- All Workshops
- Workshops for Students
- Workshops for Families
- Workshops for Parents
- Wellness & Mental Health
- Literacy/Storytelling
- Virtual Co-curricular
MINDFUL MOVEMENT FOR STUDENTS
Students can participate in this online workshop together. The workshop combines basic stretching, mindfulness postures, breath work, and physical storytelling to teach the mind-body connection. Comfortable clothes, an open mind, and a space to move around safely are required.
English or French | Grade JK-8 | Up to 30 students
SKETCHING & DRAWING
Students and their parents/guardians learn interactively with a live teacher on the Zoom platform the basics of sketching and drawing. Participants will be shown proper drawing techniques and utilize their new skills by creating their own masterpiece. A list of simple supplies will be sent prior to the workshop so that participants have the tools that they need.
English | All ages | Up to 300 participants
IMPROVISATION
On the Zoom platform from the safety of your own home, parents and students will explore their creativity and expand their imaginations through the world of improvisation. Participants will use their imagination to spontaneously act out various scenes. Families will use the "rules" of improv to help create funny, inspired and creative scenes. Comfortable clothes, a sense of fun, and a space to move around safely is all that is necessary.
English | All ages | Up to 300 participants
MILTON’S SECRET
Milton is a happy kid until he encounters a school bully. He worries all the time about what the bully will do. Milton encounters a few situations that help him understand a very important thing: the only way to be happy is to live in the NOW! Using the lessons in the story and mindfulness techniques students will learn how to stay in the moment and cope with fear and anxiety.
English or French | Grades JK-5 | Up to 60 students
JUST KIDDING
A joke that has a sharp edge to it can cut you to pieces. That's what D.J. finds out from his encounters with Vince, a smart aleck classmate whose biting humor is more hurtful than funny. With the help of his dad and teacher, D.J. learns how to stand up to put downs and make healthier friendship choices. Help young readers understand that one-sided fun really isn't much fun after all.
English or French | Grades JK-8 | Up to 60 students
MY SECRET BULLY
A touching and inspirational story targeted for 5 to 11 year-olds, My Secret Bully instantly draws young readers into Monica's world where friends use name-calling, humiliation and exclusion. Monica learns to face her fears reclaims her power from the bully.
English or French | Grades JK-8 | Up to 60 students
CREATIONS THROUGH IMAGINATIONS
This workshop focuses on physical expression. Students explore different environments and characters through pantomime and movement.
Learning Outcomes
- will identify and use key elements of drama in exploring source materials; poems, images, math stories and thinking equations
- will identify aspects of their own work and that of others that are effective
- will identify elements of drama and movement that are best suited for conveying a specific subject or theme
- will create different interpretations of stories, themes, etc. using pantomime and movement
English | JK-Grade 6 | Up to 30 participants
MINDFUL MOVEMENT FOR FAMILIES
Families can participate in this online workshop together. The workshop combines basic stretching, mindfulness postures, breath work, and physical storytelling to teach the mind-body connection. Comfortable clothes, an open mind, and a space to move around safely is all that is necessary.
English | All ages | Up to 300 participants
STORYDRAMA-O-RAMA
Students are drawn into the magical world of story drama as they become characters and travel to worlds that become alive in their imaginations.
Learning Outcomes
- Will create different interpretations of stories, themes, etc. using pantomime and movement
- Will represent and interpret characters by speaking and moving in role
- Will practice listening to understand
- Will identify and use key elements of drama and movement to explore source materials such as stories, poems, music, images, math stories and thinking equations
English or French- JK-3- up to 30 students
TACKLING ANXIETY AND STRESS THROUGH ARTS AND MINDFULNESS, EMPATHY AND ME
In this workshop students are encouraged to consider their own role in their classroom and the world around them. We look at bullying and good citizenship through the lens of empathy, which has been shown in studies to promote more classroom kindness and pro-social behaviour. Using mindfulness, self-compassion, and a growth mindset students will build strategies for managing meanness and cultivating kindness. This workshop will ignite a spark of passion for using your personal power! We all have power, what do you use it for?
Topics Covered
- Appreciating the importance of positive self- compassion, care, and talk.
- How can we tell when someone around us needs help?
- Identifying our role in the conflict and developing strategies to change outcomes.
- Taking action to identify and support a classmate or friend in a difficult time.
