January 2010 e-bulletin

Welcome to January at Play Resource and a Happy New Year. The Shop is full of inspiration for Valentine’s Day activities and why not pick up some bargains in our January Sale!!

Membership News is plentiful including the start of Membership Inductions for new and current members. Drop-in on Thursday mornings at 10am to discover all the membership benefits available to your group, have a tour and collect your free Play Resource shopping bag and cup of tea or coffee! The launch of the Play Resource Art Competition 2010 to highlight the versatility of scrap materials offering participating primary schools the chance to develop future generations of artists, as well the chance to win art & play materials. A new exhibition of mosaics by previous BMC course students is revealed in the Ideas Gallery and the return of the BMC Community Arts & Crafts Training Course Level 2 this month means it’s not too late to join the next course intake!

Art & Play Shop

Love is in the air at Play Resource with Valentine’s Day stock now in. Say it with…. poly hearts this year with our Valentines Quick Idea. Browse the seasonal displays created in the shop for ideas to plan your Valentine’s activities and use the Seasonal Price List to inspire your shopping lists!

Pick up some bargains and stock up your art & play boxes for the long dark winter nights in our January Sale. The Sale includes selected items and end of line products too numerous to list but you will find savings on felt tip pens, coloured pencils, paints, stencils, crepe paper, Hamma Beads, beads, and glass painting products to name but a few.

Start with good habits for the new year and invest in a Play Resource cotton shopping bag on sale for only 99p. Help protect the environment when you shop by investing in one instead of using plastic carrier bags.

To make shopping easier download the new updated Shop Price List for the list of all products available. The format is designed to make it easy to plan your shopping and estimate costs to fit your budget.

Scrap Store

Just in

• Rocket shaped plastic bottles …means space and time travel aplenty!!
• Gold/silver foil
• Orange & blue wax paper
• Roller blind fabric - rolls or folds
• Corex circles – see the Corex Creatures Craft Sheet for springtime scrap ideas!

Plus
Tubs & containers - huge variety in all shapes and sizes. And all the usual scrap favourites!

See the updated full Scrap Store Materials List for all that’s on offer. If there is something in particular you are looking for but can’t see it – just ask one of the Warehouse Team who are happy to help.

Creative Paths Arts Programme

To see how the Creative Paths Arts Programme could benefit your group simply download the information leaflet . The programme is flexible and easy to access. You simply have to be a member of Play Resource, working with children and young people aged 3yrs – 25 yrs.

Play Resource is hosting a series of Child Protection Training sessions run by the Keeping Safe Project for those working with children and young people. This training is tailored for artists and staff with each session now fully booked. If you wish to organise free Child Protection and Safeguarding Training for a community or voluntary group in Belfast email Sheina Rigg or call 9056 5310.

The Craft Sheet Library includes colour step-by-step Craft Sheets for all seasons and general ideas, like this inspired use of scrap for Corex Creatures - perfect for springtime! If you are eager for more ideas for working with groups start collecting these craft sheets or visit the website Publications for more ideas.

Membership News

A new service offered from this month is Membership Inductions for new and existing members. If you have just joined or renewed your membership why not come along and find out how to get the most from your Play Resource membership, discover all the benefits available to your group, have a tour and collect your free Play Resource shopping bag and cup of tea or coffee! Inductions are friendly and informal, run on a drop-in basis every Thursday morning at 10am, commencing on 7th January. Take advantage of this new service and receive a warm welcome on these chilly winter mornings!

This month sees the launch of the Play Resource Art Competition 2010 to highlight the versatility of scrap materials. Participation offers schools the chance to win art & play materials as well as linking easily with the revised NI Primary Schools Curriculum! To find out how to contribute to this exciting new collection of artwork created by children at Keystage 1 & 2 simply download the flyer.

The competition will finish with a Summer Exhibition at Play Resource. The final exhibition will give members Ideas & Inspiration as to how the wealth of scrap materials available from Play Resource can be used as a fun, vibrant, free source of creativity, arts, play and education. We hope to encourage future generations of artists too by getting them started young!

Get Ideas & Inspiration from the new mosaics exhibition in the Ideas Gallery. This exciting body of work has been created by students on the BMC Art & Crafts Training Course Level 2. The finished pieces are a creative take on traditional mosaics that incorporate everyday and found objects to create beautiful and fun 3D effects.

If you missed out on previous courses now is your chance to sign up to the BMC Community Arts & Crafts Training Course Level 2 as the course returns, starting at Play Resource on Tuesday 26th January at 10am to 12.30pm for 12 weeks. The aim of this course is to build artistic skills and confidence, to help develop creativity and generate new ideas for those working (or wishing to) work with community groups. Entry requirements: No formal qualifications are necessary to join the course, Level 1 is an advantage but not a necessity. Anyone who has already successfully completed the first two units can come back again to work towards the L2 Award in Art.

For full course details download the flyer. If you think this course is for you register now or for further information call 9035 7545 or email aokane@belfastmet.ac.uk

Prepare to be in awe of the giant Red Dragon and other creations by artist Katie Blue exhibited upstairs in the extended Ideas Gallery at Play Resource this month too.

Member to Member News

Belfast Exposed extends an invitation to submit a proposal for participation in their next exhibition Exchange Mechanism . They are opening up the gallery as an alternative political space and asking groups and organistions to put forward ideas and get involved - anything from campaigns, speeches, performances, debates! The Gallery space will operate as an alternative political space for 8 weeks, to find out more download the flyer.

Feedback Forum

We would like to hear from you each month, to help us improve the services we offer to our members. Question of the Month:

Do you feel you received value for money from Play Resource membership in 2009? Can you quantify or qualify this in 10 words or less? What would add value for you?

Respond via email to fiona@playresource.org. We look forward to hearing from you!