Being Visual

April 23, 2014

Reading Help

A few weeks ago my sister Diane called to talk about her granddaughter Lanie. left It seems her first grade teacher had some concerns about her reading and wanted to meet with Lanie’s mom and dad. They talked as a family about what the stumbling block might be and remembered our conversations about visual learners. Lanie is a visual learner and she loves to draw. She loves to draw anywhere, anytime, all the time. She takes weekly Young Rembrandts classes at her elementary school. Lanie is a visual learner – but not because she loves art. She’s a visual learner because that is how her brain is wired.

April 19, 2014

Limited Edition: Kiddie Artist T-Shirts

Get your LIMITED EDITION Artists T-shifts from the Bette Fetter store!

Bee an Artist
Artoozie knows that all children can and should be creative! This 100% cotton, tagless Tee is not just comfy, cozy, and adorable… t’s letting your preschooler make a big statement in a teeny-tiny way – Bee an Artist! Available in child sizes xs & s, get it here.

April 16, 2014

10 Family Fun Activities for April

“Spring with its waving green grass and heaps of sweet-smelling flowers on every hill and in every dale. “- Roy Bean
right

April is a great month to welcome Spring and enjoy the beautiful weather with outdoor activities! Enjoy these 10 activities I found that are fun for the whole family:

Enjoy a Springtime Craft like Handprint Flowers!
Welcome the birds back by making a birdhouse!
Enjoy the outdoors and spring weather with a Nature Scavenger Hunt!
Have some fun showing off your artistic abilities and color outside with chalk!
Walk to the nearest playground or have your little one ride their bike!

April 14, 2014

Teaching Kids How to Draw: How to Draw an Elephant

April 12, 2014

Franchise USA Article: Mastering the Art of Franchising

I’ve recently been featured in the latest issue of Franchising USA Magazine. Check out my article here, “Mastering the Art of Franchising” or by visiting the Young Rembrandts Franchise site . Here’s a sneak peak…

“The Young Rembrandts difference is that it’s not just a business or product, it’s a mission,” explains Fetter. “Our franchisees are passionate and mission orientated and the quality of the product doesn’t compare to just any art class. It’s been designed very intentionally to maximize the amount of impact we believe art can have on children academically and holistically.”

April 9, 2014

8 Great iPad Apps for Kids: Reading Apps for Children

Here are 8 AWESOME apps to help your child learn and enjoy reading!

Reading Rainbow: Offers a library of books to users, themed according to a child’s interests (action adventures, magical tales, etc.). Kids can choose to have a book read aloud to them or to read the book themselves. To access more than one book, however, you’ll have to subscribe to the app — a $10 recurring monthly fee or $30 for six months.
Starfall Learn to Read: an app version of the stellar learn-to-read website, Starfall. The app has the same content as the “Learn to Read” section of the site. There are 15 mini-books, each focusing on a specific vowel, along with videos and activities to enhance literacy learning. As with other Starfall apps, the thorough and careful design keeps kids focused on learning.
Martha Speaks Dog Party: A US Dept. of Education-funded study found target vocabulary improved up to 31 percent for children ages 3-7 who played this Parents’ Choice Recommended app over a two-week period. Includes FOUR fun-filled games starring Martha, the talking dog from the popular PBS KIDS TV series MARTHA SPEAKS(TM).

Read More

April 7, 2014

Ready. Set. Draw!

left Here I am at my drawing board filming our new set of ‘How to Draw’ videos. These two-minute videos are free and designed to give you a taste of the Young Rembrandts step-by-step method of learning to draw.

Your children will enjoy learning but even more importantly, they’ll gain confidence that leaves them wanting to do more art. And that’s all good because art and specifically drawing is so good for them, especially if they’re visual learners.

Now, our videos aren’t just for your kids. You can have fun drawing and boost your confidence too!

April 5, 2014

Chocolate Math and Visual Learners

Last night our grandson Brayden had some subtraction homework to do. He had already finished his writing and sight words and his enthusiasm was beginning to fade. To reinvigorate homework time and make the math fun, his mom brought out the math manipulatives, but these were extra special manipulatives. Emily filled a small paper cup about half full of M+Ms. And as much as kids are attracted to small colorful objects, small colorful chocolate objects are really engaging. She explained that he could use the candy to count out and subtract the numbers, and when the homework was successfully completed, they were his to eat.

April 2, 2014

World Autism Awareness Month

The month of April has the wonderful distinction of being Autism Awareness Month, and today, April 2^nd, is World Autism Day. Autism is a neurological disorder that disrupts a person’s learning and socialization. While it affects over 1.5 million people in the U.S., it’s considered a ‘spectrum’ disorder because the characteristics vary from person to person.