Creative Café

 

Our children LOVE doing creative projects. Any chance they get, they are at this art table coming up with a new idea, especially my son, Oliver. This weekend, I found some canvases at Ollie's (I've also found them at our local Marcs) and asked Ella and Oliver to sketch a design in their drawing notebooks before they began painting. They both blew me away with what they ended up painting, and it was such a simple "prompt!"

Many years ago, my daughter asked me, "Mommy, can we pretend this is a café where we make art?" and ever since then, the idea of our "Creative Café" has stuck. When my kids look back on their childhood, I want them to remember moments like this, painting together, with relaxing music playing. It doesn't always have to involve refreshments, but they love it when it does! Sometimes, I offer my children a menu and let them choose a refreshment to enjoy while they work. 

Creative Café is about creating an experience that keeps my children coming back to the table for shared time together, contemplating, creating, and celebrating art, stories, and beautiful ideas! 

I've created a variety of Creative Café workshops, available at my new TPT website. You can download a guide to the Basics of Creative Café here! 

Here are a few Creative Café workshops I recommend for use in the classroom, along with their corresponding read-alouds.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory 

Sarah, Plain & Tall