English | Grades 4-6 | Up to 100 students
EMPOWERING HIP HOP
An inspiring and innovative hip hop dance workshop in which the students will reflect on body language and what it says about our own and others' emotions, while learning the basics of this urban dance movement. Using today's music, students will explore innovative dance steps and funk rhythms in an energetic, positive, and fun environment.
Learning Outcomes
- Will learn and demonstrate the ability to move and control their bodies in space and time and will be introduced to some basic body and dance vocabulary
- Will learn and create short dance pieces
- Will learn and demonstrate the ability to use their bodies to respond to the music's rhythm and tempo
- Will use and explore movement by composing and decomposing two- and three-dimensional shapes in math map coordinates
English | Grades JK-8 | Up to 30 students
TACKLING ANXIETY AND STRESS THROUGH ARTS AND MINDFULNESS FOR TEENS
This student workshop developed for middle school students and led by a child development expert will teach students practical tips and tools to deal with everyday anxiety and stress. This interactive workshop speaks to and calms students concerns about stress, while helping them create a cohesive plan to deal with the stress in their lives today and for years to come. Managing stress takes practice, this workshop encourages the students to self-regulate and show self-compassion while they work on their own individual self-care plan.
Topics Covered
- Identifying the signs of stress in the mind and body.
- Taking action to develop coping skills by creating a personalized care toolbox of practical techniques.
- Appreciating the importance of positive self-care and talk.
- Recognizing that stress is universal, and you are not alone.
English | Grades 6-8 | Up to 100 students
TACKLING ANXIETY AND STRESS THROUGH ARTS AND MINDFULNESS
A one-hour parent online workshop which will be led by a child development expert and will teach strategies, tips and tools that will effectively help parents deal with shy, anxious or stressed children during these unprecedented times. Early intervention and creating a safe and nurturing environment where the child feels protected, understood, in control, and develops healthy habits, is the key to tackling these issues.
Topics to be covered
- Identifying the seriousness of your child's anxiety and stress levels.
- Knowing when to seek professional help.
- Tools to use to help alleviate minor everyday anxieties and stress
- Kid-friendly approach to developing useful strategies.
- Leading by example.
- The importance of exercise.
- Communicating with your anxious child without frustration.
- Developing a safe structure within the home environment.
English | All ages | Up to 300 participants
MANAGING MEANNESS BY CULTIVATING KINDNESS
This one-hour virtual workshop will teach effective conflict management strategies to deal with bullying and everyday negative social encounters. Building social confidence, emotional intelligence and internal resiliency is key to helping children develop the skills with which to handle difficult situations effectively throughout their lives.
Topics to be covered
- Strategies for developing empathy, compassion, tolerance, resolution strategies, social confidence, and inclusiveness.
- Effective techniques to deescalate challenging situations to avoid future issues and increased targeting.
- The root causes of social meanness and bullying behaviours.
- Strategies and tools to help children develop, and maintain, healthy friendships.
- Ways to promote open, supportive communication between students and the adults in their lives.
- The value of leading by example.
- Further resources for development of understanding and skills at home.
English | Adults | Up to 300 participants
PLAYING WITH POETRY
Poetic text is used as a foundation for dramatic exploration. Students use choral speaking, chanting and pantomime to re-enact different poems. Students are encouraged to act out their own interpretation of the poem, play different characters and create new versions of the poem.
Learning Outcomes
- will practice listening to understand
- will use speaking skills and strategies to communicate with different audiences
- will interpret the meaning of poems using basic drama techniques
- will identify ways in which the voice and body can be used to convey thoughts and feelings
- will identify and describe symbols that are relevant to the meaning of stories and poems (ex. a heart as a symbol of love)
- will identify and use key elements of drama and movement to explore "source materials" (poems and other text)
- will represent and explore math repeating, growing and shrinking patterns in a meaningful way
English | JK-Grade 3 | Up to 30 participants
CREATIVE MOVEMENT MAGIC
Beginning with a warm-up, breathing techniques, and stretching and strengthening exercises, the workshop teaches sequences exploring a variety of movement qualities. The class explores centre floor patterns composed of interesting and unique qualities of movement.
Learning Outcomes
- will learn and demonstrate the ability to move and control their bodies in space and time and will be introduced to some basic body and dance vocabulary
- will learn and create short dance pieces
- will learn and demonstrate the ability to use their bodies to respond to the music's rhythm and tempo
- will use and explore movement by composing and decomposing two and three dimensional shapes in math
English | Grade 1-3 | Up to 30 participants
TERRIFIC TABLEAU
Students will learn to focus while in a tableau as well as being aware of their facial expressions, body positions and levels. They will create interesting pictures based on events, environments and themes.
