The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things

PlatO

art is play!

come create with us!

This December we are asking you to #playitforward.

This December we are asking you to #playitforward. For $10, you can purchase a visit for a child in our community, who might not otherwise have the opportunity to play in our studio.

Our studio will match all donations and gift the collected passes to @childrensfdngw to support their amazing free to grow program.

If donations are made in the studio, the passes have enough room to leave a small message to the child, who will receive it. To encourage creative messaging we’ve even got fancy markers to use!
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#maketheworldabetterplace #givingseason #decembergivingcampaign #donationsneeded❤️ #spreadingkindness #helpingothers #kindnessmatters #givingbacktothecommunity #playitforward #artplaychildrenlearning #smallbusiness #artstudioforchildren

Today on the easel, I witnessed a student from a c

Today on the easel, I witnessed a student from a class visit, making handprints by painting their hand with a paintbrush and making a print onto the easel, this led to moving their hands back and forth over the handprint, effectively wiping it out.

But the best part was when I caught them pausing for just a second before sliding both hands over a painting of a rainbow and house right beside them, basically obliterating them into what you see here.

The pure joy of that discovery moment is not captured but the evidence of its joyful process most definitely is.
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#schoolvisits #attheeasel #fingerpainting #discovery #joyfullearning #arttakesrisks #risktaking #processoverproduct #artstudioforchildren #painting #exploringwithart #happyaccidents #handprints #handprintart #playbased #raisinginnovators #growingartistssince2011 #dropinartstudio

Where we play❤️ . . . This building has been o

Where we play❤️
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This building has been our home for the past 4yrs. Did you know it used to be a sewing machine factory? In fact, this is the building where Raymond Sewing Machines were made.

Serendipitously, this building and factory were originally owned by the grandparents of Peter (He/him) one of our owners, whose grandmother was a Raymond. Sadly, we no longer own the building anymore but we happily rent this piece of personal family history.

We hope Peter’s grandmother, Barbara Raymond Coleman (a dedicated art philanthropist) would be proud of the very different kind of factory we made and operate today.
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#raymondsewingmachinecompany #factorybuilding #downtownguelph #artstudioforchildren #dropinartstudio #processbasedartstudio #yarmouthstreet #pencilfence #entrepreneurlife #smallbusiness #familybusiness

Who doesn’t like secret or unexpected little hid

Who doesn’t like secret or unexpected little hideaways? Our train table is in a tucked away area of our studio that you might miss if you aren’t looking.

It is a favourite spot for little ones.
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#traintableplay #hiddengems #blinkandyoumissit #dropinartstudio #artstudioforchildren #childled #processoverproduct #smallworldplay #perfecthideaways #littlespaces #magicalspaces #loosepartsplay #trains #designingspacesforchildren

Outside fun and games with our pa day campers this

Outside fun and games with our pa day campers this past Friday❤️

All of our camps take advantage of our outside areas including our potion lab in our back courtyard, our mud kitchen in the front of our building or in the tree filled park across the street.

Winter camps are now open for registration!
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#camps #campers #padays #registrationrequired😊 #ourstudio #fulldaycamps #outsideplay #outsideprograms #playinginallweathers #chidled #playbasedprograms #processbased #dailyrythm #seasonalliving

Although we know children can create so much more

Although we know children can create so much more than a handprint, the process of creating a handprint can be traced back to Neanderthal times, where child-sized handprints have been discovered in ancient caves.

A glorious declaration of human life, the simple handprint (without an adult turning it into something it is not) is not only an ancient witness to the beginning of art but of human creativity.
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#handprint #fingerpainting #childrenseemagic #ancienttimesinspired #allchildrenareartists🌟💛 #artstudioforchildren #attheeasel #inthestudio #painting #printmaking #firstart #creativity #humancreativityatitsbest #theworldneedsmoreartists #dropinartstudio

Who knew that grinding rice into powder or sugar o

Who knew that grinding rice into powder or sugar or whatever kids want it to be would be one of the most favourite things we offer ?

Our rice grinders were in constant rotation today and the children who visit can literally spend HOURS doing this….maybe all the motivation they need is the ability to decide for themselves how long they want to spend on something.
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#intrinsicmotivation #ourstudio #opendaily #artstudioforchildren #noinstructionsneeded #wedonotprovideinstructions #allchildrenareartists #playistheworkofchildhood #childled #playbased #processbasedstudio #processvsproduct #ricegrinding #ricegrindingmachine #letthembelittle #raisinginnovators

What a glorious expression of joy this beautiful p

What a glorious expression of joy this beautiful painting captures!

Bursting with life and colour using big paint rollers and big brush strokes, this masterful painting stopped me in my tracks during this morning’s school visit.

As I was cleaning this beauty off the easel ( after the requisite photo capture) I overheard one of the volunteers exclaim to another volunteer, “They can just do whatever they want, it’s a kid’s dream in here.”
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#sweetcompliments #akidsdream #attheeasel #justanothermasterpiece #painting #easelpainting #processoverproduct #authenticchildhood #creativefreedom #theworldneedsmoreartists #makesomethingbeautiful🧡 #artmatters #allchildrenareartists🌟💛 #schoolvisit #dropinartstudio #opendaily #weloveschoolvisits