Creativity and Art Builds Skills

Creativity and Art help kids develop critical divergent thinking skills, along with problem-solving skills. In addition, creativity and art provide outlets for processing ideas, expressing emotions, and simply having fun in a low-stress, peaceful manner.

This painting -- "Raining Rainbows" -- was inspired by watching the rain fall upon a lake near our home. As I applied the paints, the vision took on a life of its own, feeling as if I were watching a rainbow streaming down into the waters of the lake.

Easy enough for kids to try, abstract pieces like these are especially enjoyable and rewarding to render. They help boost creativity and provide a gratifying sense of accomplishment. This, in turn, helps to build self-confidence, new skill sets, and a new, fun hobby, as well!

The short YouTube video of this painting can be viewed here: Quick Abstract Art Try your own version of the painting!

Happy homeschooling!

Back-on-Track Homeschooling

Sometimes things happen that get us off-track, or we go through times of discouragement, despair, or even grief.

In my case, it was grief, as we recently suffered the loss of our family pet – our dog, Shannon. It’s been over a month now, and I’m still trying to come to terms with the loss.

But as I was taking a walk this morning, the beautiful fall leaves seemed to pull me out of my sadness. I remembered how our dog loved rolling in a big pile of autumn leaves, and the memory made me smile.

When I’m not working, writing, researching, or learning, I try to unwind by painting with watercolors, oils, or acrylics.

So I collected a few colorful leaves, took them back to my art studio, and commenced painting with watercolors. Soon, I was lost in the joy of painting and in the sweet memories of our dog playing in autumn leaves.

Now I feel like I’m coming through the other side of grief, and I can embrace the light and happiness again.

This might not be the best homeschool lesson, but it’s a lesson we all can learn from and can find useful in life:

Light does, indeed, always follow the dark.
And we can, indeed, find joy again, even in the midst of sadness or discouragement.

So, if you experience doubt, discouragement, or even despair when homeschooling, or during the course of a challenging day, take a break.

Take your children for a walk through nature. Be amazed by its beauty and mystery. Collect leaves, rocks, and most of all – precious memories!

Then take your collections – including those precious memories – back home and paint them, sketch them, craft with them, treasure them.

The beauty of nature, and time spent together, is often all that’s needed to create the best learning environment.

If interested in seeing a short video on overcoming grief through a simple painting like the one above, you can view it on my YouTube channel at MistyGlowStudio.com.

Happy homeschooling!

Summer Hobbies + Learning

Summer provides ample opportunities to explore, observe, relax, and recharge.

Nature abounds and hobbies await! A child can simply step outdoors -- with pencil or paints in hand -- to capture their world around them.

The most learning occurs when children (or adults) immerse themselves in the things that interest them the most.

Allow plenty of free time for children to stretch their wings, try new hobbies, or pursue a multitude of interests in the weeks to come.

This "Misty Lake" painting was inspired by watching the mist rise above the lake, resembling ghosts floating on top of the water.

Take a walk to a nearby lake, pond, or stream, and see what types of scenery your children might be inspired to sketch or paint.

Then research or read about the scenes they capture. The resulting knowledge, skills, and enjoyment are priceless!

This "Misty Lake" tutorial can be viewed on my YouTube channel, Misty Glow Studio, at this link: Misty Lake.

Have a great summer!

Stormy Weather, Stormy Times, Weather Experiments

Stormy weather hits many areas during March and April, largely due to changing weather patterns in the spring. There’s warmer weather, trying to work its way into our lives, clashing with chilly temperatures, still lingering from winter.

This skirmish between warm fronts and cool fronts results in rising updrafts of warm, moist air and downdrafts of cool, dry air. Add in the varying winds from one direction of a warm front interacting with winds from a different direction of a cool front, plus rapidly changing temperatures, you’ll often get thunderstorms or even tornadoes.

But as spring continues marching forward, and as winter finally concedes and gives up the fight, the stormy weather soon settles down. We’ll still get some rain showers in the summer. But the severe, turbulent storms of spring thankfully calm down.

Just like in life, we might have some clashes and disagreements with others at times. Tempers – like temperatures – might rise. Cooler attitudes – like cooler weather – can calm things down. And always, there will be sunnier days, gentler breezes, cloud-free skies, and beautiful rainbows.

Even in the face of storms – in weather or in life – we can be brave, we can be calm, and we can find beauty and peace.

Here are Fun Weather Experiments on making storms, thunder, lightning, tornadoes, hurricanes, clouds, rainbows, paintings, and more!

1. Weather Wiz Kids: https://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-experiments.htm

2. Science for Kids: https://www.science-sparks.com/weather-science-for-kids

3. Science Fun: https://www.sciencefun.org/kidszone/experiments/weather-science-experiments

4. Make Rainbows Outdoors: https://bigbangeducation.com.au/make-a-rainbow

5. Paint a Stormy Scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrfXSWJh-I8
This is a video I did of my Stormy Sea and Sky Painting (shown above). View the video to see the techniques, then try a stormy painting or artwork of your own!

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Happy homeschooling!