Chess Camp is moving along nicely this week. All of my kids have been working hard making their chess pieces. They’ve painted their boards… and today had an extra “push” to get all of their playing pieces constructed. For tomorrow we start painting them all with underglaze!

The yellow papers indicate which pieces they still needed to complete around lunch time!
And by the end of the day, all yellow papers were gone!

So we’re in the middle of Chess Camp, and one of my kids is “struggling” with focus, attention and generally being “able” to make the chess pieces we’ve all been working on. And then all of a sudden out of nowhere, in about 5 minutes, he cranks out this adorable lizard!!! A bit too large for a chess piece, and nothing to do with his theme, but an amazing piece of kid’s sculpture!!!

Let’s just say “the jig is up” and I’m onto his game.
He OBVIOUSLY is “able” to make things… now if he could just focus?!

Today was the first day of Chess Camp. Lots of brainstorming of themes, designing concepts, and then started handbuilding their pieces. Like these adorable little Peasant Pawns!

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CHESS CAMP at LILLSTREET  :  Monday, July 10 – Friday, July 14  :  9:00am-3:30pm

Are your kids looking for a fun Summer Camp for the week after 4th of July??
Well, we will once again tackling thematic Chess Sets with one of my favorite Summer Camps at Lillstreet Art Center. We’ll spend the week making thematic chess sets… handbuilt chess pieces with whatever theme the kids want!!! That’s a LOT of pieces to design & build… all building up to the big climax of actually playing chess with the complete set they’ve designed & built all by themselves! And they get to play with ME!!! How cool is that?!

Click here for more information or to register your kids!!! Only a few spots left!

It was the last day of Wheelthrowing Camp…
and what better way to finish their terra cotta pots than with some decorative splattering?!!! The kids LOVED IT!!!

It’s the third day for my Summer Campers and today they had to “finish up” their stoneware pots. So we did some trimming, some stamping, some adding of handles and colored slip detailing. Never too soon to start stamping, right???

It’s my first week of Summer Camp… and my kids are doing AMAZING!!!
It’s only their second day of camp and they’re already cranking out some wonderful pots!!!
So much fun for them... and for me!!!

Hard to believe that we’re already planning and scheduling Summer Camps!!!
Winter is finally ending, and I’m just looking forward to Spring.
But these adorable kids make me even more excited to see Summer get here!

The following is my schedule for teaching Summer Camps at Lillstreet Art Center.
I work with the older group of kids who constantly amaze, inspire and entertain me.
Summer camp is a wonderful experience for the kids and teachers who work together on all of the wonderful art projects… and good for the parents who get a few hours off! You can stop by the Front Desk at Lillstreet Art Center, call them or register online for Summer Camps. Registration is already open and filling fast. Click here for online information & registration.

Week C, June 19th-23rd – Wheelthrowing – 9:00am-1:00pm
Five days of fun where we start at the very beginning with wedging, centering & throwing. Kids will learn all of the basics, practice everyday and finish with glazing on Friday.

Week F, July 10th-14th – Chess Camp – 9:00am-3:30pm
Kids will make their own complete chess set out of clay in just five short days. Thematic sets are encouraged, no ordinary Kings, Queens & Rooks here! Actual chess experience is not mandatory… we’ll all learn a bit more along the way! Check?

Week H, July 24th-28th – Fire, Forge & Feast  – 9:00am-3:30pm
Admittedly the biggest & most fun camp of the whole Summer!!! But enough about me…
In this camp, the kids get to play with me and my friend Pam who teaches the metalsmithing portions. In the five-day camp, kids will design and create a full dinnerware place setting out of clay and metal. A lot of creative design & brainstorming to come up with their amazing themes. Two days of clay, two days of metals, and a lot of Friday fun finishing place settings and celebrating with a class Potluck Lunch!!!

Week I, July 31st-August 4th – Wheelthrowing  – 9:00am-1:00pm
More mud spinning & flinging as the kids learn how to wheelthrow from beginning to end. From wedging to glazing and every “muddy” step along the way!

Week J, August 7th-11th – Sculptures Big to Small  – 9:00am-3:30pm
In this camp the kids will each build their own sculptures after being inspired during a field trip to the Art Institute of Chicago and Millennium Park. A dash of art history will serve them well as they work on their own large-scale masterpieces!

Week K, August 14th-18th – Handbuilding & Wheelthrowing  – 9:00am-1:00pm
At this point in the summer, many campers have already taken a couple camps. Some of them have already thrown on the wheel, some of them have handbuilt pieces with clay. This week we’re going to do both – working to incorporate all of their skills into their pieces.

Week L, August 21st-25th – Wheelthrowing – 9:00am-1:00pm
My last week of Summer Camp will be another fun week of wheelthrowing. Spinning, centering, wedging and laughing… maybe an occasional joke along the way?! A great way to end my summer camp “tour of duty.”

If you’re interested in sending your kids to Summer Camp at Lillstreet, click here for their website. And then sign the kids up fast…. spaces are filling quickly!!!

It’s a “shame” that kid’s don’t like playing with clay?!!! Ha!!!
WE ALL LOVE SUMMER CAMP!!!

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Sure, teaching weeks of Summer Camp can be rough.
A different group of kids every week. Different ages. Different backgrounds. Different skill sets.
It’s definitely not a job for everyone… but I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again…
I LOVE SUMMER CAMP!!!

So much fun week after week. And the rough times are quickly washed away when your campers are finishing their projects and they drop off a precious little gem like this one! Suddenly my favorite Camper ever!!!… well, at least for that week!

My Summer Camp “Tour of Duty” has officially come to an end. Tomorrow I get back to reality. Special thanks to my camp assistants last week for making my last week of camp so much fun! Sonali & Bella started out as my summer campers years ago… and are now off to college!!! Sure, a hot fudge sundae at Margie’s made it pretty sweet too! And yes, that is TWO things of hot fudge.. don’t judge… our afternoon camp was a rough one!!!