The Early Years Arts Festival had a fantastic turnout this past weekend. By the end of the event, more than 200 people came out to enjoy the activities and stations. The Kenora Catholic District School Board hosted the event for the entire community to enjoy at no cost.
Marnie Buffett is Kenora Catholic’s Early Years Coordinator and organized the festival. She spoke about what the event entails.
“The first floor of Pope John Paul II School including the entire gym is filled with different arts stations. Each encounter is designed to promote exploration, discovery and joy across the areas of dance, drama, music and the visual arts,” she said. “The stations are designed so that each child can enter the experience with their own unique talents and abilities. Families can stay at each area for as little or as long as they would like. We saw some families last year discover a station at the outset of the event and remain there until the end of the festival whereas others enjoyed getting the chance to try everything.”
The event allowed children to let their creativity flow, moving from station to station at their own pace with no time restraints or pressures.
Naomi Noack-Ximone, a kid at the event, tells us why she loved the marble painting station, “Because you get to be really messy.”
There were all sorts of activities and stations for many different interests, including a cardboard creation station which was a big hit with the kids as they got to build and create whatever they wanted from dozens of giant cardboard boxes donated by Dufresne’s.
Other stations included a green screen, edible art, spray painting, marble painting, Lego, drumming and more. St. Thomas Aquinas teachers Eric Harty and Jordan Dunford played live music in the foyer of the school that kids were joyfully dancing along to. There was also a free family photo taken by Lynsey Jordanna Photography.
“I heard it was going to be a fun event, lots of stuff going on and wanted to get the kids out and have some fun,” says Dad Taylor Cardy. “It helps build their social skills and their creativity skills.”
Erika Olson, one of the artists, explains why she enjoys the event.
“I love working with kids and I love art,” she said. “I did a very similar activity last year, I'm doing fairy houses and gnome homes. What I like about it is that it’s multimedia and kids can work on these for as long as they want.”
This is the third year Kenora Catholic has hosted the Early Years Arts Festival.