Page 72 – Danforth East Community Association

September 7, 2016

Tool Library after school programs for young makers

Thanks to guest blogger Michelle Mismash of the Toronto Tool Library for this post.

Hello Danforth East Community!
Michelle here to give you an exciting update on the youth programs at Toronto Tool Library’s Danforth location. In April I wrapped up my time at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. You can now call me Master! This summer, we have been working hard to make our youth programs the best that they can be. We have a new name – TTL Kids! – a delightful new logo, a great slogan, and even a super cool mascot! Now we’re about to launch our fall after-school programs. All part of a day’s work as your Youth Programs Coordinator.

At the heart of the maker movement is the idea that all students are creators. Instead of memorizing and regurgitating facts, Young Makers are encouraged to use their skills and what they know to solve problems while designing and building their own projects. We believe in embracing failure as part of the making process, and allowing Young Makers to take risks on the way to creating something great. Making promotes a growth mindset, enhances critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and acts as a powerful force for inclusion. TTL Kids! is committed to ensuring that all Makers in the making have access to mentors, creative spaces, community, and tools.

While the TTL’s makerspace has a community unto itself, being part the Danforth East Community is very important to us. This summer, I might have met some of you while facilitating activities at the East Lynn Park Farmers’ Market. I loved working with your Young Makers to create D.I.Y. spin-art, build marshmallow catapults, fashion buttons, and craft little brush-bots. In the coming weeks, TTL Kids! will be bringing more engaging activities to the market. Look for our tutorials on making spectroscopes, balloon hovercrafts, and pocket LED flashlights! A big thank you to DECA for making space for us, and a great big thank you to all of you for supporting our efforts with youth programs so far!

Why not continue to inspire your Young Makers with a creative, hands-on after school program this fall? To celebrate the beginning of a new school year, we’re offering an early bird discount of 10% off the Youth Program of your choice. Use the code BACKTOSCHOOL10 at checkout before September 15th. Full descriptions of each program are available HERE.

It’s been a blast of a summer, and we can’t wait to meet our new and returning Young Makers this fall!

September 2, 2016

Youth Booth returns to #DECAF16 with talented young artists

For the third year in a row, the Danforth East (Community) Arts Fair will be giving young artists a chance to show off their talents and gain some valuable experience.

Meet our Youth Booth artists for 2016!

Megan’s Art

Megan is a 16-year-old aspiring artist from Rosedale Heights School of the Arts. She loves to paint vibrant still life works and describes her work as Impressionist Acrylic Paintings.

“What my art says about me is that when I see something I think is beautiful and should be looked at differently, I feel I should paint it,” Megan explains.

Thanks to #DECAF16 sponsors, Megan will have her first opportunity to show and sell her work in a public market space.

Welcome Megan!

PIECES by Anngela and Samanntha

PIECES art — PIECES by Anngela and Samanntha, Youth Booth artists.

Sisters Anngela, who is 15, and Samanntha, who is 13, find their inspiration – and source materials – from water.

“We collect beach glass from Ontario lakes and then wrap them around with wires,” say the sisters. “Also, using store-bought glass as pendants, we paint them or glue papers on the back of the glass. We started making jewelry about a year ago and learned from our mother, who has been voluntarily teaching jewelry classes for a Native Reserve Community near Northern Ontario during summer.”

PIECES will be on display and selling their jewelry at the 2016 Danforth East Art Fair, thanks to the generosity of this year’s sponsors.

Welcome Anngela and Samanntha!

The Youth Booth gives young artists an opportunity to bridge the academic world of artistic study with professional practice.This is an excellent opportunity to network with established artists in the community as well as to develop personal portfolios for the future.

The 8th annual Danforth East Arts Fair runs Sept. 17-18 in East Lynn Park. Visit http://deca-arts.ca/ for more info.

August 26, 2016

This is the place to be this weekend

Art, yoga, jazz, Olympians, laneway crawl – Danforth East is the centre of the universe this weekend!

SATURDAY

Art of the Danforth, 10am-10pm in Robertson Parkette (Coxwell & Danforth), FREE

If you haven’t yet checked out this year’s Art of the Danforth (which DECA/Danforth East Arts Fair have proudly sponsored this year) don’t fret. It is not too late. They have created a Festival Hub in Robertson Parkette at Danforth & Coxwell and it’s really very special. If you don’t know where to start, start there. We’ve posted the schedule below but you should particularly note the 3pm Climate Talk (it’s kids interviewing adults and we hear it is really awesome) and the 5pm Syrian Children’s Choir.

