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 to Use Transition Times to Ease Back to School Stress
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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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Are You Dreading Summer Travel With Your Kids?
Chances are, if you have young kids, you’re planning some sort of car or air travel this summer. Are you are dreading it? When my kids were young, I would take them to Michigan to see my parents every year after school was over – 3 kids, by myself! I learned a lot about what …
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How Art Can Help With Body Image & Perfectionism
How many of you have struggled with body image? I know I have. In fact, I don’t know many women who haven’t struggled with it at some time. We may have been raised with constant reminders don’t get fat, but clean your plate. And we are constantly bombarded with images of perfectly proportioned people without a wrinkle or hint of cellulite. What we don’t realize is …
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Easing the Transition to Summer Vacation!
When my kids were in elementary school, the first few days of summer vacation were always terribly unpleasant. There was lots of bickering & obstinate behavior. It finally dawned on me that they were struggling with the transition from school to the unstructured days of summer! Transitions are tough for kids, especially those who have …
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How To Talk To Your Child (Or Anyone) About Her Art
When your child shows you a picture she has just drawn and you can’t tell what the heck it is supposed to be, don’t ask her “What is it?” Although that may be the question that is top of mind for you at that moment, there is good reason to hold back and ask her …
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The ART of Slowing Down
When Connie finally made the decision to have foot surgery, she knew it came with the heavy requirement that she stay off of her foot for a full three months. Absolutely no weight-bearing activity. As a fit, active, person who enjoys hiking, kayaking, working out at her local health club and gardening she wondered how …
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Easy Ways to Avoid Summer Slide
Have you heard of the summer slide? I’m not talking about a playground slide, but rather a slide downward that kids tend to make in learning during the summer. It is sometimes called summer learning loss or summer setback. These names all refer to the phenomena that many children begin the next school year with academic achievement levels lower than they were at the beginning of summer break.
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