With CCA, screen time in 2021 may surprise you! Videos which encourages Imaginationand exercise +Quality Art Materials, for your ‘At-Home’ Art Studio! Weekly live engagement classes(optional) will keep your kids active andinspired to work each week…OFFLINE!
Meetingand drawingour favorite penguin, Sweet Scarlett and the animals she encounters, travelling the world.Building icy coves & igloos in theSouth Pole Even make-your-own snow STEM activities! Kidsdraweach animal family, various scenes, landscapes, igloos and lots, lots more! Each week is filled withnew ideasto start them off running and creating, even after class- all week long. They’ll love using their hands, brains and bodies in Story Adventures: An interactive 3-D Art Adventure kids watch, learn to create & build themselves whilereadingand hearing stories of friendship adventures across many countries and cultures.
This class takes off February 1, 2021. Virtual Live & In-Person classes begin February 4 @ All Souls Church, 1157 Lexington Avenue on the UES of NYC!
What is it? A Social Emotional Learning program based invisual arts,cultural exploration, literature and dance!
What will my child be doing? Divinginto a new story adventure every month. Creating the characters and sets in the storythroughvisual art classes.Moving their body and developing a love of movement and coordinationthrough dance technique videos.Building confidencethrough art, theater and musical games.
What will I gain? Art heals and unites. The Story Adventures program builds the language ofresilience, empowers kids with character, gainsconflict resolution problem-solving skills along with a love forliterature, art skills, fantasy and travel!
How do I access the program? Create aschedule that works best for your family’s needs. Live zoom classes are available once a week for students to create it together!All pre-recorded drawing videos are available through Google classroom, accessible anytime. Exercise is also included through story-related movement and dance videos!
Watch your child’seyes light up as they receive exciting CCA Art Kits,filled with art studio materials that willlast for years.Heartswill soar as your child creates amazing art projects. Sharejoyin yourentire householdwhen you have an alternative to screen time. If you need to make a call or get work done, put on a Story Adventures video to keep your child moving and creating!
“She seriously loves it all… the art and the dancing! This is a great program. She is dancing all over the house.” Theresa’s mom Alison“Lilah’s “favorites” are; getting the boxes delivered, unpacking all the art supplies, Using watercolor pencils, I really know how to draw penguins and whales now and all the characters in the book.” –Lilah’s mom Brina
For those days when it’s too cold for kids to play outside, I’ve amassed a hyper-creative library of activities that will keep students entertained and educated. Claire and CCA want to spend time with your children this winter in the arts & literacy series Story Adventures! They’ll find a renewed sense of excitement for learning in 2021 through arts and crafts, imaginary travel and even physical activities that give that (seemingly endless) energy a place to go. I’ll be sure to include someactivities for parents to do as well – after all, we all need a creative and physical activity break!
Your child will be an active participant! I’m sure it has been reassuring to you to know you were able to enjoy yourown timewhile they were with me in class – doing what you need to do so you can come together as a family later. Each week, a new Story Adventure will provide that time for you- by keeping your child interested, occupied and intrigued as the stories unfold. In the first book, Claire will introduce your children to the Empire Penguins in the South Pole, where two very different friends, a penguin named Scarlett and a polar bear named Polie first meet.
Literacy meets artin an interactive 3-D Art Adventure kids create and build themselves while reading along with (or being read to) stories of friendship, adventure and different cultures. We journey along with 1 illustrated book per month, plus CCA’s fun-filled Art Kits providing everything for your child.
With so many materials and choices provided, they can only be successful! Your child will be occupied and intrigued while spending up to 3 hours per week, learning new fine and gross body skills, memory exercises, languages andcultures while expanding important artistic horizons this year. Older students become illustrators and inventive craftsmen, while younger students create willingly and freely whatever they choose to make.
Work at your own pace and time of day convenient for your family. We have a suggested time schedule to help frame your week’s activities. All materials are mailed out to you prior to start. Virtual Fun is provided through Google Classroom and one optional 45 minute online live-stream session each week (recorded and uploaded for busy schedules.) We even provide administrative assistance, so that your child’s experience is first class.
CCA will release thesenew live and online classes January 18th. Claire will engage and interact with your children both online and @ All Souls Church.Kids ages 3.5- 9 years will be stimulated by creative new ideas and achievements that they will be excited to share with their family and friends!
JOIN USFOR AN INCREDIBLE YEAR; START YOUR 1ST WEEK TRIAL BEFORE JAN. 16TH AND SEE FOR YOURSELF:)
The past year has been challenging but we have been able to grow in so many new ways. Congratulate yourself for making it through this year! We couldn’t have made it without you, extraordinary parents!
