the best museum art classes your kids will love
I recently read an article on scholastic.com and the author quoted Albert Einstein “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.” I thought that was odd to quote him for this particular article but then read this by Ellen Booth Church: “Through activities with the arts, children learn to express the “mysterious” – their rapidly growing understandings, their thoughts, and their feelings. The process of making art allows the artist to give image, word, sound, or movement to something that is often intangible – that is what young children do every day.” This may sound silly, but I wanted to slow clap, and I thought this was a perfect introduction to the Kids Art Classes posting we’ve selected for the New Year. Can you believe it’s 2022!? By the way, the title of the article is “Learning Through the Arts” by Ellen Booth Church.
Museum of Design Atlanta
Kids from all over the nation can get excited about the amazing classes at MODA! We never thought we’d have the opportunity to take a class here, but with the online option, we did! Keep scrolling to find out if there’s a class your child might love.
Age Range: 6 – 18.
The classes are grouped by age. We’ve included a few here for you to check out. The classes are currently only offered online but check back regularly for in-person options. Oh, and they are free for a limited time.
- Engineering Studio: Lego Storytelling: Stormy Seas – Brine, Ships and Pirates…there’s treasure abound! (Ages 8-14)
- Minecraft Studio: Building Fantasy Worlds (Ages 9-16)
- LEGO Time Travelers: Ancient Rome
- Minecraft Studio: Building Fantasy Worlds (Ages 7-12)
- Diversity Architecture Club (Ages 11 – 18)
- Note* – this class started in September but we’re mentioning it here for those parents who like to plan ahead. I’m putting it on my calendar.
Another program you may want to look into is Teen Jam. From their website: “Teen Jam invites young designers to actively engage with design professionals from various backgrounds during 2-hour workshops in which they learn about design education and careers, have opportunities to ask questions, and collaborate on hands-on design activities.” Their next TEEN JAM is in February. Here is the info from their website:
Teen Jam: Paper Circuits with Chibitronics – This Teen Jam will take place on Saturday, February 5, from 1:00 – 3:00 PM EST. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll create a light-up paper circuit project and together explore how we might use technology to express ourselves and tell our stories in whole new ways. Feb 5, 2022.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Discoveries Program
We are delighted to highlight the Discoveries Program at the MET. This program is an art program for kids with Developmental Disabilities and Autism. Here students will create and explore art with their friends and families and may even have their own art exhibition. Currently the classes or workshops are offered online, but hopefully they will offer in person classes again soon. Classes are by age level: 5-13, 14-22, and 23+.
Here’s a brief description from their website: “For kids and adults with learning and developmental disabilities and those on the autism spectrum – These workshops welcome children and adults with a range of developmental and learning disabilities and those on the autism spectrum, together with family and friends. All can enjoy these multi-sensory workshops that include tactile opportunities and art-making activities. Explore a different theme in each session.”
The next workshop is February 13, 2022.
Right now, the workshop is free.
For more information, watch this very special video about the program below: #MetKids—How Do We Make Art at The Met?
The Smithsonian’s Summer Camp Classes
This is a special preview of the Smithsonian’s Summer Camp for In-Person and Online students. For those parents and caregivers who like to plan early and start registering for summer classes and camps, Summer Camp at the Smithsonian starts June 21 for grade levels 1st – 9th and class are usually grouped by grade level. They really have amazing options for kids that cover a broad range of interests. As this is our art post, we’ll include a sampling of a design class below, but they cover everything from History to STEM. Our kids have taken the online option of classes and have loved every minute! The instructors are engaging, and the kids really have a great time learning while not knowing they are learning!
Here is a description from their website for one of their online classes.
DESIGN: Everyday Extraordinary (Grade level 2-3):
“From clothing to architecture to product packaging to signs, everyday objects all around us have been designed and redesigned to improve our lives. Campers look closely at ways designers have turned those objects into extraordinary ones through examining items drawn from across the Smithsonian’s collections; virtual field trips to Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; and examples in their very own spaces. They master a four-step design process-defining problems, generating ideas, prototyping/making, and testing/evaluating-through a series of fun exercises and design challenges to transform a chosen ordinary object into something extraordinary.”
Philadelphia Museum of Art In-Person Art Kids Classes
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is currently holding in-person art classes for their Winter Session. Their winter session is January 27 – April 2 and classes are open for registration! We’d thought for those of you who are able to make it in person and live in the Philly area, that this would be a great opportunity for some art enrichment. The museum covers a wide age range and groups their classes by age level.
From their website “Museum teachers guide children through fun and informative experiences in the galleries followed by hands-on projects in the Education Classrooms.” Check the classes below by click on the orange button below and see if they fit your schedule.
Children’s Museum of the Art New York
Children’s Museum of the Arts unites children and artists to create and share ambitious works of art with their communities and the world. History: Born out of an artist’s SoHo studio in 1988, Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) has built a living collection of over 2,000 works by children from over fifty countries dating back nearly a century, while connecting young New Yorkers to art and artists.
In 2021, CMA Executive Director Seth Cameron established The Look Make Show, the first digital commons specifically designed for child-artist-centered learning.
Art Classes: Designed for kids under five, “Saturday Morning Live with Tom” is an art class for kids who love to sing, play drums, and make art — all at the same time! These 60-minute live, interactive virtual sessions are led by beloved Early Childhood Specialist Tom Burnett. All you need is your imagination, sense of discovery, and your favorite art supplies — crayons, markers, paint, stickers, and more!” Upcoming classes begin on January 22 and February 19.
The museum also offers inclusive classes for children with an autism spectrum disorder. “Led by Early Childhood Arts Specialist Tom Burnett, these classes provide a free opportunity for children of all ages with autism spectrum disorders to participate in a variety of tactile art-making experiences. Classes are specifically designed to help children develop social skills, creative problem-solving strategies, and self-expression through art, music, and storytelling.”
Check the link for upcoming classes below.
