Art Camp: Where the Wild Things Are

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I suppose if one sends one’s child to art camp for a week, one should just assume she will come back with an entire banker box worth of art.  I need to stock up on banker boxes…

So I signed Esmé up for last week’s Summer Kids Camp at Umpqua Valley Arts Association, and the week’s theme was Where the Wild Things Are.  Her first day, she came home a bit quiet, and frankly, sort of upset with me for signing her up. “Too much pressure,” she says. I guess doing one scheduled art activity after another for seven straight hours after being on a totally relaxed summer schedule got to her.

But she wanted to give it another shot, and by the end of the week she was raving about it as the best camp ever, superseding all the other summer camps she could participate in.  So I think we’ll try to get her in another few weeks.

Her number one favorite thing – getting to use a hot glue gun for the fairy houses.

Here is a glimpse of some of the stuff she came home with:

Papier Mache Mask

This took several days – the first day was creating the mask frame using a balloon, followed by the additional parts and painting.

Clay Mask

A last-minute project using air-hardening clay. 

Creative Creatures

The students created 3D creatures using wood, clay, etc.  Esmé made a “listening” device out of wood (not pictured), as well as clay turtles, a random wild critter, and a “hatched” egg.

And here is her sweet plaster fox:

Ink Blob Critters

An ink blob can be the start of all kinds of wild things!  I’m only showing a small sample of Esmé’s portfolio.  You’re welcome.

Paintings and Drawings

Once again, just a small sampling…

What would a week of art be without at least one mermaid picture?

Fairy Houses

The class took some outside field trips to collect nature materials for a variety of fairy (or folklore) houses.  They used small jars, and I believe the one is made by wrapping string around a balloon, using glue or some other hardening agent, and then popping & removing the balloon.  Pretty cool.

Esmé immediately hung up one of her jars outside to catch a fairy.

They also brought home a little bag of fairy “dust” (glitter).

This is a picture Esmé drew at home, because you’ve gotta have a fairy to go with a fairy house, right?

 

There were also several creative group pictures (draw something, pass it on to the next person to draw the next item as instructed), a paper collage, a matrix of “emotion” drawings, and other stuff I can’t quite figure out.  It’s pretty impressive how much you can do in 4 days…

And she is off to art camp again this week, with Space is the Place.”  I wonder how many aliens she’ll be bringing home…