by Christian, got to explore with their own skill of shapes and colors. Christian taught the kids how to make more abstract paintings by using different shapes to create bigger or more elaborate shapes in their pictures. Then he explained and helped the kids to combine colors and how to blend them so that the campers learned how to use shapes to make shapes and colors to make colors. These turned out great and some even got to use different colored sand to enhance their painted pictures.

The special for today was a show put on by Scott, the musician from Media. Scott played favorite kid songs and even got a lot of them to sing along with them. This was a great way to end the morning for the kids and have fun with music at the same time.

** Afternoon Adventure **

Today Scott stayed later in the day to teach the kids more songs, and have them teach him more songs too in Afternoon Adventures. The kids had so much fun with this that they even started to dance around in time with the music and laugh and have fun with their camp friends.

The yellow group got to try their hand at creating shapes with shapes and colors with colors too! Christian knew that a lot of these kids in the afternoon had never tried this idea before and so he was able to help them learn with these two attributes of art and make great paintings.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session III- Terrarium Treasures- WK 2 Day 2

2011-07-12T21:19:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today in Summer Spree the kids were in for a great treat. The kids were able to learn from each other today by pairing up the color groups with each other.

The yellow group and the blue group, lead by Sara and Ann, met up today and the blue group taught the younger kids how to make butterflies out of coffee strainers. The kids first took their strainers and decorated them using different colored markers and the made any kind of design that they wanted. Then they were paired with an older kid and sprayed the decorated strainer with water and then laid it out to dry for a bit. After they were dry enough, the blue group explained that the younger kids had to fold the strainers like a fan and then how to use a pipe cleaner to wrap it up and make the body of the butterfly. All the kids learned to then make a penny spinner by decorating a cardboard circle and then cutting a small slit in the middle to put a penny in. Then they all spun them around the table and had a great time watching them go and seeing their butterflies come to life. They looked great!

Then the red group and the turquoise group, led by Jenn and Amanda, brought their kids together and learned how to make fishes on a pole. These fun fishes were flat pieces of paper decorated with markers, glitter, and googly eyes and then was attached to a string which was then attached to a pole each of the younger kids got. This way it was like they had just caught a fish made just for them. These all looked great and it was a lot of fun for the older kids to help the younger kids learn a new craft.

The purple group, led by Andrea, learned how to make a tasty treat. This treat was chocolate pudding, crushed gram crackers, and pieces of oreos. Looked great!

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures, the kids got to work with Bob and get involved with nature in a fun and hands on way. Bob took the kids to the pond located across the street from the Arts Center and got them to look at frogs, tadpoles, fish, and many kinds of bugs. The kids even got to catch a few of these creatures and take them back to CAC and put them into the terrariums that Bob had set up for them. Everyone liked seeing the animals and insects and the terrariums were so filled with frogs that the box itself almost hopped away. The kids really liked the pond and being able to explore the pond and learn about all the different kinds of life that live there.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session III- Terrarium Treasures, Week 2 Day 1

2011-07-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today in week 2 of the third session of Summer Spree, the day was sunny and bright and it was wonderful to get to see what the groups had been up to so far.

The turquoise group, led by Amanda, went to ceramics with Sandy and got to paint the cupcakes that they had made out of clay the week before. These cupcakes looked great and they all had different markings and tops. Some even resembled a favorite Sesame Street character who has a passion for cookies. These ceramic pastries looked almost good enough to eat and it was great to see each kid excited about their own creative idea.

The red group, lead by Jenn, got to try their own kind of tasty project. This one being pudding paintings. The kids got to use chocolate pudding to make finger paintings with and they made great hand prints and designs. A great way to use creativity and get a taste of a perfect summer treat. Then they used watercolors to paint the world and then explained what makes it special and wonderful for each of them.

This session, the special for the weeks is Terrarium Treasures, taught by Nancy. Today, the blue group got to make small terrariums filled with dirt and plants and small treasures such as animal figurines and other nature decorations. Along with the tepee that the kids have put together in the secret garden, it is easy to see just how much the kids are really loving this nature focused special.

