This summer, the Blue Bunny bookstore & toy shop at 577 High Street, Dedham, MA, has many arts & crafts programs and classes for children of all ages. The Blue Bunny is a unique store with children’s books, art supplies, toys, puppets, greeting cards, fine art, creativity workshops for all ages. It is co-owned by children's book author / illustrator Peter Reynolds (Judy Moody series, Stink series, Someday, Best Kid in the World, So Few of Me, Ish, The Dot, The North Star). To register for any programs, call The Blue Bunny at 781-493-6568 or email janet@dedhambluebunny.com.
Dedham Savings Summer Art Workshop Series
All workshops in the series are $10 per child. Call early to register - Space is limited. Some workshops require an addl $5 materials fee.
Wed. July 11th -- Peter H. Reynolds, Creativity Fest. Get inspired by your imagination. Experiment with pencil, watercolor, cutting and pasting, group art, and more. ages 9-12, 10:30 - 12 noon.
Thurs. July 12th -- Peter H. Reynolds, Creativity Fest for Little Artists. You’re never too young to create a great work of art. Experiment with different media and trust your imagination, ages 6-8, 2-3 p.m.
Wed. July 11th -- Gareth Hinds, Comics Workshop. What is a comic and how do you draw one? Start by looking at the differences between comic strips, comic books, storyboards and animation, and begin drawing your own. ages 8-up, 2:30-4 p.m. Bring sketch paper and pencil.
Tues. July 17th -- Shawn Wood, Zany People. 3-D comical sculptural forms, using pipe cleaners and model magic, ages 6-8, 2-3:30 p.m., $5. materials fee.
Wed. July 18th -- Drew Payette, Clay Bead Workshop. Create colorful clay beads for jewelry and other decorative objects, ages 8-11, 2:30 - 4 p.m . $5. materials fee
Sun. July 22nd -- Lisa Houck, Clay Tiles. Carve your own clay tiles. And paint on bisque tiles. Tiles will be kiln-fired. Ages 8-up, 2-3:30 p.m. $5. materials fee
Sun. July 22nd -- Lisa Houck, Printmaking. Carve your own linoleum block and experiment with printing methods. A very soft safe linoleum will be used. Ages 8-up, 4-5:30 p.m. $5. materials fee.
Thurs. July 26th -- Drew Payette, Recycled Art Creations. Go “green” while making some incredible works of art with found materials, ages 7-10, 2:30-4 p.m.
Tues. July 31st -- Shawn Wood, Oil Pastels a la Matisse, using live goldfish as inspiration to explore color, pattern, and simple forms, ages 6-8, 10:30 to noon.
Thurs. Aug. 9th -- Peter H. Reynolds, Learn to draw Judy Moody and Stink, and other simple characters. Experiment with pencil, watercolor and crayons. ages 7-10, 10:30 -11:30 a.m.
Thurs. Aug. 9th -- Peter H. Reynolds, Learn some easy forms of character drawing, and watch the simplest type of computer animation. Let your imagination soar. Ages 9-12, 2-3:30 p.m.
Ongoing summer programs for children
Story-Times for Preschoolers / Ages 2-5
The Blue Bunny offers a 6 week drop-in storytime program on Monday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Several books will be read and a simple craft will be offered each week, most appropriate for children ages 2-5. Mondays beginning July 2nd. Free. (dates: July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd, and 30th, August 6th.)
Crafty Kids Art Classes with Drew Payette / Ages 4-6
A 4-wk arts program taught by Drew Payette on Friday mornings from 10:30 til 11:30, beginning July 13th. Various media and materials will be used to create age-appropriate works of art, including mobiles, nature rubbings, and recycled art sculptures. Materials provided. $85. (dates: July 13, 20, and 27, Aug 3).
Summer Art Classes for Children with Shawn Wood / Ages 9-up
Moving Beyond Stick Figures, ages 9-up, 5 week session, Tuesdays June 26th-July 24th, 10:30-12 noon. $150 /student. Children will learn how to represent the figure realistically, learning about gesture, proportion and expression. Fun 2-D and 3-D projects
Animal Exploration / ages 7-10
5 weeks, Thursdays, June 28th-July 26th, 10:30 - 12 noon, $150/student. Children will design colorful fish mobiles, model with 3-D clay, make aboriginal bark paintings, monoprint with styrofoam, and create with oil pastels.
Figure Drawing with Gareth Hinds / Ages 12-up
Working from a live model (clothed) we’ll cover basic approaches such as quick gesture, contour, negative space and ways to represent volume, weight and motion. Ages 12-up. Wed. Aug. 15th, 2-4 p.m. $30 includes materials.
Young Readers Book Club / Ages 7-9
We have been asked to sponsor a book club for early readers, aged 7-9 (entering 2nd or 3rd grades). Meeting dates will be Tuesdays July 10, July 24th, and August 7th, from 3-4 p.m. $30 includes all 3 books, snacks, and other materials. Space limited. Sign up now! Book choices to be announced soon.
“All about Me” Arts Exploration Week with Drew Payette / Ages 10-14
A fantastic week of art based on self-exploration for kids ages 10-14. Spend 2 hours each morning exploring your special interests and talents, and creating works of art and sculpture to celebrate your own uniqueness. Self-expressive projects may include mobiles, personal shrines, creative journals and collages. $130. includes materials. Monday thru Thurs., August 13-16, 10 a.m. til noon.
Installation Making / Ages 13-up
Planning, building and dismantling a temporary public sculpture in Dedham Square, with Drew Payette.
This one-of-a-kind experience for kids ages 13-up will take them through an exploration of what a sculptural “installation” is, and let them brainstorm and problem-solve the creation of one right here in Dedham Square. This is a 3-part series. Friday, Aug. 10th, 10 a.m. til noon to learn and plan; Friday August 17th, 10 a.m. til mid-afternoon to build; and the last class to dismantle (yes that’s part of the fun), date to be announced . Sculpture will stay on exhibit for a week or two. $100, plus est. materials fee of $20.
Great kids craft website and email newsletter..... if your kids like arts & crafts, try this one out!
