Art to Bring Rain Forest to the Deaf

With the help of Ventura and Los Angeles county agencies, a local artist has devised an art program geared to teaching deaf elementary school kids about the rain forest.

Beginning Feb. 15, an artist who goes by the name VET will conduct eight consecutive Saturday sessions where she will teach students how to use scraps and recycled products to create objects such as jumping frogs and butterflies, to let deaf children understand “how important the [rain forest] is for our survival on this planet.”

One project VET plans to use involves a rain stick to help the deaf children understand the sound of a rain forest.

“Because the rain stick is geared toward the hearing community, we use pebbles or larger beans so the vibration would simulate that of a rain forest,” said VET, who has worked with the Artists in the Classroom program in the Ventura Unified School District for the past five years.

The Tri-County Greater Los Angeles Council on Deafness will provide interpreters for the children, while the city of Ventura will allow the classes to take place at Barranca Vista Center from 1 to 2 p.m. Amgen Inc. has agreed to provide five scholarships for the program, which costs $40 per student.

To register, call 658-4726.