12:30pm FREE Neighbourhood Lunch

3:00pm Madeleine Collective – Climate Talks 2

5:00pm NAI – Syrian Children’s Choir – Performance

7:00pm DIRECTOR’s Talk

Yoga in Stephenson Park, Saturday from 9-10am, $5 suggested donation

Jazz at Hope United, Saturday starting at 4:30pm, pay what you can

This Saturday is another Jazz Vespers show at Hope United (Danforth & Main), 4:30pm. PWYC. Paul Novotny and Tom Reynold’s will perform. Here’s a write-up from the Beach Metro for more info.

Penny Oleksiak – Say Congratulations!

A book of well wishes for Penny Oleksiak will be available for signing at Dulux Paint, 2031 Danforth from 11am-5pm on Saturday, Aug 27. This will be presented on Sunday between 12-2 during the formal program following the parade (see below).

PokeParents ‘Learn to Play’, Face to Face Games, 2077a Danforth starting at 2pm -FREE

Face to Face is hosting their third PokeParents event starting at 2pm. Staff will be happy to teach you and your little ones how to play the game or introduce you to other local families interested in the game. Cafe will also be open, including ice cream.

This event is meant for all ages and completely free of charge. Face to Face is above the Pizza Pizza at the corner of Danforth & Woodbine.

Check out the Facebook event for all the details!

SUNDAY

Parade for East End Olympians, Sunday from 11am-noon (rain or shine)

DECA is so proud to be co-organizing the parade for Penny Oleksiak and some other amazing Canadian athletes (still being determined but we will post on Facebook when list is confirmed), along with the Beach Village BIA, Councillor McMahon, MP Erskine-Smith and MPP Potts.

Join us on the route in DECA cheering section from East Lynn Ave to Woodbine! Bring signs, flags and wear red & white!

Note: the parade is not starting in East Lynn Park as some have reported. Please find your spot along the route.

Laneway Crawl, 1-5pm in the laneway north of Danforth between Woodbine & Woodmount, free

We are so excited about our first-ever laneway crawl. DECA volunteers have been collaborating East End Arts and the Laneway Project to pull of this amazing event. If you need the full rundown on all the activities going on, check out our earlier blog post. Here’s a brief refresher of the FREE activities:

5 murals being painted during the crawl – come meet the artists and watch them at work.
pick-up hockey
Zumba dancing
live music
clown
a scavenger hunt by Looking Glass Games
Board games by Game Masters Table
hopscotch
Bunz Zone for trading
Urban Doctors and Art Crawlers.
You can even suggest a name for the lane!

There will also be facepainting for $2 and a laneway patio with refreshments.

Here is a sneak peak of a mural painted last week by local muralist, Monica Wickeler.

Art of the Danforth, 10am-10pm, FREE

Here’s the Sunday schedule – last day of the festival but never too late to check it out! artofthedanforth.com

10:00am Festival Hub Opens

12:30pm FREE Neighbourhood Lunch

6:00pm Centre for Communication and Poetry Research – Poetry Reading

8:00pm A Selection of songs sung by Willis Lloyd

August 24, 2016

Last August Farmers’ Market

As hot as it has been it is hard to believe that summer is winding down and fall is right around the corner. Come out and enjoy the heat while it lasts at the final farmer’s market in August! Here’s the run down of what you can expect this week:

Celebrate 10 years with Fly Girl Fitness: Fly Girl Fitness is celebrating its 10th year helping our community to live a healthy and holistic lifestyle. They offer group training and mindful movement classes along with private training to increase confidence, gain a mind body connection and prevent disease. They will be offering a free Fitness for Boomers at the market. Come out to meet the staff, get information or try a class!
Rube Goldberg and spinning art machines with TTL Kids: Rube Goldberg Machines are always intriguing, come and see what kind of chain reactions the Young Makers have designed this week. Starting at 4pm the spinning art machines will be back courtesy of the Tool Library! Young Makers can explore motors and switches while creating their own piece of art.
Music and creative activities with Blossoming Minds: Enjoy musical activities with Kinder Flute teacher Stephanie Superle and self-guided creative activities with Krista Dahlgren from the Blossoming Minds Learning Centre.
Danforth East Arts Fair in September: The Danforth East Arts Fair is coming September 17-18! Find out more about the fair and how you can help at the market.
13th Street Winery: Stop by for a sample of chardonnay from 13th Street Winery who come to us from the St. Catharines region.

And this just in – we will have a book of well wishes for Penny Oleksiak available for neighbours to sign. We will present it to her on Sunday following the parade (join us in DECA cheering section from East Lynn Ave to Woodbine!)
The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 2 – October 13 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the East Lynn Market Facebook page or by following us on Twitter.

August 18, 2016

Countdown to a laneway crawl!

