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Earth Day Art
Yay for Earth Day! Earth Day is April 22nd and there are lots of ways you can celebrate with your kids. My favorite way is to get out in nature. We love to go on hikes or just hit Seattle’s urban trail...
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How to Plan a New Project
Our kids are capable of big bold fireworks in this world and in last week’s post I talked about the best way to help them keep ideas sparking as they grow. Next is developing a game plan, because...
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Teach our Kids to Fail
We all want to raise confident and creative kids who fearlessly pursue their ideas, right? What’s the best way to accomplish this? Help them get comfortable with and learn from their failures. In last...
View ArticleHow to talk to your kids about what they create
Wouldn’t it be cool if you could better understand what your child’s experience and process was when making their art? What was going through their creative mind when they drew that picture or...
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Change I Can’t to I Am- through Art
An 8 yr old girl comes into the classroom and she’s excited to learn to draw horses. She’s also afraid because she thinks they’re hard to draw. She sits down with her paper and pen. She starts to...
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Develop Focus through Drawing
The skill of focus is one of the most important lessons we can teach our kids as it underlies the acquisition of everything else our kids learn. Often with our busy lives we unintentionally teach...
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How much should we challenge our kids?
Our kids are learning all the time and when they feel mildly frustrated, it can be a good sign that they are on the brink of learning something new. But how do we know when the challenge is just too...
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The Perfect Homemade Father’s Day Gift in Three Easy Steps
Father’s Day is coming up and if you are on the hunt for the perfect homemade gift, this collaborative painting might be just the ticket. My kids and I had a blast painting together and we’re excited...
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What to Do When Your Child Feels Frustrated
As a teacher and parent, I know that some frustration is good for kids- it means they feel challenged and stretched and if they work through it, it’s an opportunity for them to gain confidence and...
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How to have a Thrive Art Play Date this Summer
There are lots of ways to use Thrive online art classes with your kids this summer and one of my favorite ideas is to have an artful play date with friends. Invite a few pals over and watch as they...
View ArticleNew Intermediate Program is coming June 24!
I’m so excited to announce the Intermediate Program will be available June 24! The new program is filled with fun topics and great techniques for oil pastel and watercolor- two of my favorite art...
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I want to teach your child to fail
My Ignite Seattle talk “I want to teach your child to fail” was aired on NPR tonight. Please watch the 5-minute talk and if you like what you hear – share it with the world using the social buttons...
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Learn Oil Pastel & Watercolor Techniques- Intermediate Program Now Available!
The Intermediate Program is now live and available here! To celebrate, we are offering $20 off both of the Intermediate and Beginner Programs! Click here to watch the preview video to see highlights of...
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Watercolor Techniques
If you have art supplies around your house, it’s likely you have a set of watercolor paints and very little guidance is necessary before your kids can dive in and create bold bright paintings or subtle...
View ArticleHow I faced my Fear of Failure
I did something really brave, at least it was brave for me. I stood up in front of 700+ people and gave a talk at Ignite Seattle back in May. You may not know it but I’m terrified of public speaking....
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7 Ways to Keep Little Artists Engaged this Summer
Most of the time our little artists need no input from us to express themselves but there are lots of ways we can broaden their creative endeavors by introducing them to a variety of artful...
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3 ways to help kids learn to draw anything
I loved to draw when I was little but by the time I was 10 years old, I had stopped drawing all together. As I got older, like most kids, I wanted to draw things more realistically and I remember...
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The Art of Being Present
I went on the swings with my son at the park yesterday and it was one of the most joyful experiences of my life. He sat on my lap facing me and we took turns pumping our legs until we got quite high....
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Kitchen Watercolor Techniques with Salt, Straws and Plastic Wrap
It’s so fun to experiment with art materials! Last month I shared a video from the Intermediate Program that demonstrates some traditional watercolor techniques and I am back now with some painting...
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Three reasons why kids compare and criticize their art and how you can help
‘My kids love to draw together, but my younger daughter becomes frustrated because her drawings don’t look as ‘good’ as her sister’s.’ ‘My daughter has always loved painting but over this past year she...
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