Art-tastic! Painting

From our planning session, we discovered that the group had lots of ideas for painting activities, so we devoted this week's meeting to painting! 

We started with set up and our usual opening ceremony. Once all the tables were set up and covered, we introduced the five activities for the evening:

• Painting on Canvas - We provided stretched 5" x 7" canvases, acrylic paints and brushes or all different shapes and sizes. Canvases were 2 for $1 at the dollar store and paints and brushes were from our Unit supply.
• Watercolours - We used the 3 watercolour paint sets in our paint box and provided blank card stock as a base. This is better able to handle the water than regular paper.
• Splat Painting - Girls were provided with cardstock, cotton balls and small amounts of washable paints in small tart pans. Although the suggestion had been splat painting, most of the girls used the cotton balls to dab and smear paint when creating their designs.
• Finger Painting - This was a request we hadn't expected, but were able to provide washable paints and glossy paper for this activity.
• Tile Painting - We did this activity earlier in the year and it was popular. Tiles were from the Habitat Reuse Store and we used the same acrylic paints and brushes provided for painting on canvas.

Girls were able to choose what they wanted to work on and spend as much or as little time on each piece of art as they wished. Some did only one or two activities, while others tried out everything.
There was lots of clean-up from this meeting, but we had allowed 30 minutes for clean-up and closing - and it was needed! We ended with reminders for next week and closed with Taps.

Art-tastic!

Tonight we took part in our third Girls First activity by getting creative. The activities were all centered around visual arts and we were able to pick and choose which ones to take part in. Some of our feedback included the mess factor on certain activities, the cost of materials for others, and how much our girls enjoyed the activities they did take part in!

We opened with our usual ceremony followed by an active game. Three stations were set up, and the girls were able to choose which they wanted to work on, and the order they would try the activities. Most girls completed all three projects, while a few chose to focus on only one or two.

Activity A - Salty Art
Here the girls painted with watercolours, then sprinkled salt on top of the wet paint. When the paint dries, the salt is brushed off leaving unique patterns on the page. 

Activity B - Fabric Art
For this activity, each girl had a white canvas bag and free reign over a variety of craft supplies. We provided felt, pompoms, ribbon, cloth and felt flowers, feathers, twigs, and appliques. 

Activity C - Tape Painting
Each girl had a flat canvas to work with and a supply of masking tape and paint. First, they had to create a pattern or design on the canvas using the masking tape, then the areas of canvas still showing were painted. When the paint dried, the tape was removed to reveal a pattern in white amongst the colour.

We ended with evaluating the activities, reminders for next week and Taps. 

Arts in the Outdoors

This week we took advantage of the good weather to explore the arts in the outdoors. As the girls arrived, they played tag in the hall.

We started out by having another go at forming a horseshoe - much better this time! The girls who went to Fall Frolic on the weekend then shared what they enjoyed about the event, and the Guiders explained the plan for the evening. Outside, the Guides had a choice of a variety of different activities:

Leaf & Bark Rubbings
We provided paper and crayons and let the girls explore the different textures found in nature - leaves, bark, acorns, stones, etc.

Sketching
This was the most popular activity! We had pre-cut paper from a sketch pad into quarters and provided sharpened pencils, erasers, and clipboards as the girls went out to draw what they could see in nature.




Watercolour Painting
Painting proved a hit and we have some talented painters in our Unit! We pre-cut white cardstock into quarters and provided watercolour palettes, water, brushes and clipboards for the girls to create nature-inspired paintings.

Drama & Dance
For those girls looking for a more active way to express their creativity, we offered the option of creating nature inspired dances, using creative movement to recreate nature, or

Music & Creative Writing
Three groups wrote original songs about nature and one girl wrote a poem - and all were brave enough to perform them for the Unit!

Shortly before 8pm, we cleaned up and moved back indoors. One of the Guides led a game of Blob Tag and then the girls had an opportunity to share what they had been working on. We have some talented artists, singers, songwriters and poets!


To end the meeting, we learned two songs - Five Green and Speckled Frogs and Land of the Silver Birch - before closing with Taps.