Summer Activities to Nurture a Young Artist

When children are young, creating art is encouraged with abundant crayons, paper and praise. But as young children grow older, too often artistic activities are neglected in favor of academic projects. A career as an artist depends on many things, one being a nurturing environment to create art. Here are three activities you can do with your child this summer to create art and encourage creativity and expression.

3 Summer Kid's Projects to Develop Artistic Creativity

1.  Museum scavenger hunt: Take a field trip to your local art museum and hand your child a list of works or artists to find. Provide age-appropriate tips and tidbits as clues to find the artwork. For a pre-teen with a cell-phone try a clue like:

this pop artist is famous for his painting of a Campbell's soup can

2. Set up an easel in a park: Kids are used to drawing at home or 

at school, drawing outside with an easel and pad is a totally different experience. Some children are easily distracted when asked to draw outside: a viewfinder to define the scene can be helpful.

Make your own viewfinder: a piece of 8x10 inch cardboard with a rectangle cut out as a window, about 3x4 inches. viewfinder instructions here

3. Draw a night scene: When children draw nature, they're 

typically encouraged to draw daytime scenes: flowers, sun, blue skies. Take advantage of the nice summer evening weather and (no morning school alarm) to draw night scenes, encouraging different colors and shading than daytime scenes.

For inspiration, discuss Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night.

I'd love to hear how you encourage art in children!

à la prochaine,

Shirley

The Artist's Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children

Art brings such joy and purpose to my life, I can't imagine living in a world without art. And yet, I understand that not everyone shares an artistic view of the world. But I believe art can be nurtured and encouraged, particularly when started at a young age.

I recently discovered the book The Artist’s Way for Parents: Raising Creative Children by Julia Cameron. I was not familiar with Cameron's book The Artist's Way, but understand that many parents wanted her to write this book to help them encourage raising children to be creative and to practice art.

I also understand that for some, encouraging creativity in their children does not come naturally. So I welcome Julia Cameron's efforts to provide a how-to book for parents who want to raise their children to experience and appreciate creativity.

The Artist's Way for Parents is written in a very straight-forward, easy to understand way; with exercises and activities parents can use with their children:

• storytelling
• a walk in the park
• making music
• creating art

Julia Cameron is an artist (poet, playwright, and filmmaker), and many of the ideas she shares are activities she used in raising her own daughter. 

Every child is creative. And every parent is creative. Your child requires joy, and exercising creativity, both independently and together, makes for a happy and fulfilling family life.

~ Julia Cameron

I think The Artist's Way for Parents would make a wonderful gift for any parent and child in your life!

à la prochaine,

Shirley

Using Technology to Stimulate Children's Interest in the Arts

Children have a natural interest in observing and creating art: every parent knows that providing their child with crayons and paper can occupy an entire afternoon, and the art produced can decorate an entire refrigerator! Every parents prepares for the day their child gets their first harmonica, or toy piano: and the endless "music"

As children become older and their schedules are full of gymnastics, swim lessons and play dates there is less and less time reserved for creating art. In previous generations, the kids had "Art" and "Music" as part of their school schedule. Now budget constraints have eliminated the arts from many schools.

Kids today love technology and are very comfortable using smartphones, tablets and laptops. I'm excited to learn about new apps and games for kids that stimulate their interest in the arts.

Here are some art and music apps that will develop your child's love of the arts:

1.  MoMA Art Lab is a free app from the Museum of Modern Art in NYC for kids age 7 and up with nine activities to create artwork inspired by MoMA's collection, including Henri Matisse and Alexander Calder.

guides you through different styles of modern art and then lets you give it a try yourself, just like a great teacher would do.

~ Cool Mom Tech

The MoMA Art Lab app is free at the Apple Store.

2.  Mini Monet Creative Studio and Art Club for Kids is a free-form drawing app where kids can join the art club to share their drawings and earn point for drawing. The system for earning coins for sharing is a little confusing, but its not necessary to participate to use Mini Monet. Designed for ages 4-8.

Mini Monet is $1.99 at the Apple Store. 

3.  Mibblio is a music app that combines stories and music to form MIBBLETS: illustrated songs with loads of musical features that enable kids to read along, sing along and jam along.  

Download the free Mibblio music app for kids for iPad at the Apple Store. The first Mibblet is free, additional Mibblets are $.99 each.

4. Zebra Paint is a coloring app for young children - around age 3-5 - to fingerpaint with their fingers and choose their own colors for the 24 templates.

Zebra Paint is a free Android app, Zebra Pro is available for $.99.

I love how technology and art come together to help children appreciate the arts. How do you foster a child's interest in the arts? Tell me: I'd love to share your tips!

à la prochaine,

Shirley