Summer Fun at the Cook Library Center

The students at the Cook Library Center have been keeping busy this
summer with lots of summer activities such as the summer reading
club.  In addition, during the week of June 21,the students were led
in Yoga exercises by a staff member from the YMCA named Mr. C.
He also led the kids in a nutrition program where he brought apples,
a familiar fruit to the students, and also brought a fruit that was more
mysterious to the kids which was mango. Many students weren't
afraid to try it though.  The students also got a chance to learn about
eating food that comes from all parts of the food group, and especially
foods which are many different colors.  Mr. C. taught the students
about the amount of grams of sugar in different types of fruit.

Another activity last week was when Mr.Edwin, the Library Assistant
at the Cook Library Center, did a science experiment on blowing up a
balloon with out using your mouth. Instead of blowing air from their
mouths, the students used vinegar and baking soda.  The students
had a great time experimenting with this project!

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs
of the Cook Library Center.

Gardening in Summer Mini Arts Camp

The Cook Arts Center is offering a mini arts camp for children ages 6-16 from June 21 to July 29. Our afternoons have been busy from 1-3pm on Monday through Thursday with over 30 children participating in the fun. Each day brings different activities. These pictures were taken on Tuesday, June 22, when we went out into our children's vegetable garden and got in touch with nature!
Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center.

Dia del Sol a Success!

On Thursday, June 17, Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities held their annual Dia del Sol event celebrating the Cook Arts Center's ninth anniversary and the second year at the Cook Library Center. Over 150 people joined us for an evening of Latin music and a silent auction featuring artwork, dinners, vacations, and more. Our major sponsors for the night were State Farm, Varnum, and Meijer. The evening was a resounding success resulting in a record setting year and $29,000 raised for the programs of the Cook Arts Center and Cook Library Center!

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Arts Center and the Cook Library Center.

Science Experiments at the Cook Library Center

On Tuesday, June 15, the Cook Library Center held its first summer science program. The program involved the students using an egg and a bottle. The students were challenged with making the egg squeeze through a bottle while not harming the egg. The three types of bottles were Snapple, Coca-Cola and Sobe bottles. The student's experiments showed that the bottle that was successful was the Sobe bottle. The students were amazed to see the magic of science right before their eyes!

Other summer programs at the Cook Library Center include reading, keyboarding, writing, internet research, field trips, Spanish literacy, career and college exploration, arts and crafts, and games. Programs run Monday-Saturday 1pm-3pm or Monday-Thursday 4pm-6pm.

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Library Center.

Fun at Festival!

The Cook Arts Center was pleased to participate in several activities in downtown Grand Rapids' Festival of the Arts celebration on June 4-6. Grupo Tarasco, the dance company of the Cook Arts Center, delighted the crowd with traditional Mexican Folkloric dance during the evening opening ceremonies on Friday, June 4. In addition, several of our Cook Arts Center students were able to get up on stage and show off some giant suns which they had created just for Festival.

On Sunday, June 6, the Cook Arts Center hosted the art activity in the Kid's Art Zone which is a free spot for kids and families to make a creative art project. We led the kids in making a paper bag piñata. Each piñata contained a treat inside so that the kids could break their piñata open at home later on.

Thank you to all the students and volunteers who helped make these project happen!

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Arts Center.

Spring Music Recital

Music was in the air at the Cook Arts Center on Wednesday, May 26 as our music students gathered for the annual spring music recital. About 75 parents, friends and supporters were treated to performances by our children's guitar, piano and violin classes and our adult guitar class. Cook Arts Center instructor Ryan Pott and violinist Natalie Hockamier even treated the crowd to a lovely piano and violin duet. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed some cookies and lemonade while we drew names for prizes including two movie passes and a family four-pack of tickets to the Grand Rapids Art Museum.

We would like to extend a special thank you to all the parents and students of the Cook Arts Center for their hard work this year and especially to our instructors Ryan Pott and Ryanne van der Maas as well as Blodgett Foundation and Betsy and Stanley Dole.

Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities administers the programs of the Cook Arts Center.