Nurturing Creativity in Kids
by Zoe Kirsch
Are you a parent seeking out a camp that will enable your child to have fun as well as exercise his or her creativity? Or perhaps you’re a kid looking for a new hobby and just wanting to try something new? Well… you’re all in luck! This island offers many art camps for kids, each one fun, diverse, and unusual in its own way. And whether you’re an islander, a summer resident, or someone visiting Nantucket for a week, it is very likely that these camps will be just the place for you. Here at Yesterday’s Island we decided to take a look at just a few of the camps on Nantucket that nurture the creative spirit.
Only on Nantucket would basket-weaving classes be readily available to kids. And only on Nantucket would these basket-weaving classes be free! Starting on July 9th, the Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum is providing basket-weaving classes for kids from eleven to sixteen years of age. The only prerequisite for the beginner class is that you register and, as Mr. Albert Etoile, Executive Director of the museum, emphasizes, “have interest.”
So, what exactly will new basket weavers learn? Mr. Etoile explains that this unique class “covers the basic components of basket-weaving and teaches how baskets are created. As students progress through the classes, they experience different forms of basketry.” If a kid already has experience with basket weaving, then he may participate in the museum’s experienced classes, for which Mr. Etoile has big plans. “What we’re hoping is that we can develop a program in which some of the more talented and interested students work into an apprentice program in which they’re assigned an experienced basket weaver.”
The Lightship Basket Classes for Youths Program is going strong into its third year. As Mr. Etoile puts it, “we have over thirty alumni students at this point, and the numbers seem to grow every year.” Those who complete their first set of classes at the museum often go back for more, a sure sign that creating a basket is an enjoyable experience. Clearly, the Lightship Basket Museum’s weaving class is an exciting, artsy option.
A fantastic artistic alternative is acting camp. Nantucket Theatre Workshop’s Kids Drama camps are not ordinary acting camps. At these camps, cooperation, as opposed to competition, takes center stage. They are a comfortable place for kids to act, whether it is a child’s first time or her fiftieth. Further increasing the comfort level of participant, camps are organized by age groups. One session is offered for seven to nine-year-olds, one for ten to fifteen-year-olds, and another for ages nine and up. In such a way the kids can spend time with children their age. Moreover, the staff makes an effort to ensure each partaker’s comfort, regardless of his or her acting experience. Ms. Tiffany Page, the professional actress who began this camp, enthuses, “we have a wonderful staff!” This camp provides ample opportunity for children to make new friends, and “fun is high on the priority list,” as Page has stated.
The Theatre Workshop’s Children’s Drama Camps are a place for kids to not only have fun, but also learn acting techniques in a relaxed atmosphere. Page explains that the camps’ methods include “looking at different stories, as well as using theatre, storytelling, and improvisation games. In particular, we’ll be using our bodies and voices, as well as props, to tell stories. Participants will learn to see how theatre happens from the beginning…it starts with a story. Ideally we will work together and, having talked about the characters, create an original script of a well-known tale, for example ‘Little Red Riding Hood’.” In such a way, campers learn about the value of the imagination and the role that it plays in the acting process. What kid wouldn’t love some more chances to let his or her imagination run free?
For the seven to twelve-year-olds on Nantucket who are looking for a fun hobby, why not try out the Sheep to Shore’s Kids camp? Chris Harding, manager of the cozy knitting shop on Sparks Avenue, clarifies exactly what a child can gain long-term from the knitting process: “a lifelong skill, the joy of creating something that they can use for themselves.” There’s no denying how great it feels, having officially earned the rights, to say proudly, “I made it myself!”
Harding describes her camp as “small and intimate.” And this proves to be true. The amount of knitting completed by each child is dependent upon her age and experience level and each participant typically completes a project. The staff of the Sheep to Shore Kids Camp is comprised of competent and patient teachers. Harding describes them as “knitters who have experience with children. They’re mothers and have taught in other school situations.”
The Kids Camp, which was started just last year, has been very popular since it’s opening. Harding elaborates: “We were almost full every week! Because of our space we are limited to eight students. Please come though, we’re bringing the camp back because it was so successful last year.” So if you’re interested, sign up quick!
Finally, for those parents looking for an all-around camp that has a strong arts program…the Murray Camp of Nantucket is the perfect choice. Founded by Mary Murray, an educational psychologist who is very experienced in the areas of teaching, psychology, and organizing children’s camps, the Murray Camp offers children ages four to fourteen everything from sailing to sculpting. The camp, founded in 1989, is indeed a special place. Murray describes that “many children grow up coming, they meet their friends growing up. It becomes quite a social gathering!” Some of the staff even attended the camp as children.
Although Murray Camp isn’t focused on the arts alone, the arts are covered in a well-rounded and inspired way, largely thanks to Laurie Winer, whom Murray describes as a “gifted art educator.” Murray expounds that, “Our arts are very strong because of Laurie”. Winer “develops projects for the kids such as printmaking, watercolor, Nantucket themed art, and fabulous murals!” explained Murray. Moreover, Winer arranges for the oldest age group (the ten to fourteen-year-olds) to meet with island artists like Kerry Hallam and Anne Rose. Murray describes that these artists “give their own history and then teach the kids their medium.” This is a truly fantastic opportunity for campers to learn from real artists close to home.
During our interview, Tiffany Page eloquently summed up the reason to give a Nantucket arts camp a try. ”The arts are always a great opportunity for kids to let loose, play with their imaginations, and try something different”…and we couldn’t have said it better.
If any of these camps have piqued your interest and you want the information required to give a fun-filled art camp a try, then give any of the following numbers a call!
Theatre Workshop Drama Camps: 508-228-8661.
Nantucket Lightship Basket Museum: 508-228-1177.
Sheep to Shore (knitting camp): 508-228-0038
Murray Camp: 508-325-4600
