2026 Workshop Descriptions
Balancing Objects with Cause & Effect Circus
We are excited to welcome Cause and Effect Circus to the stage Saturday night with their award winning show Luminarium. Take this opportunity to learn from true professionals and sign up for a Balancing Objects workshop! Can you balance the impossible? In this fun and interactive workshop, you will learn how to balance objects through games, challenges, and circus-inspired activities. Participants will build focus, coordination, patience, and confidence while discovering the science and magic behind balance. This playful workshop encourages creativity, problem-solving, and plenty of moments of success. www.causeeffectcircus.ca
Puppet Making with Kellie Haines Ventriloquist
A multi-talented entertainer with a background in theatre, clowning, singing and dance, we are very pleased to welcome Kellie Haines Ventriloquist back to Augusto! Kellie will open the evening on Saturday night and will close out the festival with her show A Birdy Told Me So early Sunday afternoon. Kellie will also offer two one hour puppet making workshops on Saturday – a chance to create your very own puppet but be careful – it might even talk back! www.kelliehaines.com
Owl Zipper Pulls with Lara Melnik
Lara needs no introduction – back by popular demand, with workshops that are always the first to sell out! If you have a passion for making little things, you will love this workshop. Lara will share her zest for life and her experience creating with polymar clay to inspire your imagination and bring out the playful artist within you. Be prepared to pinch, roll, poke and sculpt in miniature to create Owl Zipper Pulls – this workshop is for all ages!
Stories In A Can with Janet Patterson
Curious about how to use tiny found objects to tell a story? Join Janet for a fun workshop where you will choose up to five small objects from her collection to create a special scene inside a sardine tin. What story will you choose to tell? The sky’s the limit! Ages 5-6 must be accompanied by an adult.
Needle Felted Cards with Shiela Alexandrovich
Create a soft piece of fibre art with Shiela! Warm fuzzy fun with 95% recovered wool, thrift store materials for the background and wool from Shiela's very own sheep! You will needle felt on a 4”x6” background and then mount your masterpiece on a quality card with envelope. It can be mailed off to a friend or grandparent or taken home as is to be framed! There will be one workshop for ages 5-7 and one for ages 8-12.
Furry, Beady Ice Worms with Karrie Brown
Just imagine a world of snow and ice worms. You can create your own furry pet Ice Worm to keep you company on any adventures you might have in winter or summer. Karrie Brown will use her superb traditional beading and sewing knowledge to help you make a wiggly companion to tuck in your pocket, tickle your arm or just enjoy petting.
Put Your Stamp On It! with Martha Ritchie
Show your style and save the planet, one nose at a time! This workshop is nothing to sneeze at, so don't let it blow past. In a fun-filled creative hour, you can carve your own simple stamp and print it onto a cotton hankie. Combine your printing block with other pre-carved stamps or share it with the group to create a unique and colourful piece of art that is an eco-friendly substitute for paper tissues. Be sure to carve out time for this workshop! Suitable for all ages.
HangingAround! with Martha Ritchie
Do you love keeping company with fairies? Yes?! Then join Marty Ritchie as she leads participants in bending, twisting, sticking, stitching and imagining. We will transform wire, curtain rings, beads, brightly coloured string, and textile scraps into tiny imps with huge personalities. When we wrap it all up, you will have a fairy good companion to hang around with on your next adventure. This project focusses on fine motor skills. Ages 5 and 6 must be accompanied by an adult.
Feather Hair Extension Clips with Christa Egli
Create a fancy hair extension with your choice of plumage! Christa will guide young creators through the process of assembling their own original, wearable art piece. This project, for slightly older kids, requires some fine motor skills. Workshops are for ages 7 – 9 and ages 10 – 12 and ages 7-9 must be accompanied by an adult.
Botanical Bath Bombs with Raven Padmos
Join Raven and learn how to make bath bombs with wild flowers from the boreal forest and garden. The bath bombs are made with sodium bicarbonate, citric acid and natural essential oils. Have fun customizing your bath bombs with different flowers and essential oils and end up with another great take away from the festival! One workshop is for ages 5-7 and one is for ages 8-12. Ages 5 and 6 must be accompanied by an adult.
Splash of Imagination Mural with Katherine Leblanc
Children are invited to help create a vibrant community mural that celebrates creativity, imagination, and diversity. Using recycled paints, collage materials, markers and crayons, participants will decorate individual mosaic-style tiles that come together on a large shared canvas, rsulting in a colourful artwork that can be enjoyed at future festivals.
Robo Rescue Mission with Robotics North
Rescue mini-figs, avoid the lava pools, save the day using LEGO Spike Essential Robots! This workshop is for ages 5-7 only.
Catapult Kingdom
Build. Launch. Conquer. With Robotics NorthBuild a robot to breach castle walls (knock over cup towers)! Kids will experiment with speed and aim using LEGO Spike Essential Robots. This workshop is for ages 5-7 only.
Medieval Times
Catapults, Jousting and Bob to Bot Combat with Robotics NorthDefend your kingdom by creating attachments and coding LEGO Spike Prime Robots. Experiment with speed, accuracy and line following sensors. This workshop is for ages 8-12 only.