Submitted by Orcas Recycling Services.

If you have Orcas Island School District kids at home between the ages of 5 and 18, Art for Orcas Kids is offering free weekly age-appropriate art packs during this period of social distancing.

Brook Meinhardt is organizing the effort. Meinhardt, a teaching artist, New York City native and award-winning illustrator who now lives on Orcas Island is in charge of the project. “As a parent and teacher, with kids out of school, and families challenged with a new paradigm of homeschooling, I thought I could help,” says Meinhardt.

Educated at the Parsons School of Design, Meinhardt’s work has been featured in The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone and many other national publications.

“I came up with this idea that I could use the “prompts” I learned in art school and put together a box with instructions and materials that would help my students stuck at home to do projects with their families. It’s turned out to be a big hit!”

Pictured are Brook and her son, Henry Meinhardt-Moe, picking out random items from The Exchange, the reuse store on Orcas and co-sponsor of the program, to include in the art kits.

Meinhardt says older kids have been challenged with a graphic novel project, and younger kids are provided with simpler arts & crafts-style projects. Every kit has age-appropriate exercises, activities and materials.

The program is being financially sponsored by generous donors to the AOK arts program for kids. Orcas families can order the free kits for their children by emailing aokartfororcaskids@gmail.com. Include the child’s name, age and grade. Tax-deductible donations are also happily encouraged!