This past weekend HEART ran two workshops at Long River Middle School in Prospect, CT as a part of Minds in Motion, an event offered by the Connecticut Association for the Gifted.
The day boasted many different hands-on workshops that let kids pursue topics they wanted to learn more about, and might not always be offered during the traditional school day.
The HEART workshops, called Save the Planet: Making Art Out of Trash, taught an eager group of 2nd and 3rd graders and a great group of 4th and 5th graders all about pollution, how to reduce the amount of trash we create, how it impacts animals and why it’s our duty to try and keep the planet clean.
The kids gave special attention to thinking about all the items they might use for ten minutes or less like plastic utensils, disposable cups, paper napkins and plastic bags and how they might avoid using these kinds of convenience products in the future. Whether it was reusing the normally one-use objects or getting a reusable bag or water bottle instead, the students had lots of great ideas on reducing their waste.
Once they all understood the issues, HEART instructor Ali Berman invited the kids to combine their creativity with their desire to help the planet by making art out of trash. Using old magazines, packing peanuts, bits of bubble wrap, torn fabric, used greeting cards, scraps of ribbon, cereal boxes and so much more, the kids came up with colorful wonderful art projects that they all took home.
Ali said about the workshops, “The kids had great ideas on how to cut down on the amount of garbage they create. They understood that with over seven billion people on the planet, everyone has to think about what they are throwing out, if it can be recycled, reused, or maybe wasn’t even needed to begin with. I hope these creative and incredible art projects will serve as a reminder that things that might ordinarily be thrown away can live on in unexpected ways.”
Thank you to Minds in Motion for inviting HEART to participate and to all the dedicated volunteers that made it happen.
Now, check out some of pieces of art the students made!
