Artists for Kids is currently working with the Vancouver Aquarium to help heighten awareness of the harm plastics have on our oceans and their inhabitants.

The current art exhibit at the Aquarium is an environment installation by Artists for Kids artist-patron, Doug Coupland.

Three elementary classrooms and Handsworth Secondary art students, have been invited to spend a day at the Aquarium exploring Doug Couplands Vortex exhibit and the other Aquarium galleries.

The students documented their visit in sketchbooks gathering imagery that they will be using to demonstrate their learning. We expect some very amazing art to be created. On March 8^th the students will exhibit their work at the Aquarium just outside the Vortex exhibit.

The elementary classes will also be participating in local stream cleanups and will explore ways that they personally can reduce their use of plastics. Teachers Jennifer Eby, Kate Arkiletian and Rudy Martinello are exploring this topic with the help of the Ocean wise resources available through the Aquarium site.

Ross Road's Grade 6/7 class also received a grant from WWF to support their efforts and will be creating beeswax food wraps as one step in combating single use plastics.

All in all, we think that the project will stimulate not only some very interesting artwork but that it will encourage students and their families to think twice before using plastics when there are safer more earth friendly alternatives.