Preschoolers may have started this week with run-of-the-mill Art Camp T-shirts, but they will leave with their own works of art by the end of the week.

One of more than a dozen art projects each future Picasso will complete this week is a tie-dyed shirt.

The Beaufort County Arts Council has held the five-day summer program for more than 25 years. For three hours a day, children have worked on projects involving art, music, creative dramatics, creative movement and environmental art. The program was open to children from prekindergarten to sixth grade.

As pre-K children learned new ways to create with art, first- and second-graders polished their acting skills with a game of charades.

Pre-K instructor Boo Whichard tried to cram in as many projects as she could and put every art supply at her disposal to use.

“With 4-year-olds, you have to keep them busy. My group does anywhere from 15 to 20,” she said. “Most of my projects are multi-level.”

Whichard said each project would come together to create a puppet show by the end of the week.

Children dried their creations on plastic liners that protected the Civic Center floor from gobs of paint. The plastic liners will even get a new life. They will be shredded and formed into jellyfish.

Whichard joined Linda Boyer and Neva Cashion as returning instructors to the popular camp. This year’s new instructors are Anton Crooks, Nancy Scoble and Caroline Phillips.
Whichard said the preschool students are a joy to work with because they had not reached the age of self-criticism and defeatist attitudes.

“Everything is fun,” she said.