Forest Arts, an afternoon program
Forest Arts is an after school program starting in March 2024.
Spring is the perfect time for a nature arts class. Spring ushers in creativity possibilities!
Wednesdays 3:30 - 5:00PM. (flexible drop off 3:15-3:30)
Children 5 to 9 years.
3 Spring Series:
March Series--March 13, 20, 27; $75
April Series--April 3, 10, 17, 24; $100
May Series--May 1, 15, 22, 29 (no class May 8); $100
Make-up Day: June 5
$15 nonrefundable registration fee. Plus series cost; includes materials.
Scholarships available through In Place. Contact us to inquire.
We will need a minimum of 4-5 children to run each series. Please feel free to tell your friends.
About Forest Arts
Forest Arts is an environment for playful creativity and relaxation. Most children will be participating in Forest Arts after a long day at school. Child-led activities will be encouraged. Taira is happy to respond to children's spontaneous artistic interests as they come up.
Forest Arts will include:
Visual Art Experiences--an ongoing nature-based art project, such as gelli plate printing, collaging, found treasure sculptures, found treasure print making or nature journaling.
Nature Dance--mindful movement and dance in/with/as Nature.
Creative Writing--poetry, story writing and story telling. Taira's background is in multi-modal Expressive Arts Therapy and Education. Her approach is centered on Life Art Process. Each child can explore new and familiar art modalities--whatever there is interest in.
Our emphasis is on appreciation for and kinship with place. Artistic expressions are considered acts of care and reciprocity. Forest Arts is a program of In Place (new local non-profit) in collaboration with Taira Restar & Emerald Heart Forest School. Scholarships available through In Place.
Practicalities
Readiness
This is a drop-off program. Each of our forest artists has met these milestones in order to feel comfortable and confident in this program:
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Can express wants/needs with words--with other children and with adults.
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Can be away from parent.
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Will follow an adult's guidance and abide by rules.
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Do not wander off.
Readiness is not limited to 5 to 9 age range. Someone might be ready at 4.5. Someone 10 years might feel comfortable and engaged. Please inquire if you have questions. We are happy to discuss. (Note: Generally, this is not a program for preschoolers, though some 'older preschoolers' may be ready to join. We are happy to create a new afternoon program for preschool age children if there is interest. Let us know!)
Snacks & Water
Parents provide water (or water bottle) and snack. We will have extra drinking water and a bit of fruit or raw veggies on hand in case it's needed. Due to food allergies and food preferences, Emerald Heart will not provide snacks for the whole group.
Gear
Because we are outdoors in all weather, including rain, our forest artists dress in appropriate gear. Yes, if it's raining, we will meet. And have fun with Rain Art or Mud Art! . . . However, if there are high winds that are unsafe, we will cancel. (See below)
Make-Up Day June 5
In case we need to cancel due to weather or any other urgent reason throughout the spring, we will offer a make-up day on June 5. If you live in west Marin, you know how stormy our weather has been. In addition to scheduling the make-up day, we are creating a Windy Wednesday Plan B. Please know that we take your child's safety very seriously. Please feel free to let us know if you have any creative ideas for a Windy Wednesday Plan B. For example, perhaps you know of an indoor space that we could use if need be.
Registration, Questions & Your Wild Ideas
To register, complete our REGISTRATION form
Questions? Email our director, Taira.
As we develop new programming and make adjustments to current programming, we would like to hear about your interests, needs and wild ideas! You are invited to fill out our Forest School Programming Survey.