Create Sew - An Exceptional Experience

Sewing in my family skipped a generation (namely me). My grandmother embroidered poetry with illustrations and my mom has made many a pretty dress for me. But unfortunately my creative talents completely bypassed this skill, and I confess I make do with safety pins and fabric glue.

My daughter, on the other hand is mesmerized by by anything that concerns using threads, yarns or needles. Be it making bracelets, weaving pot holders, attaching buttons or knitting scarves. all these are immensely enjoyable to her! So it was with considerable interest that I enrolled her into a sewing camp that I saw on one of my favorite websites : Suzy Said...

Create Sew - Founder and Director - Rebecca Szetela - offers a variety of sewing classes and camps for kids and adults.

Aishani attended a 4 day sewing camp this summer. She loved creating a dress for herself as well as a frilly skirt ! An extra perk was a pretty pillow with a funny face. There were 7 students in the class and 3 teachers. She learnt to use the sewing machine, cut fabric and learnt to hand sew along with understanding dress patterns.

She would love to go back there many more times ! It was a wonderful experience for her to create an outfit from scratch. It indeed was a perfect camp week. As a parent, if I am asked for any wishes that could be added to the experience, I would ask for 2 more things - for at least one additional hour, it would allow working parents like us a little more time if the camp ended at 3pm, currently it is 9-2pm for 4 days. The other request would be a more structured drop off. I usually have my younger one in the car and I am not comfortable dropping my daughter off at the doorstep if noone is there to receive her. So a parent has to walk downstairs to the workshop at the lower level. It would be nice if there was someone to recieve students at the door during the scheduled drop off time.

Apart from the fact that the kids are learning a very important skill, I think the process of creating an item that they can wear and use -  is a wondrous thing. The activity helps in increasing concentration, has a calming effect and teaches kid to provide dedicated and focused effort on a job from start to finish. I believe the benefits from this kind of a class/camp are very many.



The registration process was very well managed and one can pay online for the session. Rebecca is immensely good about sending the list of materials and requirements well before hand and welcomes questions and concerns. I would highly recommend Create Sew to budding seamstresses !

Find them in Facebook and www.createsew.com

Images by Sabrina Vincent

MFA Art Camps - Disappointing

The new MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) as it is being advertised is quite breathtaking. A whole new wing of the Americas, a gigantic almost ceiling-less cafeteria, updated collections - basically a list that will awe any art lover.

Aishani attended the February Vacation camp for 4 days. We had to enroll in 2 sessions - a morning 9-12pm "At of teh Americas - Midnight Journey" and an afternoon 1-4pm "ToyMaking" and also enroll for a supervised lunch in between. There was no options of after-care. Right at the beginning while enrolling I should have seen the signs unreliability and inadequacy. The new system needs parents to call a 3rd party to buy "tickets" for these camps. The 3rd party on the phone does not have any answers to any questions that you may have about the camp. They can only repeat the 2 line description in the brochure and calling the MFA number multiple times during valid hours only forwared me to voicemail. I signed my daughter up.

 She loved the class and I am NOT signing her up again for a long time!  The whole program needs a lot of work - planning & execution - before it can be satifactory for concerned parents.

My daughter loved it because :

• From start to finish, the curriculum was about learning and creativity in the classes. They visited galleries and learned about artifacts and paintings. 
• They tried to reproduce art and sculpture in their classes with different range of mediums from string, clay, paper, paint, wood and so on
• She made new friends - Addy and Selma 
• She was proud to be visiting galleries with a peer group, absorbing and implementing what she was learning.

I am upset because :

• The classes itself are on the 3rd floor and once you step out of he elevator, you are transported to another world - very different than the MFA you visit. The walls are dingy, the floor uneven and stained, small windy flights of stairs which straightaway spell "fire -hazard". I am a MFA member and I was completely surprised to see this part of the MFA which is not "publicized". I would love to see pictures of these classroom areas online on their site - especially the hand written notes on doors saying "Don't block- exit in case of emergency" - stuck with temporary tape. I must say it was depressing.
• Driving back on the last day I asked my daughter if there was anything she did not like about the camp - and she said "Of course the 3 boys who kept bullying us in the afternoon Toy Making" class. After asking many many questions and getting some answers between "I don't knows" I learnt that there were 3 boys, 10-12 yearolds who kept bullying the younger girls. They pushed and punched the girls ! tried messing up their art/craft and called them names and snatched their stuff and so on. The girls complained to their instructor - but the bullying did not stop in any scale!
• On the fourth day I was late in picking her up, I continuously called the "contact" number but noone picked up - in fact right from the beginning of registration - non-availabilty of people on the program has been an issue.