** Afternoon Adventures **

In Afternoon Adventures this session, the special is Everyday Extraordinary, taught by Anna. In this special today, the kids were able to take large cardboard boxes and make them into extraordinary little worlds. Each kid got to use recycled materials such as plastic containers, old rolls, and craft supplies like pipe cleaners, glitter, and different pieces of cloth to make their worlds come alive. Some centered on hobbies the kids enjoy while others focused on what the kids might like the best like animals. After all their hard work, these little worlds looked amazing and the kids really had a great time making them and using their imaginations to create their perfect world.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session II- Fantastic Fountain (Day 5)

2011-07-01T09:24:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the last day of session 2 here at Summer Spree

This day, everyone was just finishing up projects, making last minute ones, and setting up everything to look great for the art show! All the groups were really excited and it was great to see all the hard work that kids had done, give way to such beautiful pieces or art. While they all waited, most of the kids just had an opportunity to play with each other in various playgrounds around CAC. Then when 11:30 rolled around, it was time for the show to begin! The red group even had a little show of their own to have the parents see.

All in all, this session was just wonderful all the kids really had a lot of fun.

What has become of the fountain? Well take a look for yourself! All the kids really worked hard at making it look beautiful and now really is a fantastic fountain.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today was time for the photo shoot in the Afternoon Adventures programs!

The kids all had made masks and costumes with Anna, and they all looked wonderful. Now it was time for the kids to go outside, strike a pose, and say "rawr" for the camera. Take a look at all these wild animals!

The yellow group, lead by Kelin, once done with their photo shoot, moved onto making a tasty treat, strawberry shortcakes. A perfect snack for a final and fantastic day. They then got everything ready in their outdoor gallery and waited and played until the parents came to see their work.

** This blog will be continued over the next week with pictures, the blogger for this camp will be away for a week, but then will be back to update everyone else again on all the creativity these kids make! **

Keep your imagination shinning bright.

Session II- Fantastic Fountain (Day 4)

2011-06-30T17:10:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the fourth day of the Summer Spree art camp, The Fantastic Fountain! And speaking of which.....

The fountain in really coming along nicely and the kids have really been working hard to make it look beautiful! Along with David, the kids have almost completed the fountain and the next step will be to grout and polish the sides and top. The orange group worked with David today and from the looks of things, the project should be done just on time for the art show tomorrow!

Then after they were done with the fountain, the orange group moved on to work more on their fake cakes. These cakes were made out of molds of plaster, and will then be decorated with color and sequence to make it look almost good enough to eat. All will be revealed tomorrow at the art show.

Today in ceramics with Ann, the turquoise group got to paint the pockets they had made with her earlier in the week. These older kids got to decorate their pockets with shapes and designs and some of them even made beautiful attachments like a flower to go on the outside of the pocket. They all looked wonderful.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures, the next step with the mask making, taught by Anna, was to make parts of a costumes to go with the masks. The kids in the red group got to try this out first. They used all different kinds of construction paper, sequences, markers, pipe cleaners, puff balls, and so much more to really bring the wild thing out in each one of them. These look fantastic and they are just in time for the photo shoot tomorrow!

The yellow group finished those geometric shapes and they look fantastic! These structures will be hung up around the secret garden and each one has it's own unique style and design. The kids then worked on a weaving that was made out of a cardboard base, and strung with white string. They used different kinds of lace and ribbons along with other colors of thread and string. These weavings turned out so nicely and it will be so great when everyone can see them at the art show tomorrow!

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session II- Fantastic Fountain (Day 3)

2011-06-29T18:56:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the third day at the Summer Spree art camp!

There was going to be a special surprise for the kids today, after their specials and until then, they got to work on some really nice projects the whole morning.

Since Wednesday is also usually the tie dye day, many groups got an opportunity to do just that! The kids in the turquoise group, lead by Kate, tie dyed shirts, bags, and even towels and pillowcases! Each one came out with unique designs and pattens and it will be a wonderful site to see when they have been washed and dried and can be used and worn. What fantastic colors!

