My experience at Bigger Sky Kids was a special and great one. I had a lot a fun and exciting memories there! Cooking on Tuesdays a quite fun,always delicious and really prepared me for cooking in the future. They have the art room upstairs and where I spent a lot of my time at Bigger Sky Kids. Upstairs, we mostly worked with oil paint and did a variety of painting projects and did a community show so everyone was able to come and see. It really made an impact for my future in art. They resources they provided for us allowed all of us to use our imagination and go to our limits for painting. Overall, Bigger Sky Kids to go and enjoy your time after school,it felt like a safe an
d fun environment to go and do extra-curricular activities.
I am excited for Bigger Sky Kids to get started again this fall. It will start again soon because the school changed our schedules due to the virus. I liked all the fun activities and cooking is my favorite. I always have fun there.
I have been working with the Bigger Sky Kids group for the past two years as an artist resident specializing in instruction through oil paint and traditional fine arts mediums.
Having worked as an arts education specialist in one capacity or another for the majority of my career I cannot speak highly enough of this program and the dedication of its founding members, support staff, and volunteers. These individuals identified a need among the community of Wolf Point, MT. in giving students access to quality fine arts materials, programming and instruction. They have more than surpassed their goals to meet those needs.
My experiences with these students over the past couple years have transcended those of "instructor/student". I feel myself a mentor and confidant to many of the kids. Our classroom feels like a "safe creative space", where the kids convene, among snacks and oil paint, to unleash their creative energy. We talk about what they want to make and why; about what they want to say through their art. I attempt to draw the creative spark from within these children and help them to grow their own artistic voice. The programming at Bigger Sky Kids supports the growth of the students creative voice by connecting the children with quality art materials, with giving them the space to comfortably investigate their art and expand their creative spark. It was important to me at the creation of this program to connect the students with oil paint, to give them ownership over an art medium grounded in history but rarely instructed in within rural Montana; rarely instructed in, outside of collegiate settings. I feel that through BSK! I have had an opportunity to leave a lasting impact with the students I have worked with through the knowledge they have gained about oil paint and through the ability I am nurturing in them to express themselves through their art.
Bigger Sky Kids Inc gave my child more opportunities to learn how to play the piano and also make it more friends.
My grandchild has attended Bigger Sky Kids after-school since it opened. He was hesitant at first because he was interested in music and it didn't appear that music was an option. As a self-taught pianist, he plays completely by ear, he was eager to work with an experienced music teacher. He was hooked from the first day he attended, the staff fostered his love for music and helped him expand to other instruments while still allowing him to practice on the piano. He had a small electronic keyboard at home that he started on. He has flourished since that time and even played at a public event, this shy little boy who was reluctant at first :) The staff are caring and nurture the interests and skills the children have and provide so much to broaden the horizon for children. They provide a safe, secure environment and actually care about the children that attend. He has come out of his insecure shell and is flourishing! His mom and I are so grateful to Bigger Sky Kids and their staff!
As a volunteer for Bigger Sky Kids Cooking I have really enjoyed the kids, been impressed with their skills in the kitchen, and amazed at the variety of foods they will try. The Bigger Sky Kids staff and volunteers are dedicated and professional. The program provides safe after school activities for kids in 4th thru 8th grades. The organization, planning and fund raising by the Board of Directors is extremely efficient.
I volunteered at BSK and it was so much fun to build a relationship with the children. They loved the attention and loved learning new things and enjoyed the food!
I have been on the Bigger Sky Kids program committee & I volunteer for nearly every session. All our volunteers are the most child-centered, caring adults I have ever met. And the children just light up in their presence.
I have helped teach the kids cooking class. It has been a wonderful experience for the kids and me! Watching them make something and then share it with the rest of the kids. Bigger Sky is an organization that supports the kids and the cooking class is something the kids can take with them on their journey into the future.
I have had the privilege of working with Bigger Sky Kids since it began. We live in an impoverished community on the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Rexervation. This afterschool program allows children to have a safe place to go after school. It is a joy to watch the kids learn to cook and try new foods and watch them discover their hidden talents. And it is so rewarding to be tbere to listen to a child with problems at school, with friends or at home.