Njacko Backo ~ African Voyages Africains (Eng+Fr)
Njacko carries oral traditions (inspirational stories) with him. His life today is governed by the moral teachings animated by Africa’s indigenous wildlife that serves as a gentle and often humorous allegory for human beliefs and behavior. Njacko shares his music kalimba (African piano), ngoni (African harp, West Africa), zaaa koua (African harp, central Africa), and a variety of percussion instruments with his stories of growing up. Children learn to follow the rhythm with body percussion.
Ed Hanley ~Indian Classical Percussion
Ed collaborates with music teachers and grades 4-6 music students learning the language of the tabla, and experimenting with creating their own bols. Virtual lessons focus on vocal sounds and body percussion guided by Ed’s performance on the tabla.
Sandra Iskandar ~ Mindful Drawing (Eng+Fr)
Inspired by artist Barrington Barber’s book, The Art of Mindful Drawing, Sandra teaches two connected skills: drawing techniques and relaxation. Sandra demonstrates, through a series of specially crafted exercises, how drawing is a calm, focused activity that can improve concentration and reduce stress while teaching people to observe and enjoy their urban and natural environment.
Sandra Iskandar ~ SPLASH (Eng+Fr)
This art and architectural design workshop offer eco-literacy and architecture enrichment for students in grades 2 to 8. Students learn to understand that water is not an infinite resource and water conservation is one of the first steps in the right direction to reducing our carbon footprint towards a sustainable future. Through inquiry-based learning, each student becomes their own architect in the design, sketching, and model making of a small 3-dimensional rainwater capture sculpture.
Pria Muzumdar ~ FLOW
Twisted recycled paper, old plastic bags, pencil and marker drawings place students in a creative meditative space. They begin to examine resilience in action with materials, how to adapt practices and gain new skills for stress relief. The art lesson is peaceful yet active and ensures success for all ability levels. The materials are open to individual availability, found or acquired. The resulting work can be formed into a flowing assemblage post-lesson, in classrooms, or at home.
Pria Muzumdar ~ Mindful Microbes
This intriguing pencil and paper “art-geometry” lesson shifts between macro and micro worlds informing students of science in a delightful way. In addition it leads to new, fun-based discussions on important forms of mindfulness in our current times, such as wearing a mask for minding pesky microbes for our social safety! The art lesson examines micro geometries using simple mark making tools such as pencils or markers and any available paper surface. Basic geometric shapes are drawn, cosmic geometry is looked at in its configuration and patterns. We can achieve all this with a slide show and not the aid of a microscope. The unseeable can be made “seeable” and understandable.
Puppetmongers ~ Elegant Puppetry
Creative duo, Ann and David Powell, bring their puppet theatre skills to virtual classrooms where students learn to build their own story theatre, 2D paper puppets, and shadow puppets in black and white or colour. Ann and David work with students to create simple narratives of silly and crazy characters discovering each other on stage.
Piya Sharma ~ The Royal Elephant of India
Students learn about the Indian Elephant (Elephas Maximus Indicus), one of the subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and their impact on society, the environment, and vice versa. We learn about their tusks and the illegal ivory trade. Moreover, we are informed of the recent resurgence of the illegal trade, leading the elephants on the road to extinction. Describing ways in which humans can protect the Indian Elephant, being an endangered species, inculcates the sense of inclusiveness and empathy amongst the students. Piya takes the class on a step by step mixed media art journey building a majestic elephant parade in celebration of their dignity, intelligence and gift to our planet.
Mark Stoddart ~ Believe in Yourself
This unique, creative art project encourages students to create four distinct puzzle pieces of different shapes and sizes to form the shape of the human brain. Based on four emotions (LOVE, EMPATHY, RESILIENCE and FEAR), students convert each word into their own personal visual representation. The intent is to understand how certain events encountered in our lives can easily be altered from negative to positive or vice-versa by simply CHANGING their mindset our outlook on it. Students begin with visage study or portraiture in black and white charcoal until each student has replicated their own remarkable likeness. This graphic art piece becomes our brainchild of self-discovery. What follows is a series of in-depth personal examinations of who we are as individuals, what makes us unique, and what drives us. This is our identity and that includes our diaspora, family, friends, and values. The rest of the puzzle is our portraiture, a makeup of our personal values including our love of home, art, sports, school, peace, harmony, and learning.
Allycia Uccello ~ Hello Charlie!
Allycia Uccello ~ HELLO CHARLIE! is inspired by the story The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse by Charlie Mackesy, where our characters explore unlikely friendships and the simple yet poignant, universal awareness they learn together. The book serves as a guide to living a more simple and better life and there begins the learning impetus guided by the artist and classroom teachers. The zeitgeist so necessary in today’s ever-changing and challenging world is that we are all loved and that just simply being kind is most important above all. Allycia teaches students the basics of drawing and painting in the context of humor and positive messaging. In this case, the students incorporate Charlie’s main characters.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.
“Kind,” said the boy…