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Move that table. It’s blocking the sun.
Move that table. It’s blocking the sun.

art skills 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.

left 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?

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Spring Cleaning and Organizing Your Family

I recently went through the messy and exhausting process of deep cleaning of my home office.right 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.

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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. left
 
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.

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Your Child’s Test Anxiety: Why All the Stress?

Standardized tests can strike fear in the heart of any man – young and old, but ever wonder why? It seems odd that a few questions that require a pencil dot on a Scantron Sheet, can bring forth such stress and emotion. This is especially true for visual-spatial learners whose test results don’t reflect their true intelligence or ability.left Testing is designed with a left-brain bias. Linear-thinkers with good short-term memory and deductive thinking skills are much more likely to score well on standardized tests, because they measure the way the left side of the brain works, leaving our right-brain kids at a significant disadvantage.

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Artoozie Workbooks: Kids Art and Drawing

Testing time is coming up and although it can be a stressful time of studying, quizzing and preparing your little ones, don’t forget there are more ways to encourage a love of learning than flashcards and drilling facts… try art! left
Use your child’s love of drawing and coloring to learn! Did you know you can apply your child’s naturally tendency to create towards learning new academic skills in a fun and exciting way? These Artoozie workbooks; Squares, Circles, Patterns and Cats, were intentionally designed as an activity that students can use with an adult or explore on their own for hours of fun.

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Preschool Drawing: Developing Social and Academic Skills

I love art and kids, so it makes a lot of sense that my business, Young Rembrandts, is all about teaching kids how to do art. In Young Rembrandts, we teach a lot of elementary drawing classes, but I have to say teaching preschool classes is my absolute favorite.left I love their enthusiasm and hunger to absorb the world around them – and their skill development is beyond remarkable.

Bringing art to children at an early age has tremendous impact, socially and academically. Look at these ladybug drawings and see what young kids can accomplish with some instruction and encouragement.

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