I could go on about her lunch bag and how her Bento - Laptop Lunchbox was thrown out, how it took administrators 8 days to reply to my email or how it takes a person at least 40 minutes to find parking in the garage and get in and out while the museum gives you half an hour of parking and you have to convince the gate keeper of your situation, how noone could find me a tissue or napkin when my daughter had a nosebleed (the coarse craft paper had to suffice) and many other small things which may sound petty but which to busy but concerned parents and parents who want a good camp experience for their child, is extremely important.

Ultimately it all contributes to the experience we have had as a family and my experience was not good. I think whoever is planning the program may be doing a great job of the curriculum but the administration of these camps needs a lot more work. Currently I think it is an unreliable environment to send my child to. It has been a disappointment and needless to say I will not be renewing my membership this year......

Kindermusik by Samantha Sicorez

"When are we going to see my Musical Family again ?" asks my 3 year old.

We just finished a Kindermusik session at 360 Gymnastics, led by Samantha Sicorez. Each session had the kids enchanted, trying out different musical instruments and enjoying every minute of the class. They hopped and walked and ran and rolled, they jumped and pulled and pushed. They tried out a variety of physical activities, all the time following the melodious voice of their teacher. I must say, at the end of the session, she acquired quite a fan club !

It is not always that one chances upon a music teacher who is not only very talented but is very interested in every response from the kids. She has a genuine love for interaction with children and brought out their musical abilities splendidly! Her zeal is infectious, her methods to draw each child out and transform them into active participants are quite successful and I was not surprised to know that she has a double degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education. Arohan loved dancing with flashlights, drawing on papered walls and most importantly the Spiderman sticker at the end of the class. Needless to say, we are looking forward to another Kindermusik session with her.


More at 360-Gymnastics

Mass Audubon Drumlin Camp - Very Impressive !

2 weeks before the camp I received a call on my mobile and on my home phone, as well as an email reminding me that I have not yet submitted the information packet for my daughter's Farm Mania Camp. Of course, I had received the packet a couple of months back and in our truly crazy fashion, would have filled it out the night before the first day and handed it to a distracted counseler who would look harassed before anything had even started.

But this was not to be so, I was warned of a deadline and I *had* to fill out everything a week ahead (that is record breaking!) and Dad even delivered it on time ! The information packet was extremely detailed with what to bring, what to expect, questions about how to soothe your child if he/she is hurt. To top it all, there is even a website where you can view pictures taken each day of the week !

Everything about the camp was great and I fear I may make this an increasingly long post if I keep on writing. Starting from having dropoff/pickup stations (Shaggy Sheep, Tickled Turkeys and so on), asking for id for *every* pickup, not just the first day, having detailed report of any accidents - Aishani tripped on a root and scraped her knee-, to oranizing the days in a very well structured pattern - Monday was Cow Day, Tuesday was Chicken and so on, it was just so much fun along with being educational for the kids. The kids even made a theme appropriate snack everyday - butter from cream on Cow Day, oats and sugar mix on Horse Day and so on.

This was our first time and we are sure to come back next year. We liked it that the farm was closed to general public during camp hours. Apart from the program structure and execution, we found that that the counselers themselves were very passionate about what they were doing, they really seemed to like working with kids and enjoying it too!

I give it 5 stars, it has been a wonderful experience for my daughter and we as parents were impressed by the camp. To top it all, the week after the camp we received a detailed "Lost and Found" list email. Miraculously none of the items were ours but we are used to losing water bottles and bags in camps and never finding them ! And yes, I do label everything, in fact I highly recommend "Mabels Labels", but again, I digress.

Camp Timings-M-F 9am-3pm-Would have liked an extra hour

Camp After-Care - Available until 5.45 - did not sign up

Counselers - Excellent

Camp Content - Excellent

Camp dropoff/pickUp - Very Good

Camp Parking-Good-Better once you have figured it out 

Camp Cost - Members-$330 Non-Members-$430

Check out more at the Drumlin Farms official website.

The Art of Selecting Summer Camps!

To be or Not to be! The latest ongoing topic in our home has been regarding the crucial decisions as to which summer camps will my daughter be attending this year. The criteria, unfortunately is not simply "what will she learn" or "what knowledge will be imparted (no predictions on what will be absorbed, of course), but most importantly the questions which are no less important are " who will drop her off, and (unavoidably), who will pick her up ?" , " Is there after care ?" What happens if we are 15 minutes late ?", " Are there any adult camp counselors or is it mostly CITs ?" and so on . Either ways, we managed to make our enrollments and the following camps were chosen.

There has been an attempt to plan a well balanced variety of activities, but the months to come will speak of how successful each one is. I was oblivious to the "world of camps" until now, and it is amazing how difficult it is to find sites where detailed information about local camps are easily available. In my attempt to document my research in this all important subject, I have listed out her camps as well as their websites for parents looking for more information. I will, in the weeks to come - rate each camp based on our experiences as parents as well as their "fun scale" rating from my daughter.