The fountain project is still underway and while the kids seemed to fly through that station, the progress has been substantial. David Woods is leading and teaching this special and is helping the kids to mosaic the fountain in the secret garden area. So far there is still some work and some steps to get done, but it's looking more and more complete everyday and is decorated with beautiful patterns and shapes. Can't wait to see the finished product!

In the purple group, lead by Megan, the kids were pretending to be architects and they were drawing out their dream houses and then making their own blueprints to go with them. This way, the drawings that they made had a great sense of dimension and they kids got to laugh and have fun telling jokes to each other while they worked. It was a great day for building.

Then the activities of the morning gave way to the mid day special for music this session. Scott, a musician from Media, came in again today to give a small performance for the kids singing favorites like, "Old McDonald," and "The Wheels on The Bus." All the kids had a great time listening to Scott play and sing and some of the kids even came up and performed too! This was a great way to end the morning and head into the afternoon programs.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in afternoon adventures, the kids got to continue with the music special as well as continue to work on their own projects with their teachers.

The musician from Media, named Scott, was here in the afternoon and taught the kids how to write lyrics for a song and even got a few of them to perform their own songs, ones they had learned from school or from other friends. The red group got to try this first and they had a blast!

The yellow group got to work on a really neat project making what is called an icosohedron (demo pictured below). These elaborate globes will be hung when finished and each kid was in the process of making each plate personal with a design, pattern, or words. Each one made twenty plates and when they are done, they will be joined together and it will truly be a piece to behold. Cannot wait to see the finished result!

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session II- Fantastic Fountain (Day 2)

2011-06-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today in Summer Spree, the groups got to experiment with some new projects and learn how to have fun even in the rain.

The turquoise group, lead by Kate, were making and finishing up the dragons they drew yesterday. The kids used watercolor paint to do the initial coloring of the dragons and then used markers and colored pencils to add details. Each dragon came out differently and looks fantastic! As soon as they are dry and all cut out, the next step is to build their habitats. Can't wait to see how this project will turn out.

The green group, lead by Josh, was the next group to try their hand at ceramics with Ann today. The kids worked really hard on making nature frames out of clay and decorating them with leaves, shells and other neat designs. Some even had a resemblance to a favorite Disney mouse. Looking good!

The red group, lead by Jenn, had a lot of fun today playing outside, decorating rainbows, having story time and even playing dress up. The rainbows were first painted with watercolors, but our young campers decided to go the extra mile with their creativity and decorate them with different colors of glitter. It was a shinny way to brighten up this rainy morning. Then after that was cleaned up, the group watched the rain fall while listening to music. There were even other groups trying to make their way through the rain by being resourceful and using any tools they could find around them. When everyone needed to dry off a little, the kids headed inside to get a story read to them and then to play dress up and get ready for a show the following day.

So despite the rain trying to dampen the creativity this morning, the kids managed to find a great way to have fun and use their imaginations to make this day great!

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in afternoon adventure, the kids got to play and do things indoors because of the weather, and they had a great time.

The original special for the kids was to go outside with Bob and play outdoor ball games. However, since the rain had made the playing field a little too slippery, the kids instead got to play with legos, race them, and even knock over buildings with them . The buildings also being made of legos, were placed at the end of a ramp that the kids used to race their cars down and crash into the "city" below. They also were able to play with hula hoops, and jump ropes, although they may need a little more practice. This was a great way to spend the special hours indoors, and they kids had a lot of fun building and playing.

Mean while the yellow group worked with scrap booking materials today. They used the materials to construct a setting that they made sketches of the day before in their hand made sketch books. These turned out wonderfully and the kids even used original hand made rubbings they had made before, tin pieces, and much much more. These settings were of a place at the grounds of CAC, and each kid, made their place beautiful with their creativity.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session II- Fantastic Fountain (Day 1)

2011-06-28T05:07:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the first day of Session II for the Summer Spree art camp at the Community Arts Center in Wallingford. Everyone got to their groups and with nerves giving way to excitement, today was going to be a great day.

