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:

• Worx Zipsnip Cordless Electric Scissors
  This was the first tool I ordered (about $44 on Amazon), and it was a game-changer for straight cuts. It has a small round blade protected by a sturdy handle, it’s cordless, and it charges right from a regular wall outlet. I can now cut up about 20 cardboard boxes into neat rectangles in just 30 minutes! It’s perfect if you’re mostly breaking down boxes or cutting straight lines at home.

• VLOXO Cordless Electric Scissors
  This one is my absolute favorite because it does curves—which we need a lot of in the studio. It sells for about $35 on Amazon, is super comfortable to hold, has a long battery life, and charges fast. We keep it in the studio and use it every week.

One last thing: Some types of cardboard — especially extra-thick or double-walled — can be a bit tough for these tools and you may need some extra force. Also, neither of these tools are safe for children to use!

If you do any crafting at home, or break down a lot of boxes, either of these tools could make your life a little easier and your hands will thank you!

We just started a new Bright Day Studio Amazon list with our favorite supplies—and these scissors are the very first items on it.
You can check it out here: https://a.co/2A6zArx

Happy cutting!

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?

Our Favorite Fillers:

All of these options are non-toxic, safe for toddlers, and relatively easy to clean up:
– Dyed uncooked rice
– Corn kernels
– Uncooked oatmeal
– Large dry pasta
– Dry cereal
– Kinetic sand (Note: the store-bought does require close supervision. While non-toxic, if ingested, it can cause GI issues.)

We’ve also tried things like cloud dough (flour & oil), cornmeal, and DIY “snow” (baking soda & water). While they’re fun, they come with a bit more cleanup.

If you’re able to go outside, a bin filled with colored water and some toys is fantastic and simple. Or you can go further, by making Oobleck - just a mix of cornstarch and water that is absolutely fascinating to play with, but also really messy!

A little goes a long way—whatever you choose, you only need a couple of inches of filler, just enough to cover the bottom of the bin.

Favorite Tools & Accessories:

– Small bowls, cups, scoops, tongs, measuring spoons
– Silicone cupcake liners, muffin tins, small funnels
– Large pom-poms, toy figurines, small containers with lids

As with the filler, there’s no need to have a ton of tools in the bin. 

Putting It All Together:

You can keep it simple—or get creative with seasonal themes.

For St. Patrick’s Day, we used green rice, black cauldrons, scoops, gold coins, and rainbow erasers.

Another favorite: corn kernels with farm animals and trucks—or swap in construction vehicles and make a mini job site!

In winter, we love a pretend hot cocoa bin using dry oatmeal and mini marshmallows, paired with Wawa or Starbucks cups, scoops, and spoons. Kids love "taking orders," filling cups of cocoa, and transferring the oatmeal again and again.

Lastly:

Of course, there will be a little mess. You can place a large towel or sheet under the bin to catch anything that falls, and remind your child that the materials need to stay in the bin.

If your child just can’t resist flinging the filler, it might be a sign they’re not quite ready for this type of play yet. In that case, it’s okay to calmly say you’re putting it away for now and try again another time.

Like any new skill, learning to play with a sensory bin takes some practice, repetition, and clear, consistent boundaries. But it’s definitely doable! Feel free to reach out with any questions.

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:

What is a sensory bin? A shallow container filled with a safe material (like uncooked rice or kinetic sand) plus some fun tools like scoops, cups, and tongs.

Best for what ages?
Kids 18 months to 5 years. Kids younger than 18 months will try to eat the materials!

Why are they helpful?
So many reasons! Here are a few:
– Builds fine motor skills (scooping, pouring, using tongs)
– Encourages imaginative play (storytelling and scene-setting)
– Supports cognitive growth (sorting, counting, measuring)
– Provides rich sensory input (touch, sound, smell, sight)
– Offers a calming, focused activity (repetitive motion = flow state)
– Teaches cooperation and turn-taking (sharing tools)

Can I leave my child alone with one?
Supervision is important, even for older kids.

Should I have one at home?

That’s up to you! Kids’ everyday life is already filled with sensory experiences—like bath time, cooking, and outdoor play—so no pressure. I remember a Mom being excited about getting an IKEA sensory bin for their apartment, only to be later dismayed by the supervision needed, the planning/storing of materials and the cleanup. That said, if you’re curious, try something simple and low-mess to start:

Easy idea: Pour some uncooked pasta into a shallow pan or tray. Add tongs, scoops, and small bowls, and let them scoop, fill and transfer!

Next level? Try whipped cream or shaving cream in a tray, with spoons and cups. Add a few drops of food coloring or sprinkles for extra fun. (Whipped cream = edible; shaving cream = easier cleanup and great scent!)

Next week, we’ll talk about filler materials and accessory ideas—and why you might want to be wary of the elaborate bins you see online.

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?!”

All ages have absolutely LOVED the magic wand project (there are several wands on our studio tree that were made by adults) and it’s a fun activity to do at home.

1. Gather some sticks. Look for sticks that are about 5-10 inches long, with smooth bark and no sharp or splintery ends.

2. Check your home supplies for pipe cleaners (glittery ones look super cool), ribbon, yarn and beads, OR pick up a multi-pack of these types of supplies.

3. Set it all out and let the kids create. Glue is generally NOT needed, because the pipe cleaners can be wrapped around the sticks tightly and will hold everything in place. Colored tape can be a fun addition, though.