We’re having a party in the laneway and you’re invited! If you’ve never been to a laneway crawl – you’re in for a treat. We have lots of free activities for all ages including a scavenger hunt, Zumba dancing, live music, pick-up street hockey and the longest hopscotch in the east end. We’re so excited to be collaborating with our friends East End Arts and the Laneway Project. Woo hoo! Mark your calendars, just over a week to go!

lanepartyphoto — Photo courtesy of the Laneway Project

What: Danforth East Laneway Crawl

Where: The laneway north of Danforth between Woodbine and Woodmount.

When: Sunday August 28^th, 1:00-5:00pm.

There’s something for everyone. Come find us on Sunday, August 28th 1-5pm!

Play on the longest hopscotch in the east end
Try Zumba dancing
Meet Buttons the clown
Have some bubbly fun in the lane with Silly Goose
Play pick-up street hockey
Get a beautiful henna tattoo
Visit the City Doctors
Watch seven artists create murals (Also not to be missed Art of the Danforth Aug 20-28!)
Shop the nooks on the lane by Design Nook
Relax on our patio with live music and free cold refreshments courtesy of Paul Indrigo.
Suggest a name for the laneway
Dream about the future with folks from Laneway Futures
Solve the clues on our scavenger hunt by Looking Glass Games
Join a Pokemon Go Worshop in the lane from 1-2pm with Face to Face Games
Play some awesome free games on Woodmount outside Game Masters Table

Share the event on Facebook and come out for some fun, rain or shine!

pokemanlane — Photo courtesy of the Laneway Project

Drop us a line at renew@deca.to if you can lend a hand or if you have a question about the Crawl. We need a few more volunteers and you’ll be working with an awesome group of neighbours.

On Thurs. Aug. 25 between 4-8pm we need help painting/ priming walls and doors to get ready for the murals. Meet in the lane and work any 2 hour shift.
On Aug. 28, help out by directing people through the lane or work on any activity team (two hour shifts).

A great big thank you to all the businesses and residents for lending us their garages and driveways to host the activities. We are so grateful to the amazing mural artists who will be beautifying the laneway with their work. Support from TD Foundation, the City of Toronto & StreetARToronto is gratefully acknowledged.

See you at the #DanforthEast Laneway Crawl!

August 16, 2016

Grab your picnic blanket—it’s movie night at East Lynn!

Summer’s starting to hit its peak, but there’s lots of fun ahead yet at our park! For starters, this Thursday is movie night. Hosted by Councillor Mary Margaret McMahon, the Peanuts Movie will start at 8:30 p.m. It’s a family-friendly flick, so don’t miss it. And no need to make your own popcorn, it’ll be on sale during the screening.

Not able to make the movie? Don’t worry, there’s lots of great entertainment happening at the Market, like a live performance from Sonshine and Broccoli, starting at 5:30 p.m. The Toronto Public Library will have stories for the kids starting at 4:30 p.m. and DesignNook will be running bubble craft activities—visit their booth (and ask them about their newest Nook opening on our stretch of the Danforth).

For your sipping pleasure!

All our awesome farmers will be on site selling delicious produce, meats, baked goods and more this week (don’t miss the peaches! They’re perfection right now), including wineries Rancourt and Creekside.

A wellness break

Come and talk to Pegasus Dance Studios between 4:30 and 6:30 on the benefits of Dance in your child’s life. Not only is dance beneficial for physical development but did you know that emotional, social and cognitive attributes also can be linked to dance! Pegasus will help you find the best extra-curricular activities for your child to keep them happy and healthy this fall, in the Danforth East Area.

Got an old car seat?

Plus, are you looking to get rid of your old car seat? Don’t leave it on the side of the curb, come learn about a unique car seat recycling program that will soon be coming to our neighborhood care of Silly Goose Kids & Merrily Merrily. Red Propeller is a social enterprise that helps Ontario families recycle their kids’ car seats but also provides work to those facing barriers to employment. Talk about a great opportunity to teach your lil’ environmentalist-in-the-making all about recycling. Check out the poster below for the full details about upcoming drop-off dates and locations. (Please don’t lug your car seats to the market this week as the Red Propeller crew will only be on hand to answer questions, the two drop off dates are in September.)

And, of course, swing by the DECA booth to learn more about our work in the community and how you can be a part of it. There’s so much more to come at our Market in the weeks to come–but this one’s going to be a highlight of the season—see you there!

The East Lynn Farmers’ Market runs every Thursday from 3-7:00 p.m. between June 2 – October 13 at East Lynn Park, located on the south side of Danforth Ave, just west of Woodbine Ave. Stay up to date by visiting the East Lynn Market Facebook page or by following us on Twitter.