A new project for the camp this session is that the kids will be helping to mosaic the fountain in the secret garden area. There, lead by David Woods, they will learn how to cut tiles, make patterns, and use cement to make the designs stick to the fountain's edges.

The Purple group, lead by Megan this session, was the first to try this new project out. The kids really got into it and had a wonderful time helping David with the tiles. Looks like it's a strong start to this project!

Another special the kids will be involved with this session is ceramics, taught and lead by Ann. This morning, the red group, lead by Jenn, was able to visit Ann and was taught how to make ceramic pendants and pins. The kids learned how to roll out clay, cut out shapes and create designs using different leaves and different size shells. Following them, the orange group, lead by Sara, got to try out this project too! Both groups had a lot of fun learning about this kind of clay work and they all made beautiful jewelry pieces that they will paint the next time they see Ann.

They yellow group, lead by Tree, worked on their individual drawings and got to play with some blocks after their specials were done for the day. Artists at work? I think so! It was wonderful to see such beautiful talent among the kids.

With all this fun, the end of the day came quicker than expected and it was time to head home for the day or to go to the Afternoon Adventures groups for this session.

** Afternoon Adventures **

Today in Afternoon Adventures, the two groups, yellow and read for to try new specials and work on new projects.

This session, one of the specials was Mask Making with Anna. The red group lead by Jenn, got to try this out first and they made some absolutely beautiful masks out of foam and decorated with feathers, multi- colored packing peanuts, glitter, sequences, and so much more! Each mask came out great and the kids really had a great time learning how to make them. With a little drying time, they should be ready for wearing as soon as possible.

The yellow group, lead by Kelin, got to have a lot of fun learning how to make their very own sketch books! These books will be used to hold various sketches and drawings through the week, drawings being made both inside and outside the arts center. The group then made their ways outside to make such sketches before they had their turn at making masks.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session I- Garden Thrones (Day 5)

2011-06-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Today was the last day of the Garden Thrones session of Summer Spree.

Today, everyone was getting ready for the art show that they were going to be putting on in their individual classrooms. To get to this point of the day, the groups used today to finish their projects in ceramics, projects lead by their respective teachers, and the secret garden group project; the outdoor classroom.

The turquoise group went to the secret garden first and did the overlook for the results of the session for construction of the outdoor classroom. The classroom, having passed the inspection, the kids then moved to see the giant Beech tree in the woods behind the arts center. This tree might be the biggest Beech in the country and has been around for a number of years. It's a wonderful grove in the woods where this tree is, and today it was the hot spot to be for the camp with groups walking to this spot as another was leaving.

Then moving the ceramics room for the day, most of the kids finished painting their clay hands and decorated them more with gemstones and shells and all kinds of pretty things. They all came out great!

Then it was the yellow group's turn to get a chance to tie- dye. Each shirt or other piece of clothing came out beautifully and it'll be great to see if any of the kids wear them again and show off all their colors.

After all these finishing touches, it was time to set up for the art show for each group every room seemed to shine with all the magnificent art work the groups had done. Many works hung on the walls, and were set up on the tables in the group rooms and when the parents arrived, it was so great to see all the kids really excited about all the great projects they had done this session!

Thus, that was the end of Session I. This was a great way to start off the summer and with Session II just around the corner, there will be many more wonderful days to come!

** Afternoon Adventures **

This afternoon the orange and yellow groups of the Afternoon Adventure programs, seemed to be winding down and also setting up for their own art shows. Most of the kids just ended up doing small projects such as last minute paintings, or modeling clay fun or free drawings. Each of which came out great, and this afternoon was a really nice way to end the week and get ready for the weekend.

These afternoon adventure groups really worked hard and experimented with more art forms, letting them grow artistically and have fun all in the process. Overall, Afternoon Adventures, like Summer Spree, is a wonderful way for kids to get involved in the CAC commumity, form good bonds with other kids interested in art, and learn more every day.

