Zia Family Focus Center Inc

ZIA FAMILY FOCUS CENTER HAD AN AMAZINGLY PRODUCTIVE YEAR WE OFFERED NINE CLASSES PER DAY DURING THE FALL 23 AND SPRING 24 SEMESTERS STUDENTS WERE ENROLLED IN MORE CLASSES THAN EVER COMPARED TO OUR PREVIOUS YEAR THERE WAS AN INCREASE OF AROUND 65 CLASS HOURS PER SEMESTER, WHILE WE SERVED THE SAME NUMBER OF CHILDREN. THROUGH FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS OUR RESIDENT ART INSTRUCTOR WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE EIGHT BRAND NEW SEWING MACHINES. WE ALSO RECEIVED DONATIONS FOR WOODWORKING MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES TO ENHANCE OUR WOODWORKING 101 AND ADVANCED WOODWORKING CLASSES AND CAMPS. ZFFC PARTNERED WITH THE NATIONAL DANCE INSTITUTE OF NEW MEXICO TO OFFER HIP HOP AND MINI MOVERS. WE ALSO HOSTED EXPLORA FOR OUR THIRD YEAR IN A ROW FOR ONGOING STEM CLASSES. OUR DAY CAMPS FEATURED KIDS COOK A MULTICULTURAL COOKING EXPERIENCE FOR ALL GRADE LEVELS. IN ADDITION OUR SUMMER CAMP WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED, WE HAD 60 STUDENTS TAKING MORE CAMPS THAN ANY OTHER YEAR IN RECENT HISTORY FOR THE FIRST TIME WE OFFERED A SCIENCE CIRCUS AND ECOLOGY CARNIVAL: CLOWN COYOTES AND JUGGLING JACKALOPES WITH ENDION SCHICHTEL, RING LEADER FOR THE CONSERVATION CARNIVALE SCIENCE CIRCUS. CHILDREN DESIGNED AND CONSTRUCTED A COMMUNAL 3D DREAM CITY IN THE DREAMVILLE IN THE MAKING CAMP, INCLUDING A MINIATURE ART GALLERY WE OFFERED TWO MINDFULNESS/MEDITATION CAMPS: WONDERLAND: THE ART OF INVENTION AND KIDS AND THE CREATIVE SPIRIT WHERE THE KIDS EXPLORED THEIR INNER WORLD THROUGH STORYTELLING, POETRY, ART, ROLEPLAY AND MUSIC. IN VIVA MEXICO THE ART, FOOD, MUSIC AND CRAFTS OF MEXICO WERE INVESTIGATED IN ESPANOL A SAMPLING OF THE ART CLASSES WE OFFERED INCLUDE: ZOO DOODLES, THE HEROVERSE: COMIC CREATIONS, COSTUME DESIGN FROM AROUND THE WORLD, GLOBAL TREKKERS: ART AND ARCHITECTURE, WILD THINGS CREATURE CRAFTING, MOLDABLE MATERIALS: SCULPT IT MAKERSPACE THE ART OF INVENTION, PIXEL PRINTMAKING AND BLOCK PRINTMAKING, CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: CHARACTERS AND COSTUMES, FASHION FORWARD: WEARABLE WORKS OF ART, KIDS N CLAY, WOODWORKING MASTERS, THE ART OF WOOD 101, ART AND WORD: SKETCH AND LISTEN, PROJECT PETS: A MAGICAL WORLD, TEXTILE CREATIONS, OFF THE WALL: INSTALLATION ART, TO NAME JUST A FEW A SAMPLING OF THE MINDFULNESS/FITNESS/DANCE CLASSES WE OFFERED INCLUDE: SOCCER SKILLS AND DRILLS, DECATHLON: BETWEEN A WALK AND A HARD PLACE NDI DANCE: MINI MOVERS, INNER-OUTER-SPACE-TIME: YOGA AND