The Art of Making

Last week, we took our classroom on the road. We spent the morning on a nature walk in High Park, collecting interesting textures and objects to make artwork with and then headed to Smock Cafe and Wonder Workshop, owned by Sara Wood, a Ma Maison parent. The children sat down at the big art table at the back and began to assemble their masterpieces. Under the guidance of John from Smock and Amandine, they used barks to make rubbings, squeezed colour out of flowers and collaged on bits of duck feather and leaves to create fairy spaceships, transformers and other more abstract creations by the younger set.

After parents joined up and shared in a hearty lunch of delicious veggie soup, we headed to the Art Gallery of Ontario by streetcar. Along the way, we swapped stories and talked a bit about the Picasso exhibit that was recently shown at the AGO. We arrived in time to catch the last hour of the Hands On Centre, where kids can create artwork, stage a drama production, build constructions or simply curl up in a nook with a book. The big hit of the visit was the full size canoe, perfect for sharing with a crowd. After a brief repast, some families opted to head home while others took their children into the main galleries to continue their day of art appreciation.

It was a lovely day of wandering and exploration that we hope will build on the work Amandine is doing in the classroom.

Smock Cafe and Wonder Workshop http://www.smockcafe.com/

AGO http://www.ago.net/