Sewing School: Beautiful Bags!

I am so impressed by the young women in my sewing class! We made large tote bags last week, and in the space of a few hours they learned a running stitch, a whip stitch, designed and completed their own bag, and spent lots of time practicing threading needles and tying knots! There is something so satisfying about watching and helping kids to sew. If you've ever tried to sew on a button, or stitch a seam by hand, you know what I mean. It's not easy and requires patience, fine motor control, coordination, and determination. It's a beautiful thing to thread a needle by hand and sew a seam without a machine; such a large part of our life is dictated and controlled by machines these days (I'm not a total Luddite, really...) that it seems to awaken a different part of the brain when we use our hands to create an object of both beauty and usefulness.

I hope more of you will join me for future Sewing School classes this summer!

New session of Art in Motion begins on May 7!

Join me for a new session of Art in Motion! Classes are on Tuesdays at 10:30, beginning May 7 and running for six weeks, until June 11. Class fee is $70 and is payable by cash, check, or PayPal. Please contact me at artinmotion375@gmail.com to register or for more information!

Also, stay tuned for information about summer classes!



Contemplating the marvels of marble painting.

Wee ones, too, please!

This photo was taken when I first started teaching Art in Motion classes. This wee one one was only six months old, and he was already enjoying making art with his Daddy. Feeling the texture of the smooth crayon against the rough sandpaper, taking in all the movement and sound around him, even the smallest kids can participate in a way that is developmentally appropriate. So what are those wee ones doing while they watch the big kids? We tend to think of "watching" as a passive term, but for an infant or young toddler, watching is learning about the world around them. Add sound and movement to their landscape, and you will see their different reactions. Some babies become visibly excited, waving small arms and legs. Some may need to keep a close eye or hand on mom or dad for reassurance. Moms and Dads can show baby how to do the motions for songs and finger plays, and these motions, words, and melodies become part of the child's world. Likewise, just touching a crayon to paper gives a wee one their first taste (perhaps literally!) of material exploration. So don't think that your littlest ones aren't benefitting from exposure and side by side interaction with music, movement, and art materials: you are setting the creative stage for future developments!

What is Art in Motion?

First and most importantly, Art in Motion is fun!  We play, and play is truly the work of the young child.  The classes are led by live music, played mostly on guitar, and sometimes on the banjo or accordion.  The songs are lively, and are all interactive.  Parents and little ones are up and down jumping, hopping, dancing, freezing, talking, laughing, singing loudly, and singing low; there is always movement, always rhythm.  We finish each class with an open-ended, process oriented art project.  These projects are designed to inspire little minds and hands, giving children the opportunity to explore paint, glue, sand, play dough, water, color, light, texture...the joy is in the experimentation.