Masterworks held its first ever art camp for children on holiday from government schools last week.

"It was wonderful to provide an educational and fun opportunity for bright youngsters when they were not at school,'' said Masterworks education co-ordinator Julia Pitt. "We need more enlightening alternatives to TV to keep young minds creative and active, that will help them grow and allow them to express themselves in a positive way.'' The main idea behind the camp was to teach environmental awareness through art.

Students created and kept an environmental journal, made mobiles with environmental themes and practised their observation skills by taking a closer look at the things that surround them in everyday life that they would normally take for granted.

On the third day of the camp students went on a field trip to Astwood Park.

They read the story `The Giving Tree', by Shel Silverstein, about a tree that gives up everything to please a little boy that the tree loves.

The message of the story is simple -- that trees are special and should be protected rather than taken advantage of.

Plaques with environmental slogans were hung on the trees in the park in a `Tree Ceremony' and students also had the opportunity to read poems they had written for the occasion.

At the end of the ceremony the children sang a modified Indian Rain Chant which they called their Tree Chant.

They promised to protect the earth and keep it green, to pick up trash we find and keep the oceans clean.

Students and staff were surprised when Works and Engineering Minister Alex Scott and Health and Family Services Minister Nelson Bascome, who was Acting Minister of the Environment as Arthur Hodgson was away, showed up to their little event.

It was then that the students began the second part of their field trip, cleaning up the park.

With garbage bags and rubber gloves they were off.

At first glance they thought there would not be that much to clean up , as, from a causal glance, the public park appeared to be fairly clean.

But when they looked in the bushes and wooded areas they were amazed at what they found.

In a half hour students and staff had collected six garbage bags full of trash.