Hands-On Activities!
28 May 2010 by Emily Chiodo in Activities
Folks, it’s summertime – and that means it’s time to get the kiddies off the couch or out of the chair. It’s time to loosen that claw-like grip they have around the remote or the game joystick or the mouse and put those hands to more productive, more enriching use.
At Three Rivers Arts Festival, it’s easy to be handy. You and your kids can try your hand at more than a handful of hands-on activities. (You’ve really gotta hand it to me for that one!)
Read on and explore 10 ways to get hands-on at the Festival. To make it really simple, use your digits to count along with me.
This indie crafts marketplace can be spotted throughout the year at various locations. Next stop: Point State Park. Chock full of local artists who craft and create ingenious items for sale, the Market will also have inventive make-and-take crafts projects. Fridays and Saturdays 12-8 pm and Sundays 12-6 pm during the Festival in the Creativity Zone.
2. Community Mandala: Recycled Mandala Art
Thanks to the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh (hi!), artist Paula Purnell and scientist Margaret Zak will lead this group project that puts recyclable materials to good use. The finished product will be an artful community-driven expression. Add your piece! Saturdays 12-8 pm and Sundays 12-6 pm, also in the Creativity Zone.
3. Ceramics, Puppets and Animation
Brought to us by the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, known for connecting art to the community. Watch clay become a masterpiece and doodles on paper come to life using flipbook animation. But the best part is that kids can participate in a puppet-making activity. Hands-on during the process and hands-in during play time. Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5, from 12-8 pm. Sunday, June 6, from 12-6 pm. Creativity Zone.
4. Eco Arcade
Every great Festival needs an Arcade! This one adds to the fun with an awesome eco focus. Classic games need a little skill and a little luck. Pennsylvania Resources Council staff will help gamers play and learn. Fridays and Saturdays 12-8 pm and Sundays 12-6 pm during the Festival in the Creativity Zone.
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. After sorting through buckets o’ fascinating materials discarded at local businesses and organizations, kids can create something brand new and brilliant. This make-and-take activity encourages kids to look at materials in thoughtful and inventive new ways. Open every day during the Festival in the Creativity Zone.
Photo credit: Renee Rosensteel
Local artist Ashley Hodder constructed a vibrant art installation that serves double duty as an educational fishing game. This booth uses re-purposed materials donated by Construction Junction. Cast your line out for swimming water bottle fish and then sort your catch to learn about biodiversity. Hook, line, thinker! Open every day during the Festival in the Creativity Zone.
This is more than hands-on… more like body-on! Participate in an outdoor group Yoga class with qualified instructors from Yoga Is My Health Insurance. Move your body as you get your day moving. Saturdays and Sundays at 10 am in the Creativity Zone.
Another whole-body activity up for grabs is this high-energy dance class focusing on the style and choreography of the Gloved One. Dance Alloy Theater’s Teaching Artist Rodra Burress uses jazz and hip-hop to make this activity a real thriller. Be a dancin’ machine! Saturday, June 12 at 10:30 am in the Trust Arts Education Center.
9. Summer Family Reading Series
The hands-on fun can be found all over the Cultural District. The August Wilson Center for African American Culture kicks off its summer series of family read-alouds. The best part? They’re each followed by an art activity that drives the message home. $5 per child. Preregistration is required. Saturday, June 5 and 12 at noon.
Thanks to the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Art + Technology Initiative, this exhibition of works from our region’s innovative artists and technologists is something to behold. But the human element of technology is what’s at hand here. Several exhibits rely upon human interaction. From manipulating a cube that controls a digital projection to sending tweets and texts used in an installation, it’s hi-tech worth high-fiving about. Every day at the Trust Arts Education Center.
Sure the Festival is a visual arts extravaganza, but what sets this regional event apart is its ability to bring patrons of all ages into the mix with plenty of interactive, tactile opportunities like these.
No one in his or her right mind would want to be left out of the fun!