Arts Smarts Camp - 2012

Arts Smarts Camp was held last week. I may have written about it in years past but I am so impressed with this fun-filled creative arts offering for kids from preschool to grade five.

I was helping in Graffiti Art. Graffiti is best done outdoors, away from cars and buildings. It takes lots of spray paint and sturdy walls and a wide expanse of lawn. Dry weather helps. Last week the temperatures hovered around 100 degrees each day.

I mean, kids and aerosol spray paint cans. What could go wrong?

I asked the campers if anyone had ever had the opportunity to use spray paint. Not one hand was raised. Hmmmmm! A clue there somewhere.

Forty-seven campers, out of a total camp of 775 signed up for this graffiti. Some had to be turned away and the class enrollment reached its limit quickly during the registration period. First come, first served had to be the motto.

One day, toward Thursday, a very dark rain cloud crept closer to the graffiti boards. Since the geographical area is in a severe drought it was not appropriate to pray that the cloud would move on. But it did. Thank you.

Thirty-one different classes were offered to the kids during the week. The campers chose their top five and were assured of three of those. If kids liked music they could sign up for drumming, bells, keyboard, guitar, bass or signing. Teachers were skilled at what they were teaching including a certified American Sign Language instructor.

Perhaps quieter endeavors were needed. Kids could learn to knit, write short stories, publish a newspaper, build a board game, find and write to a pen pal, or learn to script in calligraphy.

Kids who like drama had the options of learning set production, acting, filming a movie, producing a daily news TV new report, dancing. or running the TV cameras.

Regular art offerings included: make-up (my personal least favorite), carpentry, drawing, duct tape art, graffiti, sewing, cooking, painting, scrap-book making, photography, cake decorating, jewelry making, pottery...well, you get the idea.

Kids' classes were in storerooms, coat closets, hallways; there was not a corner of the building which was not used for creativity.

What's the point of having this kind of activity in a church? Doesn't it abuse the building? What does it have to do with what churches are supposed to be doing. Doesn't it make it difficult for the staff? Don't parents just want their kids out of their hair for the morning?

Perhaps some of the above is true.

The point - and there is one - is that God has given talents to each person. He (God) would love for those talents to be used to bring him joy and praise. We try to encourage kids to use their talents for good, for God. It may not be the church you grew up in, but it is the church that values kids like God does.

And that's what I think about it.