Drumlin Farms www.massaudubon.org/drumlinfarm

Home Cooking www.littletonrec.com

Chess Camp comed.ab.mec.edu

Club Invention www.invent.org

Discovery Museums discoverymuseums.org

Performing Arts www.littletonrec.com

Museum of Fine Arts www.mfa.org

Sky Hawks All Sports www.skyhawks.com

Little Gym www.tlglittletonma.com

Alpona - Ancient Art in Modern Times

One of India’s most creative expressions of creative art is Alpona. Traditionally these drawings were made in front of doorways and in courtyards during auspicious occasions to drive away the influence of evil and welcome peace, wealth, health and ever lasting happiness

The original medium used for this art is a paste of ground raw rice. A cotton ball or a piece of cloth is used and dipped into this paste to make the beautiful designs. Being white, they were most prominent on mud floors.

Nowadays different types of medium are used on a variety of different types of surfaces. This graceful art can be done using acrylic paints, chalk, markers etc. Initially it was expected that alpona would always be white but now artists are experimenting with different colors and designs. This inspiring art can be also be done with flowers or the rich colors of a variety of grains - dals, rice and other beans are used to make elaborate patterns.

The art of Alpona is not just a part of the culture and art of Bengal, it has a special and traditional place in every important event in the household. From annaprashans to weddings, in pujas and rituals, the Alpona is considered auspicious and lucky .

It is prevalent in all parts of India, but with variations in the technique of the drawing as well as the traditional mediums used. The essential essence of the art is the same, it is believed to welcome peace, good health and prosperity as well as ward off evil influences.

The myriad terms used are Aripana in Bihar, Madana in Rajasthan, Rangoli in Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra, Chowkpurana in Uttar Pradesh and Kolam in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, Muggu in Andhra Pradesh.

The designs are symbolic and common to the entire country, and can include geometrical patterns, with lines, dots, squares, circles, triangles; the lotus, trident, fish, conch shell, footprints (supposed to be of goddess Lakshmi), creepers, leaves, trees, flowers, animals and figures. These motifs often are modified to fit in with the local images and rhythms.

The basis of the word 'Alpana' has two different versions. As per one version, it originated from the Sanskrit word 'Alimpana', meaning 'to plaster with' or 'to coat with'. The other version traces its roots to the word 'Alipana', meaning the art of making walls or embankments. This art is also related to the intricate Mandalas in Buddhism.

Immersed in ancient practices and reaching modern heights, Alpona is today an integral part of Indian culture.

Alpona with Flowers

Alpona with Grains & Beans

In the Convent of Little Flowers

Author: Indu Sundaresan
Published: December 2008
Previous Books: The Splendor of Silence, The Twentieth Wife, The Feast of Roses


Short Stories:

Shelter of Rain
Three and a Half Seconds
The Faithful Wife
Fire
The Most Unwanted
The Key Club
Bedside Dreams
The Chosen One
Hunger


The book evokes a myriad of emotions. The stories jump up and enact, so powerful as well as delicate are the descriptions of the characters and the incidents.

"In the Convent of Little Flowers" took my breath away ! Not just because it dealt with issues and happenings that are shocking as well as familiar, modern as well as ancient, but also because it forced me to stare at different faces of our culture that I would outright deny, that I would immediately disclaim. Then there were some, that were new and refreshing and comforted me of goodness somewhere.

There are 9 short stories and each story has its own unique essence. They touch many different aspects of human life ranging from Adoption to Family Physical Abuse, from Teen Pregnancy to Swingers to Lesbianism. Needless to say, it is a very modern book which has delicately blended these issues and its effects have been combined with the age-old traditions and beliefs of India. In the "Afterword", Indu Sundaresan has mentioned that most of her stories are based on real-life incidents, a grain of truth around which she has weaved her magic. That makes this book all the more compelling.

It is difficult to say which one I like best, since they are so different from each other making each one unique and incomparable. But if I was compelled to choose, my favorite would be "The Most Unwanted". In one stroke the author has shown us the emotions of a young girl coming of age, the stoic and dependable love of a mother, the tenderness of a baby and most important the triumph of a father's love for his daughter in the face of public and social ostracism. It is a beautiful story, so well written I can see the characters enact before me.

The other short stories are no less heartrending. The only thing that I must mention that perplexed me was the fact that there is no "Index" in the book. Is there a specific reason why this has been omitted ? I like to browse through the names and select what I want to read. I definitely miss that in a book. It is a very minor thing, but it makes it difficult for me to go to a story right away as I have to browse through the book to find my way there.

At the end, I highly recommend this book. It is a book worth owning (which is quite rare in these times), an asset to the book readers collection, one will savor it again and again. It is different, it is intriguing, it is guaranteed to make you ponder...... a must read.