Budding Artist in the Home

The Cause

Children First Society operates an Early Learning and Care Centre in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. Pre-COVID19 we offered an extensive outreach program for all children 0-12 years of age and their families. As the pandemic started, we closed all our in-house programs and started looking at ways to offer enhance services in the community. We offered our Kids in the Kitchen in the Home with great success.
We have slowly started implementing other programs. Now we are in the process of looking at our Arts project and how to offer it in the home/community, and in a COVID safe manner. We have collaborated with various community partners to reach as many families as possible. Our Next “pay it forward” idea is an art program for children.
Budding Artists in the Home will be an art program children can participate in from their home. This will give families, that are spending more time at home, an array of materials and ideas to have fun and learn together. With the shut down of most community facilities having some activities and materials to participate in is important. Inuvik’s winters are cold and dark, spending days on end inside with little ones can be challenging. This project will give families something to look forward to every second week.
Participants can sign themselves up or can be referred. Once registrations are received items will be ordered, organized and prepared for delivery. Delivery will happen across two days. Supplies and activity ideas will be delivered to homes in Inuvik Monthly. This will include all necessary materials to complete a variety of projects for the month. The packages will include art resources, activity ideas and information on the importance of play and what the child is learning through the activities. There will be an Ideas for the month calendar included in the package. Early childhood experiences and support are more important than ever.
“Education disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are preventing children from getting their education off to the best possible start,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Childcare and early childhood education build a foundation upon which every aspect of children’s development relies. The pandemic is putting that foundation under serious threat.”https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/40-million-children-miss-out-early-education-critical-pre-school-year-due-covid-19, July 22, 2020.

Who Will it Benefit?

Young children in Inuvik and their families will benefit from Budding Artists in the Home. We want to ensure children have a variety of experiences to learn and grow from. It is our goal to help children reach their greatness through support and activities that are fun. Play is the basis of human nature. Stuart Brown, founder and president of the U.S. National Institute for Play and author of Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (2009), talks about how our early year play experiences shape who we will become. Children who are exposed to play and fun are more empathetic humans.
This is why we believe it is vital to provide families with opportunities to play and have fun. Through our Budding Artists in the Home project we will deliver materials and ideas for families to enjoy and learn through.