I design the monthly boxes for Outside the Box Creation. Each box includes a book to read to spark kids’ imaginations and set the stage for the art project. I try to choose books that are unique, somewhat less mainstream or even a little bit older, so that parents and kids are less likely to …
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3 Awesome Books to Spark Your Child’s Imagination
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Drawing Brings Out the Best in Your Brain
I’ve always viewed drawing as a necessary part of art, but it turns out it’s much more than that. Drawing is really good for us and really awesome for kids! Drawing uses both halves of the brain. Our brains have two hemispheres, two halves. The two halves are connected by a broad band of nerve …
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Success in Life STEMS from Art
Have you noticed that many schools are promoting STEM to the exclusion, or at least minimization, of the arts? I firmly believe we must be promoting STEAM (science, technology, engineering, ART and math). And there are compelling reasons to do so despite the fact that the STEAM acronym has been slow to gain traction. Try …
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Cultivating Visually Literacy – a 21st Century Skill
Kids are bombarded with images every day – both still images and moving images! We typically only hear the word literacy connected to reading and writing,but in our image heavy world today it is more important than ever to give our children the skills to make meaning out of these images and to use images to convey their own thoughts, feeling, and ideas.
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Is It Arts or Crafts?
The terms arts and crafts are frequently used interchangeably these days. Have you ever wondered what the difference is? Does it matter?
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How To Create Art Invitations for Your Child
You know how important art is for your child’s development so you want to encourage him to do more art. The first thing you’ll want to do, if you have the space, is create a designated art area. It doesn’t have to be an entire room. Just a corner. The key is to have art …
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How to Use Transition Times to Ease Back to School Stress
August and back-to-school season have always evoked mixed emotions for me. I feel sadness at the end of lazy, long, warm days of summer. Having my kids around for long periods of unstructured time is such a gift (well mostly). Summer has always been a time to take trips and spend lots of time outside, …
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How Young Should You Start Exposing Your Child to Art?
For many, parenting is the hardest job we’ll ever have to do. From sleepless nights to comforting their fears, parents are on the front lines when it comes to encouraging and fostering their son or daughter’s early childhood development. There are many blogs and opinions out there when it comes to how young you should …
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6 Awesome Art Supplies to Jump Start Your Creativity
Whether you’re a total beginner who just wants to start doing a little art, a mom who wants to get creative with your kids, or an artistic person who wants to get more serious about art, the art supplies you use make a huge difference. You don’t have to purchase the very best of everything, …
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Pretty Projects or A Better Process?
Over the years, I have had discussions with many parents and several elementary classroom teachers about the desire for pretty products versus a valuable process when it comes to kids’ art. The last year I was an art docent in my daughter’s classroom, her teacher was getting pressure from parents of some of her other …
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