Make the World a More Beautiful Place

Our Arts & Smarts Children’s Program staff are hard at work planning a summer unlike any before! If your family participated in any Patchwork Arts & Smarts activities last summer or last school year, be on the lookout for an interest form and survey if you would like to be part of this summer’s fun.

Like all summers, we’ll offer a mix of art, gardening, cooking, and the unparalleled energy of Susan Fowler. Unlike other summers, activities will feature activity kits and online lessons to accompany these kits. These virtual activities will begin in June and will stretch into July. Kits will include all the supplies you need to complete a project, and online lessons will show how to use the supplies, will include Susan’s storytelling activities, and will offer opportunities for families to connect with our staff and volunteers.

We will add in-person lessons once a week in July as long as local health indicators show that it is safe to do so. We value the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and participants, so we will have social distancing and safety procedures in place for all in-person activities, and we will expect everyone to follow them.

Use Your Spark to Make the World a More Beautiful Place will be one of the overarching themes for the summer. We’ll get inspiration from the children’s book Jamaica Louise James by Amy Hest. The book is about a girl who uses her interest in art to encourage and inspire the people who live in her neighborhood.

Susan introduced us to the story and said that one part of the book that she loves is the challenge, “Are you going to sit there worrying, or are you going to go out there and make the world a better place?” It’s a challenge Susan has taken to heart in her storytelling, and it’s a challenge we’ll give to this summer’s participants.

In addition to stories, this summer will include things like portrait painting, tie dying, growing and cooking vegetables, growing zinnias, and opportunities to share ways that each of us can use our interests and talents to make the world around us into a more beautiful place.

Join us for Summer 2020!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *