A Sneak Peek Into Funtastical Studios Art Classes For Kids

Coming this fall I will be teaching some new classes to kids ages 6-10!  I have been busy trying and experimenting with lots of mediums to make this a funtastical experience for kids.  I love the diversity in art and the varieties of materials you can work with.  I know that kids love that too!  So, I have intentionally mixed up a lot of the media to allow kids to really experiment and get the creative juices flowing!  Each week the kids will be introduced to a new medium and learn new technique while having lots of fun.  This fall the theme will be artsy animals.  We will be looking at all kinds of different animals that we will re-create and even invent.  We will be doing drawing labs, printmaking, sculpture, acrylics,  watercolours, and more!  There will also be a fun art game to play each week.
Here are a few of the projects we will be creating!

Mixed media sculpture: creating your own creature 

Mixed media birds

Drawing lab: doodling your favourite animal/bird

Contour giraffes: watercolour

Paper Mache: underwater creatures

So there you have it.  I will be developing a few more ideas over the summer.  Keep watch on our blog, Facebook page, and website as we get closer to the fall.  We'll make sure to post how you can sign up if you live in our area.

Trish

Volcano Fun: A Creative And Educational Experience

So today I am throwing some science into art or maybe some art into science.  Science has never been my strong suit or something I have liked, but with a little creative twist it can be so much more fun!!!  My daughter seems to be fascinated with volcanoes, so after studying them a little bit we decided it was time to make one.  This is a fairly easy project that you can do with kids at almost any age.  They all love it and you can make it educational for them as well if you like.




This is what you will need:
6 cups of flour
2 cups of salt (yes that's right...cups)
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
2 cups of water
laundry soap
vinegar
red food colouring
baking soda

Let the mess...I mean FUN...begin!

First, mix together the flour, salt, vegetable oil and water in a bowl.

Next you will put warm water and a few drops of laundry soap in a small water bottle.  You can add some red food colouring for a lava look if you like!  Add in 2 teaspoons of baking soda and mix them all together.

Build the flour mixture up around the water bottle to make the shape of a volcano.

Decorate your volcano any way you like.  We used liquid watercolours and made it a colourful volcano.

And get ready for the eruption! Slowly add vinegar into your water bottle and watch it bubble up and erupt!

It can get pretty messy so I would recommend that you have a tray underneath to collect all the lava!
Our kids loved this fun project and I'm sure yours will too!  Have fun!!!

Trish

Easy To Use Resources For Creative Young Minds: A Sneak Peek Into Our New Curriculums.

At last Steve and I have created some art and music books for you parents to use and learn at your own home!  We often have people asking us for ideas that they can use with their kids for art or music.  Finally we've got some practical ideas and guidance for you to use not only with your kids, but for you to use and learn from as well.

Introducing Art lessons for Kids, a step by step guide to teaching art lessons for your kids.  There are 8 weeks of lessons and in it you will see a diversity of art lessons, a complete list of materials, art games that kids love, and even my favourite snacks to serve.  We get our hands in all kinds of fun materials from clay to paint to learning sketching.  The kids will have opportunity to express their own creativity as well as learn skills along the way.  These are all lessons I have personally done with kids and have found to be fun and helpful for teaching children.

Steve has been teaching children and adults guitar lessons for years.  A few years ago he wrote Guitar Made Easy,  a teaching book to assist his guitar students in learning the basics of technique, chords, theory, and a number of other topics.   He's used this very method successfully with all his beginner students over the years.  At last he is making it available to purchase.  Even if you have never played guitar, this is a step by step guide that is easy for the beginner to learn with.  With his colourful pictures you will be able understand his explanations with ease.
Check out the photos below for a sneak peek into our new books.  They are selling for $20 each and you can purchase them on our website.

Happy Creating!!

Trish