New Post for Session II on Monday!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session I- Garden Thrones (Day 4)

2011-06-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

Let the fourth day of session 1 begin!

In ceramics today, the green group finished painting their clay hands, by coloring them with acrylic paint and then decorating them with gems, sea shells, buttons, and so many other small treasures. They all looked beautiful.

Over at the outdoor classroom project, the orange group got to really make some head way with this area by helping to actually finish a few of the seats and then decorate them using mosaic tiles, gem stones, and fun shapes made out of clay. The secret garden area has truly gone through a transformation in only a short amount of time, and the kids have done a great job so far!

The purple group finished their dragon houses today, and they are the most amazing houses a dragon could ever ask for. The kids in this group worked extra hard on this project and just by looking at them, it really shows how much fun they had making them as well. The purple group also got their turn at making some tie dye shirts today! They all looked bright and wonderful, perfect for our summer season.

** Afternoon Adventure **

In the yellow group of the Afternoon Adventure crew today, the kids continued with making their recycled paper. By using a blender, old newspaper shreds, and some water, the group was able to make a few really good sheets! When they weren't helping out with this, the kids also were able to draw freely, and get their faces painted. It was a great day of creativity, relaxation, and fun. This group then moved onto what the orange group was doing right up the stairs.

It was time to return to making mandalas with Christian, except this time, the kids were able to make their own designs on a mandala meant just for them. The kids worked again with different colored sands and made beautiful patterns and design combinations using shapes and other ideas from their imagination.

After the orange group had left the mandala station, they went to their own classroom and got to play a great game for a hot day as it was today, water balloon toss! This was such fun for the kids, and if one popped, it was a great way to cool off in today's heat. Then once the balloons were all popped and everyone had cooled down, the kids got to make paintings using basters and some red, blue, and yellow paint. Each picture came out great and were all very colorful!

** Teen Classes **

Besides the Book Arts class, Wheel Pottery class, and Watercolor class for teens that was featured in the last blog entree, there are also three that follow these classes in the afternoon.

One is a digital photography class, led and taught by Kelly. This class offers teens to engage in the art of photography using many different styles and methods. They also get a chance to work with the digital software that is used to edit photos as well. This class is great if one is looking for a way of learning more about this art, and getting experience photographing the arts center inside and out and all the unique objects that are contained inside as well.

Another class offered is a cooking class led and taught by Ann. Today the students in this class were making nachos with salsa and cheese. Since it was a little hot out today, this snack seemed to absolutely perfect and everyone had a good time making them. They made tasty results. In this class the students have learned how to make other great treats this week such as strawberry smoothies, sweet potato fries, and other summer favorites. This class is great for anyone who is interested in the culinary side of the art world, and lets students gain experience making delicious snacks that everyone can enjoy.

Then one more class that is offered in the afternoon is printmaking, lead and taught by Drew. In this class, the students use blue screen filler, which is a waxy and greasy substance to first paint a design on a screen. They then use a red/ brown color of screen filler to highlight the design they create so that they can then print the image. This class is taught very well and is fun to not only practice in, but is also great to watch because you never know just amazing these prints will come out. These students work very hard and they have wonderful results to show for it. This is a great class to get more experience with this unique medium of art and is great fun to learn about.

These classes along with the ones featured in yesterday's blog entree are wonderful ways for young people to get involved with the art they choose to learn about and to become a part of the CAC community.

New Post Tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session I- Garden Thrones (Day 3)

2011-06-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

The third day of art camp was today and everyone was in for a treat.

But before the treat was revealed, the kids were busy with their projects and crafts. In the blue group, lead by Christian, the kids were working on a couple of fun activities today. They started out by making road maps for the many worms that were found in the secret garden while getting it ready to make the outside classroom. They colored their maps in and made separate signs as well, and they all turned out great.

