Over the course of five weeks the Reds (the Core Afterschool group for children 4s -1^st grade) experimented and explored various artistic skills such as paper manipulation, collage and sculpture.

Starting with shapes and lines we used colored pencils to simply explore basic concepts we would use for more in depth activities in the later weeks.

Moving on to paper manipulation we learned about the different ways we can fold, cut and tear paper in order to create different shapes that are 2D and 3D. From there we worked on collages that brought elements of the line and shape drawings and the paper manipulations.

Next we used cardboard and the paper manipulations to make 3D collages.

Lastly we used pipe cleaners to create 3D sculpture that existed beyond paper and the kids could really hold and interact with their artwork.

On the last two Cooking Mondays (11/1, 11/8), the Reds enjoyed making a classic Italian-American dish, gnocchi and marinara sauce.  The first week we chopped up vegetables, mixed and cooked down the sauce.  The second week we made home made gnocchi mixing the potatoes, egg and flour.  After mixing the ingredients the kids kneaded the dough, rolled it out and cut it up.  The kids loved watching the gnocchi float to the top of the boiling water.  We all really enjoyed eating our homemade creation!