Keeping Warm

Hello everyone!
A couple weeks ago we had the Schools Out camps at Kidstreet, where we made some really amazing clay and multimedia projects.
We also have our schedule out for the next Spring session and the Summer Camps at Kidstreet! Looking at the schedule, it looks like there will be some really diverse things going on. For those who like to get messy and have fun just playing around and being creative, I'll be having a Messy camp this summer. And I saw that there's a Movie Making camp, which I'd like to sign up for if I could...too bad I'm not a kid anymore.
Sign up soon for classes and camps!
Alyson

January Creativity!

This month has been going great here at Kidstreet, everybody has their hands into some kind of creative work.
In Sue's Wednesday Toddler Multimedia class this past week, students made nests by pushing their thumbs into a ball of clay to make a little bowl, then using the garlic press to make texture for the nests. If you turn the bowl over, you can make a birthday cake! It was messy, but as you can see, they turned out pretty well.

The multimedia classes are really fun because we learn how to create with many different media, not just clay. Roz's Thursday multimedia class gets to pick which weeks they want to work with clay and what other media they want to use. We talked about doing mosaics one week, painting, collage, and even shrinky-dink! It should be fun, I'll let everyone know what we end up doing!

The Kidstreet blog will be updated more frequently now that classes are in full swing, and I think I will start posting ideas for creative projects that everybody - kids, parents, teachers, the dog - can do at home. Because creativity doesn't just happen in classroom!! It's everywhere!

Keep warm!
Alyson

Winter Classes Have Begun

Hello everyone,

Winter session has begun and some classes are still open if you'd like to register your child for the remaining weeks. We also offer School's Out Camps that run from 9-3:30 during selected holidays. (MLK Day still has space!) Can't commit to a class? We have Family Drop-In every Saturday and Family Workshops on selected weekends.

There are some new classes, and I have had the pleasure of beginning one for our youngest students yet: Colored Textures for ages 18 to 30 months. It has been a complete joy to get to know these wee artists as well as the friends and family members who accompany them. In these adult/child classes it is so important that the adults guide the children in their exploration, and they have been doing a really wonderful job of allowing their children to explore and create for themselves. I will be posting photos soon! We have also begun some new classes for teens and starting in Spring we will be offering multiple classes on Friday evenings. If you have a teen that wants a class sooner than the Spring you can start a custom class with 5 or more students.
Call the front desk for more information: 773.769.4226

I am happy to announce that Lillstreet has begun sponsoring a Meetup Group for the Lillstreet and neighborhood community. It is absolutely free to join and we've already scheduled two art playgroups here at Lillstreet for group members. There is a message board where you can post and read threads regarding ways to bring art and creativity into your home. I'm personally very excited about this because I have had such a great experience with my neighborhood's Meetup Group. It really is a wonderful way to connect with other parents with similar interests- I hope you'll join us!

Best wishes,
Melanie
Melanie Brown
Kidstreet Program Director
melanie@lillstreet.com

It's a New Year!

Hello everyone!
This is Alyson Thiel, the new Artist-in-Residence with Kidstreet this year. I'm really excited to be working here, and to meet all of the students and parents!
I can tell you a bit about myself: I'm 23 years old, and I just moved to Chicago from Western Pennsylvania (a country girl!). I have a BFA degree in Studio Art and I'm a painter. I'm planning on going to graduate school next year for Art Therapy. I love chocolate cupcakes, being barefoot (but not in Chicago winters of course!), tea, and being creative!
I have some great ideas for this year, so you should all be really excited. If you want to get in contact with me, just go to the Lillstreet website and click my link!
I'll be around the studios taking photographs, helping out with classes, and basically making everything as creative and wonderful as it can be. I hope to see everyone soon (winter classes are starting up next week)!
Happy New Year everyone!
Alyson

Paint, Song, and Stories

Bobbe and Sue had their very popular"Paint, Song, and Stories" class where process-oriented, messy painting led by Bobbe took place, a story was read to the families, and songs were sung in Spanish and English while Sue played her guitar. One of the parents took wonderful photographs during the class. You can see a few in this post, and the rest on our Flickr site!



Bobbe was remembering this great class, saying...

"I gave the children shaving cream. They chose liquid watercolors, and began to mix the colors and play with the colored shaving cream on paper. One little boy was so involved in the process, he was up to his elbows in shaving cream. Many of the children speak Spanish and one girl described her painting as the "oceano." The final paintings are beautiful, however, this is a project that was focused on tactile exploration."

Hi Everyone!

We're so happy that Kidstreet was able to participate in the Ravenswood Art Walk this weekend.

Below are a few images of young artists and their family members working with various art materials in the studio.






One studio was open to the public to be used as a process-oriented space to play with art materials, and our Yellow Room studio functioned as a work space for kids and caregivers to help create art pieces that will be part of a permanent display on our new cupboards.





Thanks to those of you who contributed part of your afternoon and creative ideas to Lillstreet Art Center!

Quinn

Our Last Week of Camp?? Already?!

It's hard to believe it, but we're nearing the end of our Kidstreet Summer Camp (sniff), but we are very excited about starting a new school year, because that means beginning our new Fall classes at kidstreet!

It's been such a wonderful summer, so good in fact, that this last week was added as an extra camp due to the extremely popular weeks of camp we've had already.

Thanks to all those who joined one week or many weeks of camp this summer. I really hope you enjoyed all the fun projects, dedicated teachers and assisstants, the old friends you re-connected with, and the new friends you made. If you're able to sign up for an after-school class during the year, it would be great to have you all back at Lillstreet again.

Please feel free to look at the newest photos posted on our Flickr site!

...And if you stop by Lillstreet this week, you'll get to see the newest installation piece constructed by Gary and Brian's class (near the water fountain), and the outer space scene made by my class.

Thanks for a SPECTACULAR summer!!! See you in the Fall!

Quinn