Art for Kids
Move that table. It’s blocking the sun.
How can you have a sunny day at the beach, while confined to the Chicago suburbs over spring break?? If your kids have a spirit of adventure, an active imagination and a few choice props – anything is possible.
One of my favorite ‘staycation’ family memories happened years ago when our girls were in elementary school. It was spring break and we were excited to have a week without homework and time constraints, mom included. And at our house that meant lots more time for playful adventures.
One day, without realizing what I would inspire, I brought home three inexpensive pink and white striped tote bags, one for each daughter. Inside each bag was a pair of summer flip-flops. As I gave the girls their tote bags, I could see big sister Laurie’s wheels start turning. She quickly swept her younger sisters into her imagination and upstairs to change. Soon they reappeared holding beach towels, wearing swimsuits, sunglasses and their new flip-flops. The dining room chairs were quickly moved away from the table, the towels spread out underneath and a sunny afternoon beach adventure ensued.
How can you encourage creative at home adventures?
Spring Cleaning and Organizing Your Family
I recently went through the messy and exhausting process of deep cleaning of my home office.
I noticed that my crowded work space was beginning to affect my mental space, so it was time to dig in and declutter. The piles on my desk were overwhelming, my bookshelves overflowing and my filing system completely ineffective. So after considerable time spent sorting, purging and reorganizing, I can say it was worth every bit of the effort. Not only is the space more inviting, the atmosphere itself feels cleaner and I feel there’s room for me and my thoughts now.
As much as a good purging and declutter is for us as adults, it is even more significant for our kids. Young children are in the process of developing internal order and the space around them profoundly affects them externally and internally.
Inspire your Child: 12 Family Fun Activities To Do In March
“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow”
- Boost your luck this spring by finding a Four Leaf Clover
- Make your OWN Shamrock Shake: Just combine mint chocolate chip ice cream and milk into a blender
- Go on a treasure hunt: Shake off those winter blues and get everyone outside for a spring treasure hunt.
- Celebrate the Irish with a St. Patrick’s Day Craft…like this Pot of Gold
- Think Spring by planting a little seed in an indoor pot: Herbs are great to keep indoor by a window and they can be enjoyed all summer long!
The Cactus: Show Us How You See the World
This is one of my all time favorite drawings. My son did it when he was in first grade and attended weekly Young Rembrandts classes. Like all parents, I am especially fond of anything and everything my own kids do, but this drawing represents so much more. 
First – he drew a collection of cacti! Not sure that would ever have happened without being in a drawing class.
Then – look at all those details! Check out that line work, the colors, and the multitude of careful little lines for the ‘pokey things’ on the cactus. You can tell by looking at it, he really enjoyed the line work and all the careful coloring.
News in Franchise Development
This March will mark our 26th year of operating Young Rembrandts drawing classes. And while some things get better with age – other things need refreshing and updating over the years.
Technology and marketing are two of the things that need regular refreshing and updating. A few years ago we invested in a new website for Young Rembrandts classes that included the most up to date online enrollment technology – all for the convenience of our parents. Today I’m excited to announce the release of a second new website dedicated to Young Rembrandts franchise sales; www.youngrembrandtsfranchise.com
Dr. Seuss: Read Across America
A few days from now (March 2nd) will mark the birthday of one of childhood’s favorite authors, Dr. Seuss. Over the years, Seuss has become a household name; the brief mention of him always brings crazy imagery and catchy rhymes to mind. 
In honor of his birthday, National Read Across America Day was named and is held on the school day closest to March 2nd (Seuss’ birthday).
Get Ready for Testing
Testing time is here in many US schools. When my kids were young, there was much less emphasis on standardized testing and test results. Now schools devote much of February getting kids prepared for standardized testing that happens in March.
In some schools preparation is a review of material they have been learning in the classroom. In others it can mean a whole shift to cover material that they haven’t covered, but will be tested on. With all that’s weighing on test results; from teacher pay to school funding, there can be a tendency to stress. Parents may be stressed on what it means for their child. How might their child be ‘labeled’. Teachers can be stressed. School and district administrators are stressed – again because there’s a lot riding on those test scores.
Are Cutting the Arts Putting us in Hot Water?
There is a rather critical matter at hand in education and I want to speak very directly about it. The arts are being eliminated from our schools and testing is on the rise. There is a prevailing notion that we need less of the arts in order to make more time for the subjects that are being tested and for the tests themselves.
This line of thinking actually results in lower test scores and disconnected, discouraged, under-achieving students. Why? Because the arts, the very thing schools want to eliminate, are essential to the majority of the student population; not because art is a fun way to relax or express oneself – but because the arts actually fuel the brain. The majority of the student population are visual-spatial learners that NEED the arts to think effectively.
