On Thursday, May 23^rd, the staff and children in the After School Program at Plum Tree Park Public School celebrated a year’s worth of art and creativity with an end of year “art gallery”. The show, titled “A Journey to Remember…In the Garden of Goodness” gave the children the opportunity to share with their parents the creative projects they had been working on throughout the school year, under the guidance of PLASP program staff.

“This was an event the staff and I had been looking forward to and preparing for since September,” said Chris O’Connor, Program Director for the PLASP program at Plum Tree Park. “The last two art galleries that we had in the previous years were also a hit with the PLASP children, parents and staff, so it was something that we were definitely looking forward to creating with the children again this year.”

Arts and crafts are an important component to the PLASP programs, operating out of more than 200 schools across Peel Region and west of Toronto. Children in the PLASP programs are encouraged to choose and plan their own activities, and for the children at Plum Tree Park, arts and crafts are something that the children clearly enjoy, while experiencing the benefits that come with it.

Consider this quote from the Visual Arts Centre, based out of Montreal:

“Art education stimulates and develops the imagination. It refines cognitive, creative and critical thinking skills. It strengthens problem-solving. Arts education heightens children’s self-esteem; it makes them feel good about what they have to say and how they say it. It increases the motivation to learn, and also creates cultural and historical awareness…Very importantly, children develop the ability to imagine what might be instead of only what is.”

The Mississauga News, who covered the event, said about the event: “The show presented a full slate of work to demonstrate where imagination can take the young artist. Everything from huge fire-breathing dragons to images of dainty cherry blossoms festooned the walls.”

The name of the show, “A Journey to Remember…In the Garden of Goodness” was a reflection on the creative process that brought the staff and children to this day. “The truth is, the magic of the event was the journey together as a community leading up to the event," said Chris, as he reflected on the day and the amount of work his group had invested. “The day of the art gallery was really an expression of everything leading up to this day.”

We’d love to know about the arts and creative resources that have been made available to your children in the PLASP program. What creative piece of art have they brought home to you that has impressed you as a PLASP parent?