Won’t kids poke and stab each other with the sticks? In our experience, no. Of course, they should be supervised, but their excitement about what they’re making overrides everything.

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:

Use good kid-friendly scissors, like Fiskars or Scotch brands. There are left-handed scissors available for kids, too!

Start with easy paper to cut - such as tissue paper, receipts, junk mail flyers or one of my favorites - go outside and let them cut blades of grass!

Draw a smiley face on the thumbnail of their dominant hand (or put a small sticker on it) and tell them to look for the smiley face as they’re using their scissors. This will help them align their hand.

Suggest that they turn the paper, rather than turning their hand to cut at different angles.

It’s a great goal to try have your child feeling at least comfortable holding scissors by the time they enter kindergarten.

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.

Kindergarteners and older kids love using colored tape or washi tape to create patterns and designs, or even 3D sculptures. Plus, they can practice their scissor skills while cutting tape!

Just a heads-up—some brands of washi tape don’t stick well at all, which can be frustrating. If you’re using it for a special activity, it’s worth testing it first to make sure it holds.

If you haven’t yet experienced the magic of tape yet, give it a try! It requires little supervision, is much easier to remove than stickers, is easy to store or bring along and kids really do love it!

Waiting for your food at a restaurant? Sitting in a doctor’s office? Lost power? Play art games! Grab the back of a placemat, or a piece of paper and some markers or pens, and you’re all set. Here are a couple of our favorites:

• Mixed-Up Monsters! Each person draws a large shape on their paper. Then, the youngest calls out a number between 1-10. Everyone draws that many eyes on their shape (wherever they want). The next in age, calls out a number and everyone draws that many mouths. Keep going around, until everyone has had at least one turn, and you’ve drawn as many body parts as you like - noses, ears, arms, legs, feet, belly buttons, antennae, etc.! Think of fun names and facts for each monster and introduce them to the group!

• Catch Me If You Can! (Pictured) In this abstract drawing game for two, one person is the leader and the other has to try to catch him! To start, each person puts their pen on a spot they choose on the paper. The leader counts down 3, 2,1, go and begins to randomly move their pen around on the paper. The other person tries to follow everywhere the leader goes! The leader may swerve, pivot, or go from one corner to another! You can also play this game in slow motion or make up new rules for it (maybe you can jump over each other). See where it leads you!

  We also love the classic Dots game and Finish My Scribble. Do you have art games you like to play?

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

Doesn’t this picture melt your heart?! You all are amazing - the things you’re doing for your kids to give them full, happy lives. We feel so privileged that you choose to have Bright Day be a part of that. Getting to know you, watching your kids create, explore, and just be in the studio is the best part of our day — every day.

How to Talk to Kids about Art Making!

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? See some of our suggestions below. We particularly like the ones that encourage conversation - such as “Tell me about this part.” Try some out!

• “What an interesting idea, how did you think of that?”

• “You’ve got really great ideas!”

• “What do you like most about this? What is your favorite part?”

• “Keep going!”

• “I can’t wait to see what you do next!”

• “I wonder… I notice… I see…”

• “I noticed you used lots of _____, is that your favorite color?”

• “I can see you’re feeling really proud of your work!”

XO, Miss Lori & Miss Cas

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!

There are a LOT of playdough recipes online (some you cook on the stove, some are “no-cook”). Our favorite recipe is below. Before you begin, make sure you have some Cream of Tartar on hand and a LOT of salt.

What you’ll need:

• 2 cups of flour

• About 1 cup of salt

• 2 TBSP cream of tartar

• 2 TBSP vegetable oil

• Food coloring (optional)

• 2 cups of boiling water

Directions:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a rolling boil.

• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl or metal pot.

• Make a well in the center, add the oil and several drops of food coloring (if using). Then add boiling water.

• Stir. Don’t panic — it may look too dry, or too goopy. Keep stirring until it starts to hold together and become dough-like, then let sit for a few minutes.

• Take it out of the bowl and knead for several minutes. If at this point, it’s sticking to everything you can add a few more sprinkles of flour.

• Shape into balls and lightly cover with a dishtowel until cool (although it is very fun to play with while still warm!)

• Once cool, store in air-tight container or bag.

Let us know if you have any questions! Enjoy!

XO, Miss Lori & Miss Cas

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… After they’ve dotted to their heart’s content, hand them Q-tips and a tiny cup of water. As they gently brush over the dots, the ink spreads like watercolor—blending, swirling, and creating a whole new effect!

It’s a simple way to add an extra layer of creativity to a classic activity—plus, it’s mesmerizing to watch! Try it out!

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.

This is particularly true for our Wednesday 4:30pm class for 5-7 year olds. There are three children who attend EVERY week and we have modified the class, over time, to fit what they love most — open play, followed by an art project with a lot of agency and choice, and ending with a snack and story time.

Each one of these components is just as important as the other and has allowed some wonderful skills and friendships to develop. There are no tearful goodbyes at drop-off — the kids are so comfortable at the studio, that as soon as they walk in the door, they stow their things and head right up front to play!

As corny as it might sound, this would not be possible without YOU! Your choice to spend your time, energy, and resources to bring your children to the studio means everything. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.

That being said, we could use your help to grow our enrollment. Word of mouth is our best friend—if your kids have enjoyed their experience, please share the love with your friends and neighbors! The more we grow, the better we can meet your needs and continue to offer fun and creative experiences.

XO, Miss Lori & Miss Cas