If you want to know the hottest spot for the 12 and under crowd on a Saturday morning in Chestertown, look no further than RiverArts’ KidSPOT. The KidSPOT center is a creative play and learning center and is open free of charge every Saturday from 9am to noon. KidSPOT also performs community outreach by leading art activities with the Judy Center of Garnett Elementary School each week.
Every Saturday at KidSPOT children and their families have the opportunity to participate in art and learning activities. Each week there are four to six stations where children can explore, play, and create. The theme for February is “Art and Science.” Activities include Kool Aid paintings, door climbers, bird feeders and other activities that are fun and teach a scientific concept at the same time. Stations change frequently, so there is something new to do every week.
Saturday afternoons at KidSPOT feature workshops for children and their families. February’s workshops “Out of the (Sand)Box” have been presented in collaboration with Washington College’s SandBox. On February 7, Jeni Wightman, visiting artist, taught a workshop about mud paintings. Participants learned about how organisms in mud grow and change to create her colorful paintings. Then everyone had a chance to make their own mud painting to take home and watch grow. Additional workshops have been led by Trish Valerio and included making crystal hearts, a trash totem, and will culminate in a scavenger hunt in Chestertown on February 28.
In March, Stephanie Spencer will be our featured workshop artist with “Creative Plaster Masks.” Participants will have the opportunity to make and decorate a plaster mask of their own face. Pre-registration is required for this workshop, which will be held on March 14 & 21.
KidSPOT was founded on a donation by Andy and Leslie Price and continues to be entirely funded by donations. Annual expenses to provide this service to the community top $26,000. Major supporters include Dixon Valve and The Peoples Bank, which both pledged one month of operating expenses. To become a sponsor or to learn more about KidSPOT contact RiverArts at 410-778-6300.
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