A colorful break at the Cardinal's Nest

WAITSBURG-Give a kid a paintbrush, or in this case, a cup full of acrylic paint, and they can change the world! In cooperation with the Waitsburg Resource Center, the Cardinal's Nest put on a Spring Break art program for Waitsburg students, April 5-7.

The program included both art and STEM activities, led by Kathy Schirm, a paraeducator at Waitsburg School District, and the Cardinal's Nest after-school program's art instructor. The program has been unavailable this year due to pandemic-related reasons.

Split up into three groups over three days, the students chose paint colors and created acrylic pour paintings. A fun and easy technique, acrylic paints are mixed with a pouring medium before applied to a canvas. At the Cardinal's Nest Spring Break program, students were encouraged to tilt their canvases in multiple directions to spread the paint out during the pour. Students watched the multicolor flow of paint create shapes while adult helpers led conversations about the cells forming in their paintings.

In this project, the different colors of paint vary in density, and as they flow next to each other in the pour, they form cells. The size and number of cells created depend on the different paint colors used, the additives for flow, and how the paint is poured. Getting the paint onto the surface is the fun part. Students could flip their paint cups upside down, pour over a flat surface, or pour it out on top of the canvas, for differing results. Many students called it 'pretty science.'

STEM projects were also offered during the spring break program. On Monday and Wednesday, students had the opportunity to create 'magnetic slime' using Elmer's glue, iron oxide, and liquid starch. It was a science experiment for the adults, as much as it was for the kids, as they started experimenting with which starch produced the best result. After making a few cups of 'oops' slime, the group concluded that fabric starch produces a better result than Borax.

Schirm said she wanted to extend a huge thank you to the Waitsburg Resource Center for providing sack lunches for all of the participants and to the Cardinal's Nest for providing the art and STEM supplies. The program would not have been possible if it weren't for the volunteers, including Carol White, Margie Benson, and Tom Schirm.

All COVID-19 precautions were observed during the school program. All students were required to wear masks and go through screening upon entering the building. Distancing was also enforced.