We always get excited to hear about how Art with Heart’s books are being used, but when we got Stacey’s email, we were particularly moved.

Agulhas Theatre Works in Johannesburg, South Africa, isn’t able to afford a book for each child, so Stacey used ‘Chill & Spill’ as a jumping off point for the children she serves. These children are learners with special educational needs (mentally or physically challenged eg: bilateral clubfoot, Downs Syndrome, etc).

She adapted one of the activities from the book  that focused on body image and had each of the children create their own life-size puppets which allowed them NOT to be differentiated as able-bodied or disabled children, but united them all as artists and performers.

Working in pairs, the children traced their body outlines and painted puppets on cardboard, leaving ‘holes’ for their own faces. As the children held the puppets, a choreographer guided them in a dance that brought the puppets to life.

This special workshop allowed each child to unlock their inhibitions – each puppet embracing the unique characteristics of their imagination, allowing healing and empowerment. Stacey ordered our books last year and wrote to us recently to let us know what she thought:

“The Therapist’s Companion to Chill & Spill is a great, portable guide book. It’s a well-structured platform both theoretically and experientially for any expressive arts facilitator to use, no matter where in the world your creativity takes you. I have also enjoyed Steffanie’s long distance support and I loved working with these 60 brave children!’

It has been an absolute pleasure to see Stacey’s creativity and support help children in such a meaningful way.

She has made a request for 20 books to be sent for her next round of workshops…but doesn’t have the funding. A donation of $300 would cover the cost of the books as well as shipping to South Africa. If you would like to help, please donate today so we can get the books into her hands!