IN THE CITY // Doodlebugs
I write an awful lot of things for grown-ups to do and not anything for small children to do! So, recently I met two lovely ladies //Tara Mullen and Jeanette Rankin// who run a workshop called Doodlebugs. It's designed for children ages 2 and a half to 11.
They do EVERYTHING. All the fun crafts you could ever want to do - toy making, puppets, textiles, paper crafts, paper mache, glass painting, clay, face painting, film, photography, and tye dye. EVERYTHING. No joke. I would love to make a puppet! Little unknown fact about Leah, I used to be a puppeteer. For reals. For our Christmas show I was Mary. She was in every scene. My arm got very tired. Paper mache is so fun to do, but so messy to do at home. So wouldn’t it be great to take your kid to a workshop to do it? I think so.
They do workshops in schools, community centres, at GB, festivals, and Moms+Tots groups. They do parties as well! So keep that in mind of your kids next birthday or just for a fun afternoon. What I really like the most about Doodlebugs is that not only do they do such fun things but their aim and their, I guess mission statement is kind of incredible and really pertinent.
to provide creative experiences for children
promote community involvement
enhance environmental involvement
encourage group work
increase confidence and initiative in children
extend creative experiences beyond the workshop
raise awareness of the arts and their various forms
Doodlebugs just isn’t about having fun, but also about letting our kids develop, and teaching them good skills that they’ll use later in life. I think it’s really amazing. Most of the time kids programs are just to give them something to do and to keep them out of their parents hair. I love that Doddlebugs intentionally want to better the younger generation through craft making and art.
If you are a parent or have some small children in your life, and are interested take a look at their website!
IN THE CITY is a weekly article written by
Leah Gallant that looks at city life, culture,
music and events in Belfast
Tags: Art, Belfast, IN THE CITY
Images
Caption: finger paints
Related Articles
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.