Adventures of an Active Arts Kid! – April 2017

It’s been another whirlwind week of creativity and energy at our latest Active Arts Holiday Workshop!

We’ve had the pleasure of playing host to the most imaginative, polite, and caring students for the last 4 days. Read on to find out more about their fun-filled workshop adventures!

Active Arts Workshop Kids always begin the day with a few fun and energetic games to get them going! The classic “River, bank, bridge” and “Not the floor!” are some of our favourites. We love adding our own twist to these games too. They’re a fab way to get students focused and build listening and teamwork skills.

Here’s a little time-lapse video of our fav game “Not the Floor!” – love how our Assistant Leaders get into it and help the younger ones stay off the floor.

After our warm-up games, we get into an uplifting stretch and strength session. I personally love watching our students improve each day, either reaching further to their toes or holding that balance for 5 seconds longer!
After a short little recess break (all that running around, game-playing, and stretching is thirsty work!) our students head to their next activity! From jiujitsu to outdoor sports, painting to drama, we feel that variety makes a workshop SO much cooler!

Fabio at Gracie Barra Jiujitsu St Peters is ridiculously awesome at catering lessons to a range of kids. They begin with a few exercises that build listening skills as well as strength! Then, it’s time for my favourite… ANIMAL WALKS!

Now this may sound super tame, but let me tell you, it’s totally wild! Students move from one side of the room to the other mimicking different types of animals – from crocodiles to gorillas, and crazy frogs! The kids love it!

After animal walks, Fabio takes them through a series of different tactics of self-defense. These are always supported by wonderful mentoring about self-esteem, confidence and being respectful. Best of all is when they pick our tiniest workshopper to help demonstrate! Nothing like feeling 5 feet taller than you are!

Next up is a lunch break where we rest and refuel, ready for an afternoon filled with awesome!

Depending on the day, our students might be climbing up the walls at the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym, or learning how to fly at the Sydney Trapeze School!

During our climbing sessions, our workshop leaders and assistant leaders flex their arm muscles and belay our awesome workshoppers as they scramble up the walls and reach new heights.

Students team up with a belayer in small groups of 2 or 3 and are free to climb and explore the walls of the gym as they please. Whether they want to climb the butterfly wall or try to master the super tricky stalactite, we love to see students challenge themselves in their own way.

When our arms and legs are officially dead, we head over to the caves!

For the super adventurous ones, they get to spend some time navigating their way through the pitch black tunnel system built into the walls at the climbing gym! Students head in equipped with a small flashlight and a sense of adventure, and emerge triumphantly! For anyone who thinks the idea of a small, dark space is a nightmare (myself included!) there’s a tightwire for students to walk across… and also some crash mats for flipping and tumbling!… and photos 😉

At the Sydney Trapeze School, our workshoppers get a 2hr session filled with everything circus! The first half of their session is filled with a variety of circus arts, and something different every time. This time around, we got the Static Trapeze and the Silks…two of our favourites by far!

On the static trapeze, workshoppers learn how to flip upside down and hang like a monkey, or stand up and pose like we’re centre stage in the big top! On the silks, students get to practice different climbs, and wrap themselves up in a cocoon of fabric and go for a spin.

After the silks, students harness up and get ready to fly! They get to practice the hold they’ll be working on that day then take turns climbing up the ladder, inch their toes over the edge to grab hold of the trapeze, and before they know it, they’re flying!

What I love about the Sydney Trapeze School is that there’s always something new to work on. Our regular Active Arts Workshop kids get to try harder and more daring versions. Watching them achieve their newest trapeze hold is the coolest!

High-flying action isn’t for everyone, and the crew at STS are always so accommodating and encouraging. We love them! Students who nail their first few swings get to try a catch! This is where an instructor swings opposite them and they catch them as they fling themselves off their trapeze!!! SO COOL! This time we had two students make their first ever catches! Woohoo!

At the end of the day, we return to the studio and do a few more games to cool down. A little stretch always helps relax our muscles ready for the next day of Active Arts!

Think your kids would LOVE to get in on the action?

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