An Interactive Exploration of The St. Johns River
Through the generous sponsorship of PNC Bank, CAP partnered with the Museum of Science and History on Saturday, November 16 for our first-ever CAP Family Day at MOSH! Guided by the book Helping on the St. Johns River by Natalie Rompella, through activities like storytelling, acting, making music and creating visual art, local pre-K students and CAP families enjoyed an arts-integrated celebration and exploration of science, nature and the St. Johns River.
Participants used tactile art processes to create their own watercolor backgrounds and fish prints for their creations.
Children and their grown-ups could choose to attend up to four interactive education sessions blending science and the arts:
- Participants created hyper-realistic fish prints based on the Japanese Gyotaku printing tradition in a session led by Lindsay Bowyer, CAP Teaching Artist Fellow in Visual Arts. Little artists used tactile art processes to create their own watercolor backgrounds for their creations.
- Chelsye Ginn, CAP Teaching Artist Fellow in Theatre, used Helping on the St. Johns River and a touch of imagination to lead participants down the river and learn about the importance of caring for creatures that inhabit it.
- Attendees got a chance to play interactive instruments to recreate songs about their favorite underwater sea creatures with Sarah Morrell, CAP Teaching Artist Fellow in Music. In addition, musical concepts such as pitch, tempo and articulation were integrated into a movement-focused musical activity to get participants on their feet.
- Kennedy Center Teaching Artist Stuart Stotts led a Story Theatre session which let children discover new ways to bring stories to life using their voices, bodies and imagination, weaving together storytelling basics with creative expression. Stotts is an author, storyteller, educator, and songwriter who has sung with and performed for kids and families in schools, libraries and community settings around the world since 1984.
Special thanks to DCPS, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, Kids Hope Alliance, PNC Foundation and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for making this event possible.
View more photos on Flickr and Facebook.
The next CAP Family Day is on January 25 at the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens! The event is free and open to the public. Enter your information below to receive an e-mail when registration opens.
