Art in the Park

In June, the Salmon Arts Council offered 3 days of "Art in the Park". It was offered from 11-2 each day, and there were multiple art projects ready to make set out on several tables in the pavilion. At noon each day, there was also a free kids' lunch done by the after-school summer lunch program. On the last day, there was also a water "Grand Slam" game in the park for the kids organized by the county extension office & 4-H teens. We went to all 3 days of the Art in the Park, had 3 days of free lunch, and Jonah and Micah played in the water games on the last day. The boys made several art creations each day, including: marshmallow/toothpick structures, sand/glue art, painted pottery, yarn/stick stars, and beaded necklaces/bracelets.

Making marshmallow creations:

 

 (It was their favorite thing to do last year, and it was the first thing they wanted to do again this year.)

Making sand/glue art:

Eating free lunch with our friends the Pace's:

Finishing painting the ceramic pots at home:

Here's my real review of it:

The Pros:
1. It was free (last year we had to pay to do it)
2. It was a nice break from being at home
3. I didn't have to make lunch for the boys
4. I spent one-on-one time with Kanyon making art projects
5. The boys saw/played with several friends
6. They got to create things they never would've done at home

The Cons:

1. It was crowded--there was a lot more people that came this year than last year

2. It was disorganized--there were 2-3 different projects on each table, so there wasn't enough room for more than a couple of kids to work on projects on the table surface

3. It was messy--there was a lot of kids who left their undone projects all over the tables, and not enough personnel to help the kids 

4. It was chaotic--there was a lot going on and not any instructions or directions were given on how to create the different art projects

5. It was too much of the same--instead of putting out a few different projects each day, there was the same numerous projects set out each day, so it was the same activities over and over

I was grateful for the chance to have something different for my boys to do on an average summer day. I especially liked that it was free this year (perhaps that's why there was SO many more kids that came! There was over 100 kids on the last day!). We never stayed the full 3 hours any of the days because it was a lot of noise and disorganization and chaotic mess, and the boys got tired of it after a while (which is why they finished their time-consuming painting project at home).

I am a very organized person, and I work with kids on a daily basis at school, and I could see how a few minor tweaks could make a big difference in the future. The lady who was in charge was newer, and not used to being around kids, and I think this might have been her first year doing it, so I gave her a few tips on how to make it better next year (like only put out a few projects each day so there's something different every day, which would also create more working space on the tables. and to have an example of each project on display so the kids knew what all the yarn/popsicle sticks/glue/paint/glitter/etc was supposed to be used for). But she didn't seem interested in what I told her. Whenever I see a disorganized project, I visualize how it could be better and what I could do to improve it...so I speak my mind occasionally to others on my visualized improvements. I figure it helps people who don't have the same organizational abilities, and shows them how to make the job easier and not so overwhelming. But I don't have a lot of couth, so sometimes I come across as bossy and rude (which I'm sure she thought I was).