Learning Outcomes
- will identify elements of drama and movement that are best suited for conveying a specific subject or theme
- will identify and use key elements of drama and movement to explore source materials (stories, poems, music, images)
- will identify ways of sustaining concentration in drama (ex. Staying focused in tableaux, staying "present" in the moment)
- will create different interpretations of stories, themes, etc. using pantomime and movement
- will identify aspects of their own work and that of others that are effective, and explain their preferences
- will create and describe symmetrical and asymmetrical math designs through movement
English | Grades 1- 6 | Up to 30 participants
RAZZLE DAZZLE ‘EM WITH JAZZ
Role playing is used as a tool for discovering drama in the classroom during this unique workshop. Students combine voice and physical movement to portray a character.
Learning Outcomes
- will represent and interpret characters by speaking and moving in role
- will learn to maintain concentration when in a role
- will identify their own feelings and reactions in various situations, and compare them with those of a character
- will explore the appropriate use of language, tone of voice, gestures and body movements when speaking as
a character - will use math data surveys and classification to create and explore characters by shoe size, height, age and geographical temperature
English | Grades 1- 6 | Up to 30 participants
CREATING COOL CHARACTERS
Role playing is used as a tool for discovering drama in the classroom during this unique workshop. Students combine voice and physical movement to portray a character.
Learning Outcomes
- will represent and interpret characters by speaking and moving in role
- will learn to maintain concentration when in a role
- will identify their own feelings and reactions in various situations, and compare them with those of a character
- will explore the appropriate use of language, tone of voice, gestures and body movements when speaking as a character
- will use math data surveys and classification to create and explore characters by shoe size, height, age and geographical temperature
English | Grades 4- 6 | Up to 30 participants
IMPROVISATION SENSATIONS
Fun and spontaneity are keys to this dynamic workshop that introduces students to the technique of improvisation. Students learn to think on their feet, co-operate and work together to create short improvisations.
Learning Outcomes
- will be introduced to principles involved in the structuring of scenes
- will solve problems presented through drama, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solutions
- will explore & develop skills to perform in public
- will identify ways of sustaining concentration in drama (ex. Staying in character, or in the moment in a scene)
- will identify aspects of their own work and that of others that are effective, and explain their preferences
- will identify performance techniques that have an effect on the audience's emotions & senses
- will use abstract thinking and math problem solving to create characters on a time journey using linear, sequential and elapsed timelines
English | Grades 4- 6 | Up to 30 participants
PUMP UP THE JAZZ
Pump it up and conquer the basics of this urban dance movement. Using today's music, students will explore innovative dance steps and funk rhythms in an energetic and fun environment. Participants will learn to let their inner beat loose using break dancing, hip hop and street jazz moves.
Learning Outcomes
- will learn and demonstrate the ability to move and control their bodies in space and time
- will be introduced to basic body and dance vocabulary
- will learn and create short dance pieces
- will learn and demonstrate the ability to use their bodies to respond to the music's rhythm and tempo
- will use physical variations and dance to identify and explore location, relative location and mapping of objects in math map coordinates
English | Grades 4-8 | Up to 30 participants
SIMPLY SHAKESPEARE
The works of the Bard are the inspiration for this workshop that engages students with the text and times of this classical theatre.
Learning Outcomes
- will explore and analyze text, and evaluate how effectively they communicate ideas, opinions, themes or experiences
- will explore their roles as readers, viewers & representors (performers) of text
- will demonstrate an understanding of Shakespearean text by summarizing important ideas, using performance techniques
- will be introduced to principles involved in the structuring of scenes
- will identify their own feelings and reactions in various situations, and compare them with those of a character
- will identify performance techniques that have an effect on the audience's emotions & senses introduction to numbers and the math elements of iambic pentameter found in Shakespeare's sonnets
English | Grades 7-8 | Up to 30 participants
Get In Touch
Head Office
54 Twenty-Fifth St., Etobicoke ON. M8V 3P3
Telephone: 416-239-3093 | 1-877-611-2782
Principals, parents, or teachers interested in offering extra-curricular classes or curriculum-based workshops at their school are requested to contact our head office at 416-239-3093 or send us an email to info@artsexpress.ca.
We’ll answer any questions or concerns you have and get your arts programming up and running quickly and painlessly.
Arts Express is a division of Etobicoke Creative Arts Studio Inc.