Keeping the creative juices flowing and exercising their imaginations, a number of students enjoyed the art camps held in Estevan during the February break.
Spread out between the Nicholson Centre and the art project room, 56 children took part in a three-day art camp from Feb. 19 to 21. Linda Gudmundson was in charge of the event, organized by the Estevan Arts Council for the fifth year, which so far has been their largest.
Organizers set up four age categories between six and 13 for the stations and each of those was run by an instructor and a teenage helper. There was a new slate of lessons each day as the participants moved from one station to the next after completing their task.
"In the morning we did all arts and crafts, sculpture, acrylic painting, there was some beading and some silk screening, which was new," said Gudmundson.
The mornings were set aside for arts and crafts, but afterward each student had lunch provided by Spectra Place before heading to the pool for an afternoon swim.
"The kids were great. They're well behaved. They just love doing art, and they can't wait to go swimming," said Gudmundson. "They have a full enthusiasm for this, so it goes really well. All of us parents are looking for something for them to do that is healthy and active during their break. This is perfect. They get two hours everyday in the pool, plus they get to be creative all morning."
The art camps have become popular getaways for young people in Estevan since they started, and interest in the program continues to grow.
"It's high in demand, and we try to accept as many kids as we can," noted Gudmundson. "The Estevan Arts Council largely funds it, along with a City of Estevan grant as well."
With a greater number of participants this time around, it made for a bit more of a challenge in organizing all the students and keeping everyone on task, said Gudmundson.
"Once we get a handle on it, it's fine. You have to run some pretty strict rules though."
Nothing has yet been confirmed, but she said the arts council may also organize a similar camp during the Easter break. Gudmundson said that camp is dependent on how many instructors they can get to fill the needed roles.
