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Page 12 Art returns to the park. 604-463-2281
May 25, 2010
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Close bonds all about making history Teacher says historical dioramas bring parents and children closer together as they learn. MARIA RANTANEN mrantanen@mrtimes.com
A
group of fathers and sons have been meeting in Maple Ridge during the past few months to learn about Canadian history but it’s a far cry from memorizing facts from textbooks — at the end of the course the father-son pairs will have built a diorama depicting a scene from the Second World War. Todd Farion teaches a course called Hands on History at Southgate Church in Maple Ridge. Pairs of fathers and sons have been meeting weekly to build dioramas of scenes - “snapshots” — from the Second World War in 1/35 scale. At the end of the course, the children have to talk about their diorama and tell what is happening in the battle it is depicting. “I’ve never encountered a child who didn’t eloquently speak (about their diorama),” Farion said. Farion, a self-described “avid history buff,” starts each class with a history lesson, and then the participants get to work on their projects. “I’ve always been passionate about World War II history,” he said. He has also been building models for about 40 years and a few years ago decided to combine these two passions. It started when he was building a model with his daughter about six years ago, and then someone asked him to start teaching history modelling courses in Abbotsford, where he lives. He has taught the course at various learning institutes since then, including the Traditional Learning Academy in Abbotsford and Thomas Haney Secondary. “It just got a life of its own — the reputation just spread,” he said. Primarily, it’s mothers who are home-schooling their children who come to Farion’s courses. The children taking it are usually between eight and 15 years old. “I’ve had eight-year-olds turning out models that look incredible,” Farion said. See DIORAMA, Page 9
Troy Landreville/TIMES
(Top) Joshua Wedge and his dad Mike constructed a diorama of Coriano Ridge, Italy, where Canadian soldiers battled against the Germans. (Above right) While his son Mateo (toque) looked on, Miguel Pires carefully poured Woodland Scenics E-Z Water into a model-sized brook. (Above left) With model tank construction designs laid out in front of them, Josh and Joel Perri painted pieces of a farmhouse.
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