Summer workshops have always been good for enrolling young children into developing vivid skill sets. An interesting bunch of workshop samplers ‘Beezy Beez’ was conducted today at The Hive, an artful space in Ahmedabad. Those looking for new artistic or fun activities can explore Beezy Beez – an open house at The Hive.
Through Buzzy Beez, parents can bring their children to the workshop and experience sample workshops for half an hour. If they find the workshops appealing, their children can join the long-term programmes of their choice in May.
Kruti Shah, Founder of The Hive said, “The Hive is a place you can take a leisurely space from your hectic life. We have been around for a year now and have already conducted 30 odd workshops. Today, we have set up an open house event for children and parents to experience the kind of activities that will be happening here throughout the summer. Our aim is to develop communities of hobbies. We don’t want to be like a one-time thing. With Beezy Beez, it is a good way to have a little bit of cross-pollination with people from different interest areas bringing their own audiences, and opting for something else. We were getting lots of enquiries primarily for the children, maybe because parents are keen to make them try things outside of their interest areas. Children are at an age where learning is at its best. This is also an age of alternative learning. You need a lot more experience and maybe along with children parents also get back to their hobbies. “
Purvi Kamdar, Clinical hypnotherapist and psychologist also shared the aim behind her and her friend Mamta Wadhwa’s workshop ‘Art & Mindfulness’.
Kamdar said ” We are going to be teaching children and giving them strategies for mindfulness through the medium of art. This mindfulness is something everyone is looking for and in younger children, it is not there because whatever has happened due to the pandemic has got them anxious. The sense of competition is really increasing in children and this has led to the increase in instant gratification in children and adults. We are slowly taking children back to the roots, giving them sensorial experiences and giving them form and designs that will help them in engaging in productivity through simple tasks.”
Artist Mamta Wadhwa said, ” To inculcate mindfulness through art is to stay present in the moment. We offer different strategies through which they can cope with their emotional behaviour as sometimes children can’t express their emotions. So, art is a way to do that”
There were several workshops conducted on many topics such as Kahaaniya by Purva Shah, stories and hands-on activities, mathematical model-making using the Charkha by Saurabh Suri, artwork inspired by acclaimed Indian artist Rhea Virani, The Book Club by Nandini Parekh, Braids of Joy by Shubhra Singh: Appreciating braiding and craft of camel belt-making as a meditative technique, hand-built pottery by Vruddhi Patel: Enjoy pottery as a calming and rejuvenating art, bookbinding by Khushboo M: an initiation into the art of handmade books for children.