After they were done with their signs, the kids of the blue group started working on their robots and aliens, created out of recycled cans, paper rolls, pipe cleaners and much more. They will then use paper mache to give their forms more substance, and then paint them to really bring them to life.

Then moving onto the garden today, the yellow group, lead by Tree, worked on actually creating the concrete seats for the outdoor classroom. The kids helped to mix the concrete and then fill in the molds to make the seats themselves and then they decorated them in the style of a mosaic. Things are really coming along with this project!

Moving onto the youngest group, the red group lead by Adam, these kids were having a great time learning how to tie-dye! Using all the colors of the rainbow, they made the shirts look beautiful and they had a lot of fun making these new shirts ready for the summer.

After all of these fun projects, it was time to head back outside and have everyone gather for the treat. Today, the camp was lucky to have a musician from Media come in and sing some songs for the kids. His name was Scott, he played guitar, sang his songs, and even had a volunteer come on up and join him. It was a great way to end the camp today.

** Afternoon Adventure **

So today in Afternoon Adventure, the kids were able to get some group time with Scott. They got to learn about different kinds of musical instruments and which one of them that the kids played, as well as learning how to write music, try out Scott's guitar, and listen to some of his other songs. The yellow group was up first for this and they all had a fun time learning all about these new aspects of music.

While the yellow group had their time with Scott, the orange group made beautiful paintings, painted their sculptures and even tried out a different kind of art form, paint/ water balloon art.

** Teen Classes **

There are many afternoon teen classes available here at the arts center, and today will feature three of them. The first being Book Arts, taught by Meg. Meg is helping to teach these older kids how to make different kinds of books such as accordion style books, journals, and flag books. These teens really enjoy this class and they are very creative with how they decorate the covers for their books by using paints and various other methods. They all looked wonderful!

Another class offered this session is wheel pottery, taught by Carol, a seasoned member of CAC. This class offers the teens the experience to work with clay on the wheel and make all kinds of plates, bowls, and even pitchers. Wheel pottery is very challenging and it's great to see these teens taking it head on.

And today's third featured teen class is watercolor, taught by Pat. In this class, Pat teaches teens to work with watercolor and how to create different effects to create elaborate landscapes and silhouettes. Watercolor is very tricky and hard to control, so it was incredible to see these teens so determined and focused on making beautiful paintings using various techniques. The works in progress looked excellent and it was easy to see that these teens were really having fun learning all they could about the use of watercolor.

These classes along with the Summer Spree camp and the Afternoon Adventure programs are a great way to gain knowledge on different mediums of art, meet new people, and get involved with the CAC community.

New Post tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.

Session I- Garden Thrones (Day 2)

2011-06-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **

The second day of art camp had the kids working on many new projects both big and small.

As the campers said goodbye to their parents and guardians for the day, the group leaders rounded the kids up and started their adventure by having them explore with fun new crafts.

In the orange group, lead by Sara, the kids first started working on prints of ladybugs, making jewelry with beads, planting sunflower seeds in small pots that the kids had painted the day before, and even learned how to draw dinosaurs. All of these crafts turned out great and with proof from pictures found below, it is easy to see that each activity let everyone express their imagination and have fun sharing in each others creativity.

Moving onto the green group today, lead by Josh, the kids went to ceramics and were taught how to make a clay hand and put patterns on them. These hands will then be painted later once they are fired in the kiln and the kids will be able to even add a colorful jewel if they want to. With just the first step done towards this project, it's obvious that they will turn out great.

The older kids in the purple group, lead by Kate, were working on making dragon houses for dragons they had made the day before.

Moving to the turquoise group, let by Pat, this second older group of kids were working on making African savanna pictures using paint to make the background, and starting to cut out shapes for the animals and other details they chose to have in their picture.

The progress with the outdoor classroom project in the secret garden has really come a long way in only a days time. Today, the kids worked on picking where the seats will actually go with cut out molds for cement placed at each chosen spot. They continued to get the ground prepared and worked on making a worm totem. This totem is a medium sized amount of clay and is shaped into a pillar- like shape. The worm totem was then covered in hand made worms that the kids made out of clay. This totem will hang over or near the table area of the outdoor classroom and is in honor for the many, many, MANY worms that were found in the secret garden. The kids love this project!

