What to do!

1. Attach the two branches together to form an "X" by tying them with some string.

2. Paint the branches any way you like. This is the top of your wind chime. You may want to decorate it by gluing some objects like leaves, pinecones, buttons or beads.

3. Cut some of the string, wire, fishing line, etc. into various lengths. Tie a knot at the end of each one.

4. Attach all of the things you've collected (metal, beads or objects from nature) by threading them or tying them to the strings.

5. Once you've made all the strands you want, you'll need to attach them to the branches.

6. Make a small loop out of string where you tied the branches together. You can hang your wind chime from this when you're done, but it will also make attaching strands easier. Find a temporary spot to hang the branches, that you can easily reach.

7. Tie all strands you made to different parts of the branches. If one side starts to get too heavy, you may have to keep moving the strings to make it hang evenly.

8. When you're happy with how your wind chime looks, find a spot to hang it. On the next windy day, make sure you've got your wind chime out for everyone to enjoy!

Provided by Jenny Soden

Artist's Corner

Self Portrait
by Jordan Jenah, age 10

If you are a student at the school and would like to submit your work to Splash Puddles see Liana in the office.

Managing Editor of
Splash!
Liana Del Mastro Vicente

If there's something creative to do, Baye Galligan is up for the challenge. This Grade 6 student of Gordon A. Brown's Gifted Program, admits that she loves doing things that have an imaginative element to them. The science she is currently studying at school is a perfect example of this love for exercising her creative side. "I'm creating and building objects with electric circuits and also room alarms that play music when you open the door. I need this alarm because my 9 1/2 year old brother likes to go in my room," explains the 11 year old Baye. She may even like to try her hand at the Robotics course, here at the Avenue Road Arts School.

Baye enjoys her art courses at her regular school - children can explore a different medium every term, like visual art, drama and dance. However, she doesn't feel that they're as advanced as the art she does here at the Arts School. She has taken many courses at the School since she was 7 years old - pottery and several drawing and painting courses. Currently, Baye is taking Drawing and Painting with instructor Linda Prussick. "I like the freedom in Linda's class of drawing with proportions off - it doesn't have to look like the thing you're drawing." Linda equally enjoys having Baye as a student in her class. "I've known Baye for three years now. Watching her artistic development has been quite a delight. She's mature, focussed and always willing to volunteer information and opinions during the class," says the proud instructor, Linda Prussick.

Although Baye feels she's never at a loss for subject matter - "I look around the room and look for things that will set-off a thought of something to draw." Her favorite subject matter is cats. One of her art pieces, a cat she drew with pastels, was even in the school brochure one year. She appreciates the dedication that must go into making art. "I draw cats a lot, so I'm getting good at them," says an enthusiastic Baye. But Baye also wants to continue to challenge herself. She loves drawing things through glass, like flowers in a glass vase or reflections through glass. It allows the artist to see things through a different perspective.

Baye enjoys drawing at home and also uses art programs on her computer. She traces her artistic talents to her mother, who does watercolour and acrylic painting. While visual art is definitely a focus in her life she enjoys swimming and skiing - taking synchronized swimming lessons during the week and skiing lessons on the weekends. She may even start piano lessons soon. Her hobbies include playing Nintendo 64, reading fantasy stories "that could be real" and watching The Simpsons and Frasier.

What are Baye's long term goals? Well, this delightful young lady thinks she would like to be an artist and a photographer and is taking the right steps to achieving these goals. She has started keeping a portfolio of her art work and plans to continue taking art classes. Baye also has her own camera and has started taking photos of settings and landscapes. She would love to pursue an academic career at Notre Dame University in Indiana. For now, however, she is content with her current schools and looks forward to doing art, archery, sailing and swimming this summer, for a month, at Camp Mi-a-kon-da.

Don't Be Afraid to Try!

Maybe you've always wanted to take a drawing class but think that you couldn't possibly draw the person's face that the instructor might ask you to draw. Maybe you dream of being able to create a sculpture of your cat but feel you're too clumsy to work on such detailed work. Or maybe you've always thought it would be fun to take a drama class but were afraid people might laugh at you if you said something silly.

Trying something new, like an art class, can sometimes leave you with all kinds of feelings - happiness, fear, excitement, disappointment and sometimes even anger. So why do people keep trying things that they're not so sure that their good at?

Well, one explanation has to do with what makes us happy. You may have noticed that when you try doing something that you thought would be hard, you get a really good feeling. When we challenge ourselves, we learn more and more about ourselves. By learning more about ourselves, we learn to appreciate our own talents, as well as the talents of others.

Imagine the thrill of creating a character and playing that character, on stage, alongside the cast of characters you've rehearsed with for weeks. Imagine the excitement of putting the finishing touches on a sculpture that you created with your own hands. And just think of the exhilarating feeling of drawing a person's face that looks back at you with such lively expression.

So, don't be afraid to try - take an art class you've never imagined taking before - ham it up on stage or simply create something you've never thought of making before. Even if at first it doesn't turn out exactly as you wanted it to, keep trying! You'll be surprised at what you're capable of. You'll feel a real sense of accomplishment and you'll be amazed at what you will learn about yourself.