Art Shop: Get In Touch With Your Creative Side

by Jenna Gerstenschlager

When I was hired I was told to plan a workshop. The only guideline I had was for it to be in the realm of strategic games, visual arts, or science. I decided to start with something familiar to me. For the first nine weeks in the Impact Learning Center, my workshop will focus on visual arts. My goal is for the kids to have a positive, hands-on experience with art.

For our first project we learned about names and what each of ours means. Then the kids were instructed to write their names on construction paper and draw pictures around it describing things they like or like to do. It was a fun way for me and the rest of the kids to get to know each other.

Future projects will include making masks, constructing pictures frames, working with clay, and various painting projects. It's always so exciting for me to see how creative the kids can get with a project. It’s fun to see them take a simple original idea and make it their own.