Join the FCCA and BNML for the second part of our Summer and After School Experience!  This season we offer two great programs after school for teens and elementary kids!  

Space limited, register soon!

Designs in Nature Camp
Wednesdays, 3-5 pm @ BNML
Ages 5-10
Kurt Valenta (Exordium Adventure) will encourage the curious mind to explore in an environment that is safe, supportive, cooperative and productive. Through student interaction, imaginative play and participative learning, Kurt’s 6-week session allows kids to study nature’s designs. Participants will view intricate designs of nature and discover how these forms contribute to the organism’s chances of survival. Designs in Nature will focus on the core subject and theme of science and environmental literacy while teaching the 21st century skills of reasoning effectively, making judgments and decisions, and using systems thinking. Kurt will also work to expose kids to the environment right around them – solidifying their role as stewards of their community.
Open to 16 students, $15/class, or $75 for all 6 classes.
Questions?  Contact Kristen at bentnorthrop@gmail.com or 827.3945
    * Wednesday, September 28th: Beaver Dam & Lodge Building Part 1 - An in-depth look at the techniques and materials used by beavers in the construction of their dams and lodges. Participants will construct table-top models of dams or lodges using natural materials and homemade clay.
    * Wednesday, October 5th: Beaver Dam & Lodge Building Part 2 - Going out into the field and building a dam across a local stream to investigate materials and techniques a beaver would use to control water flow.
    * Wednesday, October 19th:  Spider Webs - The how's, why's and when's of the spider's handiwork culminating in a human-sized web for all to see.
    * Wednesday, October 26th: Bird Nests  - Temporary Homes Built for a Single purpose. We will look at the wide variety of designs in nests whether on the ground or in the trees and investigate how their design speaks to the function of egg laying and rearing the young.
    * Wednesday, November 2nd: Bees & Wasps and Their Functional Abodes - Materials, criteria and the function they are built for as we look at the different designs of homes in the world of bees and wasps
    * Wednesday, November 9th: Humans and Their Environment - How do we use our environment to design for our needs? A look at what we are doing to answer our own needs of shelter for our own families.


Art on the Brain
Thursdays, 3:30-5:30 pm in the FCS Common School Art Room
Students 4th-8th grades
Beginning September 29th with Jamie Bedard
Art on the Brain is a 6-week program designed specifically for 4th-8th graders who’d like to grow creatively and explore their place in the world through the visual arts.
Creativity is central to the human experience and enriches every aspect of life. The ability to express one's ideas in a multi-dimensional way is an essential life skill. This course is designed to expose teens to different mediums from which they may express themselves in a supportive environment, and reflect on issues that touch their lives. Two- and three-dimensional methods will be addressed, using both fine art mediums and found
objects. Our Art classes will stimulate awareness and observation, emphasize building confidence and encourage self-expression. They’ll also be fun!
Open to 16 students, $15/class, or $75 for all 6 classes.
Questions? Contact Nance at  sweetrosetta@mac.com or 827.3130
    * Thursday, September 29. Handmade Books ~ students will design and create their own private art journals using interesting papers, construction processes and ancient bindery methods. These journals will serve as sketch books for written observations and creative ideas.
    * Thursday, October 6. Soft-cut linoleum block printmaking ~ students will explore line, form, and composition using printmaking materials and techniques to create designs for stunning personalized notecards.
    * Thursday, October 13. Portraits in Acrylic ~ Who am I? Who are you? Participants will create representational portraits in both teams and individually, using drawing and painting techniques, and then work on imaginative paintings in acrylic of their “dream masks.”
    * Wednesday, October 19. Fabric Landscape Collage ~ Students will work with colorful fabric to create personal collages in landscape form of their environments, neighborhoods and rural villages.
    * Thursday, October 27. Scrap-booking, personal experience ~ Starting with a meaningful photograph which students will be asked to provide, teens will let their imaginations run wild as they develop a personal reflection of a particularly significant experience in this popular form of collage-crafting.
    * Thursday, November 3. In our final class, students will choose a couple of their favorite pieces, and work collaboratively to hang their exhibit at The Bent Northrop Memorial Library. We’ll host an “open house” from 4:00-5:00 for parents and friends, with a chance to talk with the artists about their work. Refreshments will be served.