Sometimes the greatest expression of love is the quality time we spend together as a family.
The Town of Crossfield is hoping to provide an unique opportunity for local moms to do just that, by hanging out with their kids and taking an instructional art class together.
Crossfield’s Family and Community Support Services (FCSS), in conjunction with Artsy Fartsy Studios, will be hosting its first ever “Mom and Me Paint Class” on May 4.
Crossfield FCSS and Community Development coordinator Nicole Vandenberghe originally came up with the idea for an instructional mom-centred art class as a last-minute substitute for another program geared toward teenagers, which had to be cancelled due to poor uptake.
What happened next, Vandenberghe confessed, was a flash of inspiration – a true light bulb moment.
“Mothers Day was right around the corner, and one of the outcomes with FCSS is improved social well-being of families specific to positive family relationship,” Vandenberghe recalled thinking. “So how do we make families feel closer to one another?
“The idea of the Mom and Me Paint Class came up pretty quickly.”
A quick call to Artsy Fartsy Studios in Airdrie was followed by a slew of furious text messages back and forth. Within a day, the class was planned out, scheduled, and on offer to Crossfield area residents.
“My phone has rung non-stop,” Vandenberghe told the Rocky View Weekly a few hours after posting the course up on Facebook. “It has been a little bit crazy. That doesn’t typically happen with my position at work. So this was really awesome to see the uptake on this one.”
Vandenberghe was confident she would fill nearly all of the 24 available spaces before the end of the week.
“We are hopeful it is going to provide a space for the moms and their children to actually spend some quality time together, and create that family tree through an instructed painting class,” she explained. “This would allow them to feel closer to one another.
“I am very excited to see the interest is there,” Vandenberghe added. “It’s not always a guarantee when you put together an event it will be well-received. So this was really exciting to see that we are having a lot of people interested and a lot of calls coming in to register for it.”
As to why so many find the idea of a Mom and Me Paint Class appealing, Vandenberghe felt it is likely because people are leading such busy lives these days, and it is becoming rarer and rarer in to spend true family bonding time together.
“A lot of times, moms are busy and wear multiple hats, and they are pulled in many directions,” she argued. “When it comes to just sitting down and having that one-on-one quality time with your children, it’s maybe not something they do often. We are hoping by providing this for them, and keeping the cost as low as possible, they can come in and have that time together with their kids.”
For more information on the Mom and Me Paint Class and other Crossfield FCSS-sponsored programs, email [email protected].
