The children and teens visiting Studio Arc this spring had the opportunity to explore a variety of activities and develop new skills in classes that were offered to families at no cost thanks to a generous grant from the Partnership for Children of Essex.

For the youngest participants, the bimonthly Communi-Play classes for ages 2.5 to 5 continued through the spring, with the addition of family art classes once a month. During each Communi-Play session, children gained confidence as they practiced communication and conversation skills such as listening, eye contact, body language, and gestures. The family art classes that followed would dovetail on the lessons learned through making puppets and creating other expressive art together.

For children ages 6 to 12, the introduction of Animal Yoga classes taught simple animal and nature poses to stretch, move, and calm bodies and minds. Tumble Ninjas were dynamic classes that combined different elements of circus yoga, mixed martial arts, and kickboxing to help build strength, stamina, and spirit as children stretched, moved, and jumped through fun obstacle courses together.

For teens ages 13 to 20, the Studio Arc Jam Band was a chance to gather together and experiment with different rhythms, grooves, rock genres, and chord patterns on Saturdays. Whether they came in with musical experience or not, participants explored improvisational music while creating musical vibes with fellow band members. A three-part Intermediate Mosaics Class was also offered in June, where teen artists created beautiful mosaic bird houses.

To close out the season, a Painting Party on June 29 was a chance to celebrate the start of summer while exploring color with peers. Children met in the morning and teens in the afternoon, where they stretched their creativity and created masterpieces together.

The Arc of Essex County thanks the Partnership for Children of Essex for the support that allowed each of these classes to be offered to families at no cost.

Studio Arc provides visitors with opportunities to engage in a wide range of visual and creative arts classes, including children and teen classes such as puppet making, block printing, and jewelry making. If you are interested in learning more about the exciting and fun activities offered at Studio Arc, contact Director of Day Services Creative Programming Angela LoSapio at (973)535-1181 ext. 1231 or alosapio@arcessex.org.