The time of the morning flew by again today and everyone had smiles on their faces and were proud of the new things they learned today and all the fun they had too.

Stay tuned for day 3 tomorrow!

** Afternoon Adventure **

Today in the afternoon adventure programs, the two groups worked inside and out having fun and learning new things.

In the yellow group, lead by Tree, these older kids were learning about making their own recycled paper. The first step they learned is to get old paper, such as old newspaper, and to rip them up into small pieces. So the the group was hard at work making sure there were plenty pieces of newspaper to go around. They will then soak the piece together for a while and work on the next step to make new paper. While they weren't ripping up paper, the kids were able to draw freely and to also draw from still life's.

Then it was on to the next activity, Ball Arts, with Bob Deane.

For this activity, Bob gathered many kinds and sizes of playing balls, and played with the kids in games like kick ball and soccer. The orange group, lead by Sara, was up first. It was great for the kids to just be able to play freely during the day today, and when they got tired they would explore around the field and often were found by the fountain in the secret garden area.

Wondering how the mandala turned out? Well the picture below should answer your questions. It came out beautifully!

New Post tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright!

Session 1- Garden Thrones (Day 1)

2011-06-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

** Summer Spree **
Today was the first day of the art camp at the Community Arts Center (CAC) in Wallingford, PA.

Annie walks a camper to their group

As the morning drop off commenced, returning campers and newcomers were all excited to come to the first session of art camp called Garden Thrones.

For this session, every group will be helping to create a gathering area outside in the secret garden across the main field on the side of the arts center. Bob Deane, a seasoned member of CAC, will be helping the kids create this area step by step and will encourage them to use their imaginations and creativity to make this outdoor area beautiful and fun for everyone who visits the arts center.

Today, many of the groups helped to prepare the ground for the seating area, by first measuring out the center table area, and then figuring out where the seats would go around it.

After marking them off and clearing the ground of any surfacing worms, the next step was to rabbit- proof the fence surrounding the seating area. With the overseeing teacher's help, the kids wove sticks of all sizes between the already placed posts by the seating area, until it really looked as though no rabbits would even be able to squeeze through the fence.

Making the fence "rabbit- proof"

Moving onto the ceramics special, the younger class got to make small, round shapes of clay that they designed by using everyday tools such as pen caps, buttons, beads, toy wheels, and many other things as well. The next step for them will be to paint them after they have been fired in the kiln by their overseeing teacher, Ann.

Besides these specials, the groups also were able to work on their own projects with their group leaders. One of the older groups headed by Pat, were learning about geometric drawings and patterns, and making lovely designs with this concept using what they had learned about the color wheel and hot and cold colors.

With all of these activities going on, it was easy to get lost in the fun and before we knew it, it was time for the afternoon pick up and lunch time.

It was then either time to head back home, or head off to a new activity in Afternoon Adventure.

This first day of camp went really well and everyone seemed to be having a good time and getting along great with each other. With four more days to go for this session, the kids are in for more fun tomorrow and making new friends every day.

** Afternoon Adventure **

Once the camp is done for the day, the programs, Afternoon Adventure starts right after the kids have a lunch break. In these programs, there are two groups this session, with teachers Tree and Sara. Both of these groups will work on independent projects and learn to explore different forms of art and have fun with different crafts as well.

Along with their group projects, both groups will have a turn to work with Christian, the specials teacher for the program, and help him to make a large mandala. And in case the term is unfamiliar, a mandala is a large circular geometric design with lots of patterns and shaped inside and once colored, it is truly a piece to behold. With this project, Christian is having the kids use different colors of sand to bring the mandala to life.

Let there be color!

Today was just the beginning, but it is obvious that this project will be both fun to work on and have a beautiful result.

New post tomorrow!
Keep your imaginations shinning bright.