Thank you for continuing to enrich our community with your remarkable dedication to CCA’s mission and values. A year-in-review of some of our favorite moments helps us to focus on the positive, during this up & down rollercoaster of a year! Enjoy!
–Toured the Metropolitan Museum of Art with all classes (2.5-10’s) to see the amazing exhibit Making Marvels, the Science and Splendor at the Courts of Europe and making clocks (pre-Covid19)
-In March, smoothly transferred all programs online without missing a class, keeping sane with empowerment and humor… starting with creating the virus as a Pac-Man & a Crunch Berry! “Crunchatize me Captain!”
-Age-appropriated ART KITS grew to include all of the unique materials we would have used at school, shipped to each new home… including STEAM projects, like how to make your own Lava Lamps and snow!
–Jonathan Levwas a visiting artist to ourArt Adventures STUDIO Online Class where students 8-15 years learned how to draw landsccapes, architecture, perspecitve and portraits, including virtual studio tours of contemporary artists!
-Partnered with Central Studios (STL) to bring to life Penguins, Polar Bears, and Mermaids with 2D drawings, 3D set constructions, movement and dance for summer’s debut of DanceArt Camp (via Zoom) with fully-packed, weekly art kits
–Built our famous snow globes
–Explored Chinese Artusing new art materials: Bamboo brushes, ink and rice paper
-Celebrated Holiweek and created our own colored paints
-Dove into color mixingwith transclucent vellum and Elmer the Elephant in Mini-Art Adventures
-Created a stain glass mosaicforMother’s Day
–Made our very own2D-3D FROZEN translucent collage posters inArt Adventure Class
-Made haunted houses, painted foam skulls and bones, and createdspooky necklacesin our FREE Halloween Kids Art Event! (in collaboration with Blue Bus Project held at the Culture Lab in Long Island City)
-Designed and Celebrated a 5 and 3 year old unicorn and construction birthday partyduring Covid-19
-Toured the newly-opened Metropolitan Museum of Art this fall with families: 2 boys, ages 8 & 11 with their grandparents, metal embossing + projects exploring Impressionism and color theory!
Be ready 2021, we are coming for you with new joy and inspiration in our hearts!
Seven principles of Kwanzaa are Umoja: Unity, Kujichagulia: Self Determination,Ujima: Collective Work and Responsibility, Ujamaa: Collective Economics, Nia: Purpose, Kuumba: Creativity, Imani: Faith.
Kwanzaa Kinara
Supplies: Paper Plate, Markers, Scissors, Construction Paper, Popsicle Sticks and Glue.
Watch the step-by-step video on how to color around the edges of the plate in a fun, colorful pattern; write the holiday greeting, cut slits in the paper plate, color the craft sticks, cut out Kwanzaa candle flames and glue the candles to the paper!
Wishing you a veryHappy Hanukkah from CCA! We hope you are in good health and have a safe (and sparkly) holiday!
In 2018, we celebrated the holiday with COLOR !!!
Our Art Adventurers explored color-mixing by making their own age-appropriated color wheel with watercolors!
We then took inspiration from the Bauhaus painter, Wassily Kandinsky & created our version of his concentric (bulls-eye) circle color studies… But included some radiating Hanukkah Lights! (Goal: Complementary, Neutral, Warm & Cool)
*As a boy, Kandinsky’s father became an owner of a tea factory. Kandinsky enjoyed during his childhood years, the piano, cello and drawing. “I remember that drawing and a little bit later painting lifted me out of the reality, he wrote later.” He was always keen on the arts but his parents had other interests in mind. They had him attend law school and he became a successful “Professor to the Department of Law.” Though in his thirties, he ended his career in law and went after his passion in drawing! He attended art schools in Europe and became very successful after his 2nd attempt at schooling in the arts. He then travelled with his latter wife in Europe for five years and then settled down in Murnau at the bottom of the Alps. He soon started painting beautiful, colorful “spots and lines [which] was gradually superseding images of reality.” This is what sparked our love for color! (Unknown, 2008-2020)
*“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”
Despite the pandemic, we are very THANKFUL for the family or friends that we are able to connect with either in their homes or by a phone call. We also want to take a moment to be thankful for the things that we do have this fall season: A warm bed to sleep in, a warm meal on the table and art supplies in our cabinets or strewn across the table!
What do Matisse, Eric Carle, Claes Oldenburg and Wayne Thiebaud have in common?
Answer: Food Art!
An Art Adventures blast from the past for Turkeyday fun: PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! Create food art, inspired by Thiebaud and Matisse and remembering Oldenburg from MoMA’s 2013 exhibition. (We LOVED placing our works on the Thanksgiving table to try to fool the family!)
