Daily routines often keep families too busy to make time for creative pursuits, but one easy way to spark creativity is simply to look at ordinary things in a different way.The following activities are great for awakening the senses and inspiring new opportunities for sharing creative activities as a family.
1) Explore. Treat every excursion as an adventure, even a trip to the supermarket. Keep your eyes open, both indoors and out. If you’re in a familiar place, imagine it’s your first time there. What you see will surprise you.
2) Collect. Look for items that capture your imagination or delight you. They can range from a shell or a leaf to a bottlecap or postcard. These are meant for your Box of Interesting Things - something every member of the family should have – even moms and dads. Any container, even a shoebox, will do.
3) Record. Keep a journal of your finds, noting the item, the date, the place in which you found it, and why you picked it up. Your notes can be jotted in a pocket notebook, scrawled on sheets of paper, or even documented in a full-fledged scrapbook.
4) Create. When it’s a rainy day or everyone is bored, dig into your Box of Interesting Things and see what you can make. Ideas include a collage or a “found art” mosaic to display for visual inspiration.
5) Share. Start a “round robin” of artwork in your family or with your friends: each person starts a work of art and passes it on to the next person to add his or her own touch. Keep it going until it returns to you, transformed! Take photos of your artwork and shared them via email or on Facebook.
Summer offers a great chance for families to increase their creative quotient. ARTBEAT Creativity Store and Studio offers a creative adventure this summer that the whole family will enjoy. A Summer Tweet has three parts: a Bird Search, a Bird Art Show, and a weekly Story and Art time. This free adventure will get you started with bird watching, creating art projects, and discovering fascinating facts about the challenging world of the songbird. Watch for more information at www.ARTBEATonline.com.
In the Ukrainian tradition, every egg that is decorated brings more good into the world. Learn to make traditional Ukrainian eggs with intricate patterns using melted beeswax, a special stylus, and vibrant dyes. Two classes are coming up, for for adults, teens, and children ten and older, on Friday, 4/15 and Friday, 4/22 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Call 781-646-2200 to reserve your place. Cost is $20 per person.
Awesome Easter Eggs at Home!
Why wait for a class? Decorating eggs is easy with our Ukrainian Egg Decorating Kit. It has everything you need to create either traditional designs or your own fancy artwork.ALSO AVAILABLE: individual dyes, beeswax blocks, fine, medium, and heavy kistki and egg-blowers for emptying shells.
Has the snow given you cabin fever? Send the kids over to the ARTBEAT Studio - now open and waiting with canvases to be painted, cats to be decoupaged, mosaics to be made, and more..Kids eight and older alone, or younger with an adult.
I came in to the store and received wonderful help from a friendly, warm, and attentive woman. I asked her for recommendations on what to buy for my very “active” 4 year old niece, who lives in New York. I wanted gifts that would nurture her intense curiosity and abundant energy. That day I bought a sand painting set and a multi-colored clay set. My niece was beyond excited with her gifts! When she received her package, she asked my sister if I was home, every 30 minutes, for several hours, so she could call her “Auntie” and thank her! My 29 year old sister, my 30 something sister, and my 70-something mom all joined in and played with her, and had a great time!
What is particularly moving for me is that my mom, who is an immigrant, had very little time before she retired to indulge in creative projects and crafts with her children. She was a single parent who raised 3 children on her own, and also sent her money to relatives back in her native country. My mom is a quiet woman who is also somewhat self-conscious of her English language skills, but makes valiant attempts to communicate with us. However, all that self-consciousness went away with the clay!!! I cannot express my heartfelt gratitude that she is enjoying herself now with her grandchildren.
