Medieval Lessons for Mini Lords and Ladies

Five-year-old Aidan Aybar was meticulously putting the finishing touches on his candy castle, complete with sugar cone turrets, gummy guards and a peppermint-stick drawbridge.

"I just slayed a dragon before it could get my castle," he said solemnly. "It wasn't a color—it was an invisible dragon."

Aybar's imagination was symbolic of the very mission of the "Castles & Dragons" summer art camp he is attending at the Katonah Art Center.

Billed as an opportunity for young children to "travel to the legendary land of castles and dragons and learn about Medieval life," the camp is one of 9 "Art & Imagination" camps offered by the center designed to inspire creativity in children ages 3 ½ to 5 with a mix of arts and crafts, free art play, story time, outdoor playtime and collaborative art.

On the day Patch stopped by, instructor Ketih Yerger was busy preparing the dragon for a paint job, but he directed us to a classroom where a group of four-and five-year-olds, including Aybar, were learning about Medieval architecture by creating their own candy castles.

"Medieval times were so creative, with the beauty of castles, the drama of dragons, and they mythical stories," said instructor Brook Meres. "The era lends itself to encouraging creativity in children," she said.

Campers has also created a castle backdrop, about ten feet high, which served as a staging area for impromptu puppet shows during outdoor snack time. On the front lawn, a group of "knights and princesses" were admiring the 14-foot paper-fire-breathing dragon dragon they had helped create.

 "Kids are so regimented during the year, that we hope during their time here imaginations really get going," said Joe Tomasini, an instructor at the center for 15 years.

The dragon was to be painted by campers the following day.

For more information on art classes and camp programs, visit the Katonah Art Center's website. Sessions run until September 3.