MORE, MINDFUL EXPLORERS, RUNNING CLUB, AND WE DANCED... BASKETBALL 101, NDI DANCE: HIP HOP, ARTFUL DODGERS (DODGEBALL), DANCE AROUND THE WORLD, TEAM BUILDING CHALLENGE GAMES, CREATIVE DANCE: STEPS AND STYLES, MIND AND MOVEMENT, JUMP STARS, CHOREOGRAPHY: A DANCER'S TOOLBOX, FITNESS BOOTCAMP A SAMPLING OF THE COOKING/OUTDOOR/NATURE/GARDENING, STEAM CLASSES WE OFFERED INCLUDE: EXPLORA: SEEDS OF STEM AND THE SCIENCE OF NATURE, OUTDOOR EXPERIENCE, THE ART OF FOOD, DOWN TO EARTH(WORKS) OUTDOOR ART, PLANTS AS TEACHERS/PLANTS AS HEALERS, KITCHEN HERBALISM FOR KIDS, GARDEN TO PANTRY, BIRDS EYE VIEW: ART AND NATURE, LET'S BUILD: PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES, LEGOLAND, 3D ART LAB: OUT OF THE BOX, OFF THE PAGE, WOW OF SCIENCE: MAGIC MOMENTS, BRAINGAMES ZFFC EXPANDED ITS POLLINATOR GARDEN, ADDING MORE NATIVE SUNFLOWERS AND WILDFLOWERS TO OUR GARDEN. THE KIDS PLANTED VEGETABLES AND HERBS AND CREATED THEIR OWN STEPPING STONES. WE MADE BIRD HOUSES (COURTESY OF EXPLORA), CREATED WATER FEATURES AND WATCHED THE BIRDS, BEES AND OTHER POLLINATORS VISIT US WHILE WE ALL ENJOYED NATURE IN OUR URBAN ENVIRONMENT WE WATCHED AS ONE NATIVE TREE, A DESERT WILLOW (DONATED A FEW YEARS AGO AND NOW 15 FEET TALL) SEEDED ITSELF AND CREATED A SHADE OASIS WHERE ONCE THERE WAS ONLY HARD PACKED DIRT WE ARE ALWAYS PROUD TO EXHIBIT THE KIDS' CREATIONS ALL OVER OUR BUILDING FOR EVERYONE TO SEE, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY TO SHOW THE CHILDREN HOW MUCH WE VALUE THEIR CREATIVE ENDEAVORS. IF YOU VISIT YOU WILL SEE BUG BANNERS (ART AND NATURE) IN THE KITCHEN, AN ALEXANDER CALDER INSPIRED MOBILE (ART MASTERS) HANGING FROM THE CEILING, A VERSION OF CLASSIC TILES FROM PORTUGAL (GLOBAL TREKKERS), SEA CREATURES (THE OCEAN IN THE DESERT SUMMER CAMP), A DRAGON FEATURED ART WALL COMPLETE WITH A DRAGON TREASURE HOARD (COMPLETED DURING A DAY CAMP), KIDS PORTRAITS (LISTEN TO YOUR ART) A GIANT MEDIEVAL CASTLE (ART AND ARCHITECTURE) AND BEAUTIFUL DRAWINGS OF BIRDS (ZOO DOODLES). PLEASE COME VISIT AND SEE THE INCREDIBLE ARTWORKS FOR YOURSELF PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE AT ZIAFAMILYFOCUSCENTER.ORG HERE YOU WILL FIND DOCUMENTATION OF OUR PROGRAM, CLASSES, CAMPS, WILD VISITORS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY YOU CAN SEE THE KIDS AT WORK, CREATING COMMUNITY AND ART... BUILDING THEIR CREATIVE COMMUNAL ENVIRONMENT DAY BY DAY, SEMESTER BY SEMESTER, YEAR BY YEAR. THE YEAR 2025 WILL MARK 35 YEARS FOR ZFFC THAT'S 35 YEARS OF GROWING THE COMMUNITY AND CELEBRATING KIDS' CREATIVITY