GAAH Press Club goes ice skating, creates art

The GAAH Press Club had the opportunity to go ice skating at Rosa Parks Circle and participate in an art activities at the GRAM. Below, the kids detail their experiences.

Shirley

On February 22, 2014, Press Club went to Rosa Parks Circle and the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM). Press Club went ice skating and made art projects.

People were falling and learning how to ice skate. There were also people that knew how to ice skate really well and some decent ice skaters. There was an ice sculpture of a bear and a penguin by Rosa Parks Circle. There were also a lot of cold people, but once they started ice skating, they warmed up.

Inside the GRAM, there were people warming up in the art room, making sculptures of felt. There were insects and animals, and you could also make flowers. It was really easy, and people thought it was fun. There was also hot chocolate that was really, really hot!

It would be a lot of fun if you go ice skating, even if you don’t know how to ice skate. You should at least try it. And if you just give up on skating, you can make insects out of felt at the GRAM and enjoy some hot, hot chocolate.

You should go skating now. Skating is easy once you get the know how to skate. It’s just like learning how to bike. Once you know how to skate, it will be stuck in your mind forever. Just like a sponge absorbing something.

Madison

The Cook Art’s Press Club went to the GRAM and went ice skating at Rosa Parks Cirlce on Saturday, February 22nd for a fun and new experience. They made art in the GRAM basement, including making small statues out of wet felt.

For some people, this was their first time ice skating, and it gave them a new experience and memory. It looked like they had lots of fun for the first time even though they looked pretty sloppy. Though it was freezing, and the skates smelled like feet, they enjoyed it. The Press Club would recommend for other people to participate in the events that they did. This group took home new experiences, joy and some new friendships after this trip.
 

Jose

On February 22, 2014, Press Club went to the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) and to Rosa Parks Circle downtown to skate. As soon as everybody got their ice skates and touched the ice skating rink, BAM! Jose, a Cook Arts student, was skating and fell landing straight looking at the sky as everyone was laughing at him. He got up and kept on going. Skating was a struggle for him and everybody who came with him to the field trip, especially his little buddy Edgar. All of them were having a fascinating time there, but some students felt like they were getting pretty beat up and frost bite in their toes, so they decided to go in the museum to see the art and get some hot chocolate.

First thing they did after stepping in the museum was to put their jackets and winter equipment on the hangars and started to head to look at the art. The students were fascinated with the beautiful art work hanging in the wall and the art that was on display such as sculptures. Jose’s favorite artwork was the tree. Seeing art work wasn't the only thing they did at the GRAM. The people in the museum had some activities for them to do such as making handmade things out of Styrofoam and also received hot chocolate for them to drink because of the cold outside. After they finished looking at the artwork, all of them went outside and to get the others from the ice skating rink. Edgar was still skating, so they asked him to come and leave with them. The field trip for them was fun.
 

Edgar

On February 22, 2014, the Press Club went to the GRAM to do some art activities and to ice skate. The ice skating was in the Rosa Parks Circle, which is downtown next to the GRAM.

Rosa Parks Circle is a huge circle that is in the middle of downtown. A lot of people go there to have fun and get some exercise. “Thump, Thump” The Press Club was falling on the ice. “Ahhh,” Jose of the Press Club said when Edgar almost ran over his fingers. 

The Press Club really liked the ice ring, and they suggested to go do some activities inside the art museum and to get hot chocolate inside the GRAM after they ice skate to get nice and warm. 

Avelycia

On this particular sunny but freezing day, there were a lot of falls and laughs at the Rosa Parks Circleʼs ice rink. There were a lot of people, especially professionals, skating around. I am not even close to the level pro, I just know how it goes. By that, I fell on my butt more than once. It was alright though, because we were going to get hot cocoa afterwards at the art museum. Which sounds pretty good to me.

The walk to the Grand Rapids Art Museum wasnʼt far, considering it was seriously right next to the ring. We strolled down to the room containing the delicious drink, and turns out, they had some activities for us to do. We were all wanting to get to the cocoa, so we rushed toward it hastily. There were two tables, both containing felt. One had two clear, large containers with water and the other one had needles. My friend and I decided to go to the containers. The lady instructed that you take a stab of felt, mold it to any shape you want, rub it around in dish soap, and viola! Your shape is made. The water was just to wash your hands and such. I made a small ladybug, while Shirley, my friend, made a caterpillar.

We decided to go look at the art the museum granted us. My three favorites was this one project this girl had to do. She had to do a self portrait of herself, containing her favorite things. My favorite bands were in it: Pierce The Veil, Sleeping With Sirens and Of Mice & Men. My second favorite was a bird that had a pencil as a beak and an eraser as his rump. I like things like that. Objects mixing in with living. My final favorite one was three trees upside down. They were on their own large canvas hung on the wall. In my own view, it made me feel like we are living in an illusion. We can be upside down or vice versa. North could be south, east could be west. I donʼt know. It was just really cool to think about.

So that concludes that day. As much as I love swimming, I also cherish falling on ice, laughing with my friends. Canʼt forget the cocoa either. It isnʼt very normal to have steamy hot chocolate in the summer. So, it was a pretty cool time.

Kamarria

The Press Club went to Rosa Parks Circle and the Grand Rapids Art Museum(GRAM) on February 22, 2014. The Press Club went because we wanted to experience ice skating and looking at art and write about it and also enjoy it. It was really cold outside when Press Club arrived at the parking lot. Then we walked to go get ice skates. Then Press Club went out to skate. It was really tricky walking to the ice. Then it was even harder walking on the ice; it was really slippery. A lot of the Press Club members had a hard time walking on the ice and held on a lot to the railing. I nearly fell getting on the ice. Some Press Club members came off the railing a little bit, but it was hard. And some used these metal walker-things to help them skate. I used one and kind of got the hang of it. I fell a lot, and it wasnʼt fun. Then most of the Pres Club members got off the ice a little bit them some more got off but eventually got back on.

Then a little later everyone got off the ice and returned the skates. The skaters were pretty good. Some were beginners and some were pros. There was this one guy who was really good and looked and skated like a natural. Then there were these two girls who are really good too. There were a lot of adults with their kids skating, and a lot of smaller kids were falling down.

I recommend Rosa Parks Circle because it was fun, and I enjoyed it very much. If I could, I would go back and try to skate more and get better. And if there is a lot of people, you probably really wonʼt fall down a lot.

Press Club also went to the GRAM museum. When we came in, we hung up our coats and headed off for the childrenʼs gallery. We made some things. We made things out of different colored felt. I made a weird looking butterfly named Bob, Bob the butterfly. He has a blue body, black wings, blue and yellow eyes, and others colors as the inside of the wings and legs and arms and antenna. Then we split up in groups and went and looked at art. I saw a lot of paintings and these really cool bikes and a weird motorcycle. There were paintings of Grand Rapids back in the day and paintings of people. My favorite painting has fish that looked 3D and next to it an exotic quilt. Then there were some sections I couldnʼt view, but I did enjoy myself.

Then we loaded up and left and returned to the Cook Arts Center. And I went home. And that was Press Club's experience at Rosa Parks Circle and GRAM. And I went my first time skating and so that was what I got of that experience. And That was my first time at an art museum.