Harwood Summer Arts Camp

The Escuela del Sol/Harwood Summer Art Camp for Kids is the perfect answer to the perennial question, “What are you doing this summer?” In its fifth year, the Harwood Art Center’s Summer Arts Camp is a unique opportunity for children to explore the arts in a creative, supportive, community-oriented setting. Kids work on individual and collaborative pro-jects, taught by some of our com-munity’s finest artists, musicians, dancers and actors. All the teach-ers have creative, professional lives, and extensive experience with children as well.

Summer Arts Camp 2000 offers some of last year’s favorite classes and a host of new activities as well. We’re excited to welcome back Isiah Vigil with Capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian art form that com-bines music, movement and philo-sophy in a lively game; Rebecca Tompkins with Cities, Houses and Homes, a multimedia, visual arts class focusing on architecture as a starting point for creating two- and three-dimensional artwork; and Sonya Hunting Horse, present-ing her Beaded Bowguards class, providing children an opportunity to create beaded objects while developing an appreciation of Plains history and Kiowa culture.

Some of our new classes include “Banyana” with Teresa Ogle, a class teaching South Afri-can culture and a multi-cultural approach to traditional New Mex-ican arts and crafts with teacher Cristina Clarimon-Blanco.

Camp is designed to provide a secure, creative environment where children can enjoy their summer while learning valuable skills and cultivating the ability to express themselves in numerous ways through the arts.

Schedules are created by camp staff to provide a broad range of experiences and a variety of classes in each session. Harwood Summer Arts Camp is for kids ages 6-12. Sessions are two weeks long, beginning June 5 and run-ning consecutively through July 28. Campers can sign up for individual sessions or the whole summer. Full- and half-day sessions are available, as is before and after-care.

Camp activities take place on the grounds of the Harwood Art Center at 1114 7th Street NW at the corner of 7th and Mountain. There is an open house scheduled for Saturday, June 3rd, from 1-3 p.m. in the Harwood cafeteria. Anyone interested is invited to come and meet the teachers, counselors and John Toomey, Camp Director. For more information or to receive a brochure and registration form, call 242-6367.

Explora And Family Focus Center Team Up

Explora’s learning camps are the talk of the town! Explora has wonderful teachers facilitating interactive, interdisciplinary, multisensory, classes for children ages 4-12 years old. Coordinator Peggy Lopez has designed and developed Explora’s learning camps to meet the needs of children and families in many unique and interesting ways. Professional teachers, artists, scientists, and early childhood educators, who know and understand HOW children learn, facilitate these full-day camps.

There will be nine full weeks of learning fun at TWO locations! Register for one, two, three weeks or more! This summer, Explora will be teaming up with the Family Focus Center, a private, not-for-profit community center located on the Zia Elementary School campus. Both locations will have dynamic programs, special presenters, knowledgeable, friendly instructors, and museum experiences. The Family Focus Center will provide recrea-tional programs to choose from, as well as some of the programs offered at the Explora site. There will be programs in science, art, music, theater, culinary experiences, geography, math, literature, rocket building, puppetry, car-tooning, and more!

The camps have many extras for the kids and the parents, too! If you need before and aftercare, you can bring the kids in as early as 7:30 a.m. and pick them up at 5:15 p.m. You provide the lunch, we provide two snacks a day, learning, fun, games, and prizes!

Join us this summer at the Family Focus Center or Explora!

Call 842-1537 Ext.10 for a brochure and to register.
Classes fill up fast, so register early! Scholar-ships are available.
Apply through your school counselor or class-room teacher.

School Partner News

Gardening In Schools Project Needs Tools

by Joanie Quinn
Attention, all gardeners and farmers! Alvarado Elementary School (one of the Co-op’s school partners) is launching an ambitious gardening-in-the-school project at Rio Grande Community Farm, which is adjacent to the school.

We need all kinds of garden tools — shovels, rakes, trowels, hoes, spading forks, etc.

We are look-ing for both full-size and kid-size tools. If you have old tools that are still in good condition, or would like to contribute a new tool, please bring it to the Information Desk at either Co-op location and we will get it out to the school.