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7 cool arty things kids can do in New West this fall

Yes, fall is approaching, and that means parents are looking for new activities and programs for fall.
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Yes, fall is approaching, and that means parents are looking for new activities and programs for fall.

Here are seven ideas for your creatively inclined kid - and they're all right here in New West:

 

 

SING IN A CHOIR

Your child’s school or church may have a choir to offer, or why not check out New West’s own community children’s choir? Vivo Children’s Choir meets weekly on Wednesdays at Olivet Baptist Church (613 Queens Ave.) between September and April.

There are three choir levels for children in Grade 2 (age seven) and up, and no auditions are needed. New singers can join in September or January.

The choir performs two main concerts a year, one before Christmas and one in the spring, and also takes part in festivals and community events. Check out www.vivochildrenschoir.com for all the details and registration information.

 

 

EXPERIENCE FAMILY FUNDAYS

The Anvil Centre (777 Columbia St.) is offering a new drop-in series of Family Fundays on the final Sunday of the month (Sept. 29, Oct. 27 and Nov. 24), running from noon to 3 p.m.

All ages are welcome for some interactive drop-in programming at the New Media Gallery Learning Lab, at the New Westminster Museum and in the cultural studios on the fourth floor.

The Sept. 29 edition will feature a theme of food, with drop-in crafts and art projects including a massive food colouring mural, some kids’ cartoon projects (All the Fixins’ Taco, Donut Eat All the Donuts and Dilly of a Pickle), food-themed print making, pasta jewelry and more.

In the New Media Learning Lab, you can help build a cardboard tower and activate it using robotics and lights.

Check out www.anvilcentre.com for all the details.

 

 

GET INTO CLASSICAL MUSIC

You can start your children on classical music early in life with a Mini Music Makers program at Anvil Centre, for children aged one to four.

It gets you a package of four classes, plus tickets (one adult and one child) to the VSO Tiny Tots concert at Massey Theatre. The classes are taught by early childhood music educators and run by the VSO School of Music.

There’s one set of classes running Sept. 12 to Oct. 3, culminating in the Oct. 5 Tiny Tots concert, and a second running Nov. 14 to Dec. 5, culminating in the Dec. 7 concert. Separate classes are offered for those born in 2017 and 2018, and those born in 2015 and 2016.

Check out the Anvil Centre’s fall arts and heritage brochure (online at www.anvilcentre.com) for all the details, or sign up through www.vsoschoolofmusic.ca/programs (under the Early Years link).

 

 

CREATE CARTOONS

Got a visually inclined child in the house?

Why not introduce them to Cartooning for Kids or Graphic Novels? Both courses are part of the fall lineup at the Anvil Centre, with Saturday sessions running from Sept. 14 to Nov. 2.

Cartooning comes with sessions for kids aged five to eight and eight to 13, while the Graphic Novels course is aimed at kids aged eight to 13. For all the details, see the Anvil Centre’s fall arts and heritage brochure (online at www.anvilcentre.com).

 

 

STEP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

If you have a young person with a talent they’d like to share, you may want to pop in on the new open mic night series at 100 Braid Street Studios, running from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first Monday of the month (the next one up is Sept. 2).

Youth (and grown-ups, too) are encouraged to share their talents in all disciplines – instrumental music, singing, poetry, acting, spoken word, comedy. You just have to show up at 7 p.m. to sign up, and each performer gets an eight-minute spot. The nights also include a concession stand with snacks and drinks, and admission is on a pay-what-you-can basis (suggested donation is $5).

See www.100braidststudios.com for all the details.

Or perhaps you have a young singer who’s interested in a more competitive performance? Then you may want to look into the Talents of Canada competition that’s coming to the Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave.) on Sunday, Sept. 29. There’s a kids’ show at 2:30 p.m. and an adult show at 7 p.m.

Performers are all selected by audition in advance – kids’ auditions are on Sunday, Sept. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Renegade Studios in Vancouver. (Adult auditions are on Sunday, Aug. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m.) Judges will select 20 youth (under age 18) and 20 adults to perform in the live finale at the theatre.

For the live finale show, the judging is done by audience members with their phones in real time.

For all the details or to sign up for an audition, see www.talentsofcanada.com.

 

 

DANCE IN THE NUTCRACKER

Yes, it’s already time to think about this magnificent Christmas classic.

Royal City Youth Ballet will be bringing its production back to the stage, and the fun all starts at the company’s summer school at Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, running Aug. 25 to Sept. 1.

Auditions to be part of the Royal City Youth Ballet Company will happen on the final day of class, and dancers will then return to the Shadbolt Centre on Sept. 15 to audition for Nutcracker roles.

You don’t have to attend the summer school to audition, though; Sept. 15 auditions are also available for both company and non-company dancers. But space is limited, so act quickly. See www.royalcityyouthballet.org for all the requirements.

 

 

SPEND A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

Well, OK, it’s an evening really, but what’s not to love about this special kid-focused spooky program at the New Westminster Museum at Anvil Centre?

It’s on Thursday, Oct. 24 from 6 to 8 p.m., and it has programming for seven- to nine-year-olds and 10- to 12-year-olds. Kids can explore the museum by flashlight, listen to some spooky stories about New Westminster and make a creepy craft to take home, and they even get to play some old-time Halloween fortunetelling games.

Find out all the details in the Anvil Centre’s fall arts and heritage brochure at www.anvilcentre.com.

 

 

Got more fun arty ideas to share? Be sure to send your fall arts and entertainment happenings to Julie, jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca.