Art Outside!
Yay - everyone is done with school (or at least close to being done) and is ready to be outside and free! Enrich your trip to the playground, nature trail, pool, or backyard by bringing a few items to engage in art with. Here are some of my favorite low-cost, low-prep ideas that I did with my kids:
Our #1 Art Supply!
If your kids have spent time in the studio (or have heard us rave about this material), you can probably guess our top pick…
Let’s Keep It Simple — Just Water!
For those times when you need something quick and easy to occupy your kids, grab a paintbrush and a little water. That’s it! These two tools can provide so much creativity—and they’re very satisfying and almost calming to use.
Here are a few ways get started:
How to Help Your Child Stay Focused on an Art Project
Perhaps you decided to set up an art experience for your child or grandchild at home. That’s really nice of you!
You introduce it to them, but they only dabble here or there and then are ready to be done. How do you encourage them to stay a little longer?
Here are a few things to consider…
Cardboard Cutting
We Cut A Lot of Cardboard Around Here...
We use cardboard for everything at the studio — building, painting, crafting, sculpting — you name it!
When I first opened, I was cutting every box and shape by hand with heavy-duty scissors. It was painful (literally) and incredibly time-consuming.
And now, in infomercial voice...
Then I discovered two tools that made a huge difference…
Sensory Bins: Part 2
Let’s talk about two questions we get asked a lot:
What do you fill a sensory bin with?
And how do you avoid a huge mess?
Sensory Bins: Part 1
At the studio, we always have a sensory bin ready—it’s great for creative play and child development, and we love changing them with the seasons. We get a lot of questions about sensory bins, so here are some of our favorite tips! Let’s start with the basics…
Incorporating Natural Elements
We LOVE bringing natural items into the studio to use for our projects and kids are always amazed! I will never forget one boy looking at our magic wand station and shouting out, “Are those REAL sticks?!”
Using Scissors
Kids are capable of cutting with child-appropriate scissors from a very early age (2 years old), and last week we witnessed this adorable toddler hold his scissors properly AND cut on his own! It was amazing to watch!
Every teacher will thank you if you allow your kids time to practice cutting. It is a skill we take for granted and yet, I just saw a post from an 8th-grade teacher saying she has several students each year who are not able to cut well with scissors!
Our suggestions for helping your kids use scissors…
The Magic of Tape
Tape is ALWAYS fun, for all ages.
Toddlers and preschoolers are fascinated by tape, particularly masking tape. And it’s a fantastic way to build hand strength and coordination as they pull, tear, and stick pieces everywhere.
Bright Day Birthdays!
Hi Everyone!
We had the absolute joy of hosting a birthday party for one of our long-time students and her friends this past weekend. It was SO lovely and fun!
And we’d love to host your celebration! We've even hosted birthday parties for adults – creativity has no age limit! Visit our ‘Birthday Parties’ page for more information or reach out to Lori at Lori@BrightDayStudioArt.com with any questions.
XO, Miss Lori & Miss Cas
How to Talk with Kids about their Art
When a child is making art, it’s always so tempting to say “That looks amazing!” or “I love what you made.” And we do this all the time!
But, who’s to say that what we think looks amazing means anything? We all like different types of art. And that’s OK!
So, what can we say to our kids instead?
Homemade Playdough
Many of you have asked about the playdough we use in the studio. Yes, we make it all from scratch. It’s quite easy to make, and your kids can help, too!
Dotters, but Magical…
The humble dotter can become an elegant watercolor, with just an easy twist! First, protect your table with a plastic tablecloth or baking sheet. Next, use a Sharpie to draw simple shapes (like hearts!) on thick paper. Then, kids can use their dot markers to dot anywhere on the paper.
Now for the magic…
Social Connection
With so much happening in the world right now, we are beyond grateful that our little studio can be a place of warmth, joy, connection and creative expression…