Green is the word for kids at arts fest

Children are seeing green at the Utah Arts Festival this year.

Not only because of the green glasses they can make at the Discovery Gateway booth, but also because the theme of the children's section is all about thinking "green."

Valerie Price, coordinator of the art yard for the past eight years, believes the theme is a great one for children as it, " incorporates the color green and environmental issues."

Children can make pipe cleaner animals and flowers that are hung on the yard's "rain forest." They can even make the bark for the trees by painting pieces of old frames different shades of green to be glued on the large cardboard tubes.

"We want kids first and foremost to have fun and to see that art is a collaborative project and that anyone can do it," Price said.

They can also make necklaces, cover large papier-mache animals in magazine clippings, learn about wind energy and make their own windmills, paint an urban landscape made of cardboard, create pop-up cards, stars and rattles or shoot and print their own digital photos and even get lost in a paintable ecosystem maze.

"This is a wonderful way for children to express themselves," Lisa Thomson, program manager of the Discovery Gateway booth, said. "It teaches critical thinking, problem-solving and sheer joy of creating something unique and original of your own."

As many as 1,000 children visit the art yard daily. It is open from noon to 8:00 p.m. All the activities are free and use water-soluble paint. Even a peanut butter and jelly stand is available for picky eaters.

Each booth offers art projects that involve recycling common materials to make the projects, such as rolled-up magazine pages to make beads and cereal in film canisters to make rattles. Youngsters are encouraged to recycle their creations when they are done playing with them, re-enforcing the "thinking green" attitude.

Admission to the arts festival is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors and free for children 12 and under. The festival will continue through Sunday, from noon to 11 p.m. at Library Square, 200 E. 400 South. Visitors are encouraged to use public transportation to get to the festival.

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E-mail: nahle@desnews.com