“Matisselived during France’s Belle Époque. Café culture was at its height, and cafés were where artists came together to exchange stories, discuss new artistic styles, and eat good food*. What a way to live, discuss and create together! We can do the same today, by making pastries and creating food art out of play dough or cutting newspaper, magazines and colorful plastic bags. Eric Carleand Matisseliked to make their own painted patterned papers (or markers)… THEN cut them up to collage onto cardboard with a glue stick! Make patterns or paint from cool colors: greens, blues and purples, because Green Beans are so fun to cut! (and eat.)
Check out our dinner table collages and dessert sculptures from our Art Adventure Classes:
MoMA’s exhibition ofClaes Oldenburg: The Street and The Storewas displayed in August of 2013. This was one of our favorite tours to lead! Oldenburg is known for his depictions of everyday objects, here as sculptures. The Streetis comprised of objects made from cardboard, burlap and newspaper (Playdough/Model Magic) and The Store is made up of brightlypainted sculptures and reliefs.
How would you build your own food sculpture? Will your turkey be blue or purple? What would you use?
In past Party Adventures, Claes Oldenburg has inspired bushels of fun!
We wish you a very happy & creative Thanksgiving! Enjoy your holiday:)
*Gomez-Rejon, M. (2014, Update 2017) Cooking Art History: Dining with Matisse. Website retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cooking-art-history-dinin_b_5339438
On November 1st, 2020, we prepared and celebrated 2 simultaneous birthdays (5 & 3 year olds) in this new Covid-19 world. It was our first (and very successful!) experience to set up multiple projects, in order, for the guests to enjoy after we left, so that they did not have to wear masks during their small celebration with family. They were happily excited when we, Claire and assistant, Emylee, showed up to their house with art & craft supplies in hand. The children eagerly wanted to play before it was set up and we had to say, “We know waiting is hard, but just a little longer!” So they bounced down to finish their breakfast and take a nap before the afternoon activities started.
We set up tables for creating the opening and main activities: The 5-year-old girls were engaged by an opening self-starter (dry art) Stained-Glass Unicorn & Rainbow project, followed by their main project (by request): Unicorn sculptures with 3D Scene-Building for environments (and how to make a unicorn step-by-step example sheets.) Plus, a 4-foot Standing Unicorn to inspire, play & take photographs with!
For the 3 year old boys, we welcomed them with an Erector Set– with dump trucks, concrete trucks, forklifts, construction men and signs on the floor. On the 3’s tables, we anticipated their shorter attencion spans and provided a 2nd welcoming activity: A roadway map with Foam Truck and Car Stickers. Then, while the girls scultped Unicorns and Rainbows, the boys had a 3D-Transportation Project: Hand-Made Wooden (Silly) Trucks & Cars to decorate & add color to (with specialty crayons, allowing them to add water at home to spread the color!)
Finally, we displayed Colorful Party Bags including: For the girls, A mermaid fabric sparkly-sequin purse filled with unicorn erasers, unicorn-crayons, puffy rainbow-unicorn stickers and little surprises + a unicorn-rainbow coloring book. For the boys, an extra mini-construction tote bag filled with all of the small things related to vehicles: Truck crayons, stamps & stickers, sticker books, mini-toy trucks and a mini-paintbrush… Plus, each boy guest received personalized construction hats- including stickers with their names, ages and “Thanks for making my party loads of fun!”
When the children got up from their nap, we showed them around their magical party stations and Claire demonstrated how to master their art projects. We wished them a very special “Happy Birthday!” and departed, since they needed to get ready & their guests would be arriving soon!
We are grateful to be invited & entrusted to create these 2 sibling’s birthday experiences again this year! Can’t wait until the next celebration!
Thank you to everyone that was able to attend the Halloween Outdoor Kids Art Event on October 31st at the Culture Lab, in collaboration with The Blue Bus Project! …It was a huge turnout, despite the cold weather. We hope you enjoyed the myriad entertainment options and spooktacular fun available, while providing a safe and enjoyable event for all! In case you missed it, we hope your children’s day was super special!
We had so much fun creating creepy necklaces, decorating haunted houses, painting body parts and skulls, walking through the spooky Blue Bus; all in a CO-VID friendly space with gloves/hand sanitizer and masks! We hope these pics will remind you of a wonderful day had by all this Halloween. Keep the spirit of hope, love and and community alive as we head into a brand new era…and stay tuned for more exciting children’s offerings this winter!
See you again at our next event or class. If you were not able to join us this time, please join our E-List today! Sign up here.
