Alison’s Story: Inspiring Kids to Learn through Play with Open-ended Art & Crafting

If you want to develop creativity in a child, combine traditional arts and crafts supplies with real world items like nuts and bolts, recycled materials, nature finds, and junk drawer treasures! Give them the chance to CREATE!

 This is the philosophy that CCC member and founder of The Art Crate, Alison, lives by. 

Join Christelle to find out how Alison develops creativity in kids every day using open-ended materials. Click the video below or keep reading to get the full story.

Artist and mom of 2, Alison, wanted her boys to have a more art-infused education, as their school did not place much focus on art. She had a dream of putting it all together and integrating art with different subjects such as science, math and history.

So she started homeschooling her boys and launched the Art Crate, a mobile art studio (that offers kits too) where kids are invited to innovate and learn through play.

She had many fears, and was terrified about marketing (especially when she moved to a different state and felt like she had to ‘start over’), but she didn’t give up.

 Alison had a vision to teach through play. 

After home-schooling her two sons and completing a Masters degree in art education she developed a mobile, play-based learning program to educate kids through art. What makes her program unique is her commitment to using basic items, often recycled or found in the garden, to create kits that inspire kids to create something out of nothing.

“I wanted to put the things in the box and then just let the kids, without directions, without step-by-step instructions, without guidance from me, just explore. I wanted to teach them to innovate and use their imaginations. I wanted them to think ‘what can I build out of nothing?’ and give them the freedom to learn through play.”

Inside each box Alison adds a few regular art supplies, but she also adds a bunch of loose parts; some recycled items, pieces from nature, bits and bobs from junk drawers… open-ended items to trigger exploration, innovation and creativity.

“I once taught a 3 hour class and all I gave them was cardboard and glue, and they built these wonderful space ships. And each one had an incredible story to it. And the parents were like, ‘Uhhh… cardboard and glue?’ But they learned that it was so much more, because with just cardboard and glue the kids could create so much! These kids just ate this cardboard up. They might end up being engineers! Or working in artificial intelligence, or in careers that haven’t even been invented yet”.

Alison is one of hundreds of CCC Academy members successfully running an arts and crafts business with the guidance and support of the Creative Crafting Club.

Do you want to get started inspiring little minds through creative crafting? Discover an easy way to start a kids arts & crafts club with our Get Started Workshop >> https://www.creativecraftingclub.com/gs-workshop-signup