Story-Related Projects

Earth Hour Inspiration

Saturday Mar. 24th, Art Explorers! Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Upcycled Art. Inspired by Earth Hour which is happening next Saturday at 8:30 p.m., I’d like to talk to the kids about why it’s important to participate in it. I’d also like to touch on things we can do to help the planet in other ways as well. CD jewel cases are made with PVC plastic; non-biodegradable and non-recyclable in most communities. So during this workshop we’ll up-cycle unwanted jewel cases into art frames. It’s a great way to keep trash out of the landfill and proudly display our awesome creations! There are many different mediums that will work with these cases, but for this workshop we’ll be using homemade play-dough. A great supportive book to this exercise is authour Barbara Reid’s “Picture a Tree”. The talented Toronto-based artist creates all of her illustrations with plasticine, so we’ll use her style as reference for our pieces.

In addition, another activity we’ll do is recycle old broken crayons into new ones. Please bring your old stubby crayons and everyone will go home with new ones!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Art Explorers! Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Spinny Spirals and ‘Swirl by Swirl’

Saturday Mar. 3rd, Multimedia Art For Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Spiral Art.The book ‘Swirl by Swirl’ was brought to my attention by a friend who is in love with spirals. In fact, the logo on her website is a spiral and it has deep meaning for head Yoga Goddess Zahra Haji. For many, the spiral is almost a cosmic shape, a compelling and positive reminder of how nature, myth and mysticism are prevalent in the spiral and vice versa. Since I’m all about deeper meanings and meditative art (see Mandala art workshop), this spiral-focused book inspired a new workshop and seemed totally in line with what would make a great ‘Art & Soul’ class! We’ll do stamp/print-making out of spiral shaped plasticine in combination with paint on paper being spun in a salad spinner – of all things! It’s a fun project that kids get excited about — especially the spinny part (I tested it out on my pre-school art class this a.m.). We’ll also read ‘Swirl by Swirl’ by Joyce Sidman to ’round’ out the class. ;) Thanks Zahra!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Multi-Medium Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Chalk pastels and a ‘Big Fat Hen’

Saturday Feb. 4th, Multi-Medium Art Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Perspective and Pastel. About a year ago, I found a great book at the library called “Big Fat Hen” by Keith Baker. The illustrations are vibrantly drawn with pastels. After doing some research, I discovered that this story has been used by many art teachers – it’s a popular book! So to add some differentiation, I decided to include a bit of theory in my lesson. We’ll talk about perspective – things up close are big; things far away are small, and we’ll also talk about the ‘horizon line’. The children will get to experiment with both oil and chalk pastels (word of warning: the chalk pastels get EVERYwhere, so let’s remember to wear our ‘art’ clothes). The above drawing was done by my son, Julian when he was 6 yrs old. I think it’s gorgeous!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs alternate between Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Multi-Medium Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Marvelous mandalas!

Saturday Jan. 21st, Multi-Medium Art Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Mandala Art (watercolours and marker): This is a repeat class by request. One little student of mine did this last year with me, but gave his mandala away as a gift. Although at first he felt good in giving away his beautiful piece, he also struggled afterward – sort of wishing he’d kept it. So I said “we’ll do the workshop again!” And why not? I love doing mandalas with little people. Children really create such stunning designs!

A great compliment to the class is the story ‘The Dot’ By Peter H. Reynolds. It’s the perfect book to inspire a discussion about dots and circles and the art of creating mandalas. We’ll watercolour paint our circles first, and then later doodle with pen and ink to add detail to the mandala. Looking forward to another fantastic mandala making workshop!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs alternate between Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Multi-Medium Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Snowmen At Night

Sunday Jan. 15th, Multi-Medium Art Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Paint and Tissue Paper Collage: Have you ever built a snowman and discovered the next day that his grin has gotten a little crooked, or his tree-branch arms have moved? And have you ever wondered, “What do snowmen do at night?” Although our winter thus far has been unseasonably mild – no snow yet (?!) – we thought it’d be nice to do an art project based around the story ‘Snowmen At Night’ by wife/husband team Caralyn and Mark Buehner. I’ve recently become a big fan of artist Mark Buehner’s captivating work whose extraordinary illustrations grace the pages of ‘Snowmen At Night’. Thank you to Deep Space Sparkle for the inspiration for this great art workshop!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs alternate between Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Multi-Medium Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

The Mouse City Summit with Small Print T.O.

We are totally psyched to be working with our good friends from Small Print Toronto again! Save the date:

When: Sunday, November 20; 10:30am (Doors 9:30)
Where: The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St West
Cost: $10 Adults / $5 Kids / Non-Walkers Ride Free

“From Stuart Little to An American Tail, a mainstay of children’s stories is mice cobbling together dwellings for themselves out of items designed for human homes. What would an entire city created specifically for fictional mice look like?
The Mouse City Summit will address this timely issue by gathering together urban planners 2-to-8 years old from all across Toronto to conceive, create and construct a “Mouse City” out of recycled household materials.

To shed light upon the often amazing ways that literary mice re-purpose human possessions to build homes, Natalie Kertes will read Pheobe Gilman’s classic tale Something From Nothing (Scholastic Canada).

