7/10/2013

Paying It Forward

I'm a true believer in giving a little.  Whether it is knowledge, skills, resources, or cash, each and every one of us has the ability to give something positive to those around us.  We all have moments of difficulty. Some of those moments last longer than others.  For some people, the brick wall of difficulty seems very hard to knock down.  And sometimes, all it takes is a few people to join forces and knock down the barrier to success.

A few days ago, I received a message from an old online friend, outlining her situation. Lori has helped me several times over the years, sharing her teaching knowledge so I can become a better educator.  Life has sent her a few knockbacks, but she is fighting back.

If you have benefited from my blog over the years, from the information provided here, or just enjoyed reading the posts, I ask you to take time to read about Lori and her son, and think about donating even just a dollar to her dream.  I believe she will pay it forward, as you are doing right now.  She is halfway to her goal, but has a very short time to reach it.

http://www.gofundme.com/3i2ud0

7/07/2013

[July 2013] Art workshops for children, in English, at Parents' Place in Neihu



Parents' Place is a family community center run by Angie Chang, a Canadian living in Taiwan with her three children. Angie started Parents' Place as a place where English-speaking families can meet and share experiences, as well as letting their children meet other kids in similar situations. We have children who are homeschooled, children attending local public school, children attending international schools, babies, toddlers, and children up to Junior High School age, all coming along to events.

We are excited to offer four workshops over summer! Dates: July 15th (Monday) and July 17th (Wednesday). July 22nd (Monday) and July 24th (Wednesday). Dates are tentative based on securing six students. Please sign up for the first workshop by Thursday, July 11th.

Each workshop will run for three hours, from 2pm until 5pm.

All workshops are suitable for children four (4) years and older. Workshops are all in English.

Cost is NTD1,000 per workshop. There will also be a NTD50-100 fee to cover materials each workshop.

The four workshops are independent, so you can come to one or all workshops.

Minimum of six (6) sign ups are needed to offer the workshop. Payment can be made on the day, but prepayment at Parents' Place is preferable. The teacher (Sunghee Min) is running these on good faith, so please make sure you will come to the workshop and pay before signing up.

To sign up, either email Sunghee at sungheemin@yahoo.com, send us a message on Parents' Place's FB page, or email me (Katrina) at kbtaiwan@gmail.com. Please leave a way to contact you (email/tel.)

Workshop One (Monday July 15th):

Clay modeling of a portrait head: Building an armature (inside structure to support the clay outside) using cardboard, straws, newspapers, and masking tape.

Brief picture introduction to works by professionals.
Quick demonstration of different clay tools.
Draw/write/sketch what you want finished work to look like.
Learn about basic facial anatomy.
Hollowing out the finished work and drying.


Workshop Two (Wednesday July 17th):

Clay carving and vessel building: Building containers using clay that is hard enough to hold up forms without supporting structures.
Kids will carve, engrave, make holes, stick nails, etc to finish the surface.

Workshop Three (Monday July 22nd):

Acrylic Painting on canvas: Introduction to Pointillism and the painter Georges Seurat.
Black and white drawing or painting on paper.
Discussion and planning of project for workshop 4.

Workshop Four (Wednesday July 24th):

Collaborative installation using recycled material: This will be a fun, open-possibility project.

About the teacher:
Sunghee Min is an established artist and sculptor with experience in teaching both in college and with her own children at home. To read a bit more about her and to see some of her work, go to: http://www.sungheemin.com/

About Parents' Place:
An activity center for kids, parents and parents-to-be.
2F, No. 315, Section 4, ChenGong Rd, Neihu District, 台北市內湖區成功路四段315號2F, Taipei, Taiwan 114
http://www.parentsplace.com.tw