Connect and Create this Autumn with Distance Creates… Helium’s home-based arts programme for 9-12 year olds with long term health conditions

Over the course of this six week programme your child will receive weekly activities  that encourage creativity and connect participants with other children across the  country who have similar life experiences.

Join Artist Ciara as we look at the weird and the wonderful that surrounds us  everyday. We’ll use our homes to envision new worlds, re-create masterpieces by the  world’s greatest artists, invent hilarious “house rules” for our families, and pen our own  surreal poems. Expect to laugh, learn and connect with others through surprise postal  drops and Post Pal exchanges.

Dates, Time & Delivery: 

• Saturday 12 September – Saturday 17 October
• Each week creative and fun activities will land in your inbox on Saturday  mornings.
• Also expect surprise postal drops from Artist Ciara as well as creative  exchanges with participants through our Postal Relay (e.g. In a postal relay,  your child will receive an artwork or activity from Child A, and your child will  send an artwork or activity to Child B, creating a relay loop among  participants).
• On Saturday 19 September and Saturday 17 October, the whole family is invited  to join online sharings with Artist Ciara. A chance to meet other children on the  programme and have some fun! Further details and session times will be  confirmed soon.

Important Information for Parent/Guardian:

• The programme is free of charge.
• It is facilitated by a trained and experienced artist.
• Participants will be aged between 9-12 years old with different long-term  health conditions, though with similar life experiences.
• Participants will receive materials and artwork-in-progress by the artist as well  as other participants through the post. Your home address will be passed to  one other family to facilitate the Post Pal Relay with your permission.
• For families who elect to take part in the Post Pal Relay, we ask that you  commit to participating in a timely manner by completing and posting your  child’s artwork to their Post Pal the same week it is received to ensure each  child has the opportunity to enjoy this art-making exchange to the fullest  extent.
• Activities are age appropriate, however, it is important that parents/guardians  remain in close proximity to their child when their child is undertaking  activities.

What to expect? 

This programme offers an opportunity for 9-12 year olds to connect with peers and  explore their own creativity. Content will include:

• Character creation
• Zine making
• Costumes and dressing-up
• Drawing, painting and collage
• Poetry

What materials will I need at home?

• Paper
• Card paper (A4 preferably)
• Toilet Rolls
• Cereal Box
• Colouring utensils (colouring pencils, or paint, or markers, or crayons)
• Rubber
• Sharpener
• Wool / Thread
• Scissors (child-friendly)
• Gluestick
• Ruler
• Newspaper and/or magazines and/or old books
• Dress-up clothes/props (common objects/clothes available at home!)
• Camera / phone camera

Booking/Contact Information: 

Register for Distance Creates… six week programme with Helium Arts’ Family Liaison,  Maria Jervey at ​hello@helium.ie​ or phone 086 8389240.