Are food and housing the most pressing social issues for picture-book critters? Montreal-based author and illustrator Rosyln Schwartz, creator of the Mole Sisters,will launch her brand new series about a pair of ravenous rodents, The Vole Brothers (Owl Kids).

What structures need to be in place to make Mouse City a sustainable enterprise? Matthew Blackett, Publisher and Creative Director of Spacing Magazine, will give us some tips by reading Jan Brett’s celebrated version of the fable, Town Mouse / Country Mouse (Penguin Group Canada).

After reviewing the key literature, budding city builders will put their dreams into action, with zoning advice from Blackett and Hamutal Dotan, Editor-in-Chief of Torontoist.com, as well as construction advice from Lisa Kelly of The Centre For Art & Soul.

Who knows? Maybe kids can teach the grown-ups at City Hall a thing or two about designing a city fit for creatures big and small. All Mouse City Summit texts will be available at the event from Mabel’s Fables Bookstore.”

To register, click here.

Daydreaming with Marc Chagall

I and the Village

Saturday Oct. 1st, Multi-Medium Art Workshop: 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Marc Chagall was born in Vitebsk, Russia in 1887 – the oldest of nine children. His father worked in a herring factory and his mother sold spices and herring out of a small shop in their home. As a child he studied drawing and painting and in 1910 he went to Paris and became an artist. Chagall often painted dreamlike scenes and many of the pictures he painted include memories from his childhood. In addition to paintings, Marc created stage sets, stained glass, murals and costumes, as well as illustrations for children’s’ books.

In this class, the children will get to explore the concepts of surrealism and early cubism that Chagall portrayed in his work. We’ll also read a wonderful book, Dreamer from the Village: The Story of Marc Chagall by Michelle Markel. 
Both straightforward and whimsical, this well-paced picture-book biography of Marc Chagall follows the artist from childhood to his triumphant showing at the Louvre, when he was 90.

And not to be left out — we’ve got a Drama Games/Music Theatre Workshop at 12:30 p.m. See details for the class by clicking the link below.

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Multi-Medium Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Destination: Outer Space!

Saturday April 2nd Mixed Media Art for Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Paint, Cut, Paste, Sparkle. For some reason now I can’t get the songs “Ground Control to Major Tom” and “If I had a Rocket Launcher” out of my head… But I digress. This Saturday’s art workshop will be focused on outer space! Kids will be creating a multi-medium piece consisting of spaceships, robots, rockets and whatever else their little imaginations dream up. We’ve also got a couple of great books we’ll be reading during class: “Harry & Horsie” by Katie Van Kamp, and my son’s personal favourite “Moon Man” by Tomi Ungerer. It’ll be an astronomical event!

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Mixed-Media Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yoga & Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Rainbow Fish

Sunday March 27th Mixed Media Art for Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Watercolour & Decoupage. In this class, we’ll read ‘The Rainbow Fish’ by Marcus Pfister, to draw inspiration for our paintings. We’ll do watercolour backgrounds and then make our rainbow fish using multi-coloured paper and mod podge. Can’t forget the glitter for the shiny scales! This book is all about sharing, and how even when it’s sometimes difficult to give special things away – we feel good about the results afterward.

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Mixed Media Art for Kids (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yoga & Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

We love Eric Carle

Saturday March 19th Mixed Media Art for Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Collage. Back by popular demand!! Eric Carle’s art is distinctive and instantly recognizable. His art work is created in collage technique, using hand-painted papers, which he cuts and layers to form bright and cheerful images. In this class, we’ll read ‘The Mixed Up Chameleon’ and discuss how Eric Carle made his pictures. Like the artist himself, we’ll use painted paper and cut out shapes so the children will create their own collages of mixed-up animals.

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Mixed Media Art for Kids (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yoga & Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

It’s Dr. Seuss’ birthday week!

Saturday March 5th Mixed Media Art for Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Collage. Thanks to my sister – who used to teach primary grades, I’m now up to speed with learning of Seuss‘ birthday on Wednesday. He would have been 107 years old on March 2nd! Our family grew up on Dr. Seuss and still have a massive collection of his books that have now been passed down to my 6 yr old. So in Dr. Seuss’ honour, I’ll be challenging the students to create their own unique creature like a ‘zizzer zazzer zuzz’ — collage style – using recyclables we’ve got kicking around and felt, yarn, pom-poms, wiggle eyes, etc..

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Mixed Media Art for Kids (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yoga & Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!

Circles are meditative…

Sunday Feb. 27th Mixed Media Art For Kids Workshop: 10:15 a.m. ‘til 11:45 a.m. – Mandala Art. Have wanted to do a mandala workshop for quite some time now. So when I came across the story ‘The Dot’ By Peter H. Reynolds, I thought what a great story to inspire a discussion about dots and circles and the art of creating mandalas. We’ll watercolour paint our circles first, and then later doodle with pen and ink to add detail to the mandala. Looking forward to a blissed-out, zen-calm class! I wonder?

*Please note: Weekend Drop-in/Drop-offs now alternate between Saturdays and Sundays.

Mixed Media Art for Kids (4 yrs +) 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.

Drama Games Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Yoga & Art Workshop (4 yrs +) 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

See you there! We would greatly appreciate it if you could call or email us if you intend to come to one of our drop-ins. It helps with prep when we have an idea of the number of kids participating. Thanks!