The first week of our camping holiday in Ellbogensee was a rather lovely encounter with nature in its finest- riding freely with our bikes, warm sun, cooler leafy shadows in the forest, swimming a plenty in cool clear waters. Waking up listening to bird song, making pancakes amongst tall trees and doodling, painting and building with sticks, finding our flow, reading books, journaling and absorbing the atmosphere with all our senses. This week was glorious and how I want to remember this, as slow family time. Feeling relaxed and wish you were here? Us too. The second week started with a 24 hour gastric bug with my little artist. And just as she recovered, I fell off the cafe decking into an unseen sandy hole. So gutted to say we came home early and post hospital, and MRI, I’m resting my poorly ankle in a cast for a couple of weeks! 🌱☀️. . . . #mylittleartist #ellbogensee #campingwithkids #campingmitkindern #urlaubmitkindern #kunstmitkindern #zeitfürdiefamilie #zeitzusammen #sommerliebe #bastelnmitkindern #urlaubamsee #malenmitkindern #naturschwimmbad #slowfamily #simplelifepleasures #theslowcreativityproject #familyholidays (at Naturcamping Am Ellenbogensee)

An simple repeated object can be a real companion or focus for a small child, they find it again and take joy in exploring their world with it, enjoying the familiarity of it in appearing in front of them. This toddler artist has across this past term at Sensory Art Play, really focussed on the balls and circles within each LAB.  She enjoyed textured ones in paint, the feel and patterns made with it, ping pong ball inside a whisk listening to the sound it makes (try it!), rolled balls in clay, and then a squashed ball between the toes! It was particularly interesting to notice her reaction to circles printed on the glowing lightbox- flat shapes that can’t be picked up. Such beautiful slow moments, full of curiosity and wonder!  🌱✨ . . . . #mamakindkurs #slowfamily #elternkindkurs  #kinderkunst #kunstberlin #littleart #littleartists #berlinmitkind #kreativkinder #littleartberlin  #prenzlauerberg  #berlinkids  #childledart #reggioinspired  #berlinfamily #berlinwithkids #kinderkunstkurs #kleinkinder #hauptstadtmitkind #kidsartworkshop #kunstkurs #kinderkunstwerkstatt #malortberlin #kinderkurs #senefelderplatz #berlinkids #toddlerartist #berlinprenzlberg #theslowcreativityproject (at Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany)

Utterly delighted if a bit bloody nervous to finally get out into the big wide ole internet....my BRAND NEW group, NOT pre-recorded e-course for just 15 people! I have been passionately cooking this up over the past few months 💡😍It is inspired by my 20 years of encounters in real life as an artist, through art education in nurseries, kindergartens, schools, colleges, community settings, businesses, museums. From babies, kids to adults, I have loved creative exchanges, nurturing curiosity to empower people to live more creatively.  I have begun that journey perhaps with you and your kids recently in Berlin or previously the UK, and now through The Slow Creativity Project, and I hope we can work together more on this for yourself, especially where may work better for you from the comfort of your own home, ( I also continue the adult/kids classes in person in Berlin if that ticks your box more.) I have created this very special experience with those in mind who perhaps are looking to re-ignite their creativity, or just get motivated to create a regular creative habit, learn how to let go, and embrace mistakes. The ideas and tasks you explore can work alone or share photo-instructions with your kids, for example. It's a group e-course for UP TO 15 ADULTS, keeping it intimate with lots of space to share our participant-centred journey in a private Facebook group. This week is the EARLY BIRD Special, until midnight Thursday 26th July. FIRST 5 to sign up get an extra special bonus with me, see the web link to find out more! 💥✨🌱 . . . #artworkshop #experimentalart #madebyhand  #feedyourcreativity #onlineartcourse #artecourse #theslowcreativityproject #reggioinspired #reggioartcourse #followyourcuriosity #artcourse #artathome #creativitycourse #groupartcourse #personcentred #feedyourcreativity #experimentalart #exploreart #thepowerofart

The journey of art and creativity across our lives, as babies, toddler, kids, tweens, teenagers,  into the many years of adulthood. We have a choice, particularly as adults, whether to feed our creativity, to slow down and notice more, be childlike again, our busy minds calming when our hands start creating. When we do we feel truly connected to ourselves,  and each other, immersed in the moment. This week I went live in my Facebook group, The Slow Creativity Project, (which was born from my revolutionary mission to transform lives, through getting people in flow, one hand made mark at a time) I talked about a study by NASA in 1968, which found that creativity DRAMATICALLY decreases across our lives. Creativity is not learned, rather unlearned. We are all born creative.  In the test in 1968, 98% of 4/5 year olds tested on the genius category for imagination in ways to look at problems with new innovative ideas. Same group at 10 years old scored 30%. At 15 years old, it is 12%, and - shockingly- as adults in a wider study, 2%. In my work in arts education across the last 20 years I have worked considerably in places where people have opted in to develop their own creativity. In my work with little art, I started off working with classes where the parents have opted in for their child to develop their creativity. And so many parents I have worked with over the years love this special time to reconnect, marvel in their child’s enjoyment of clay, paint, watching them follow their curiosity. But some have really found this a challenge to open up to, to feel creatively confident  to engage in the tasks themselves, the process not the outcome, follow THEIR own curiosity. And so started my work with adults, engaging them also in the joy of hands on MESSY play with materials, using inquiry-based person-centred Reggio ideas like I do with the kids…..to this point little art has been only operating face to face in Berlin and on Thursday, I was utterly delighted to launch the NEW e-course…more about this in the next post + Link in Bio! 💡😍🌱 . . . . #artworkshop #madebyhand #feedyourcreativity #reggioart #reggioinspired #theslowcreativityproject #simplelifehappylife

ON THIS DAY 6 - Six?! years ago. 🥰😭 My golly, I couldn’t get enough of this precious messy slowed down time together, sitting quietly observing, or gently oozing paint between my fingers, and assisting when asked, “more paint Mummy.” Still makes me emotional every year it pops up in the social media Time Hop thing. My little artist totally immersed in the joy of her own process, and who inspired me to scratch that itch and finally start up little art as a parent & child process art LAB about a year later. I needed this space as a parent and knew others did too, feeling their frustrations with creativity stifling adult and outcome led Pinterest craft for young toddlers, but they weren’t sure what to do, and didn’t want the mess at home! 😆💡😊 By the way, my toddler loved this wheel only briefly used this one time (our class was at Klax), wet clay slipping and sliding. Reminds me I want to take one of your plant pot classes with my little artist they look so beautiful-@mosskeramik 😊👋 If you too are looking for process based messy art experiences for you and your young child, then our September Art Play & Connect Programme is filling up fast- Tuesday 15:30 almost full 🌱 See link in Bio 🥰 #berlinwithkids #berlinfamily #berlinmitkind #berlinmitkids #kidsofberlin #zeitfüruns #mamakindzeit #papakindzeit #happylittleartist #prenzlauerbergberlin #berlinmitte #kleinkinder #kinderkunst #kindorientiert #reggioinspiriert #reggioinspired #familienzeit #familieberlin #lernenmitspaß #sensorisch #messyart #toddlerart #kidsartberlin #berlinart #littleartberlin #theslowcreativityproject (at Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz8yLTJHNiN/?igshid=yv5ppmssjeg5

...and more photos >>> Utterly delighted if a bit bloody nervous to finally get out into the big wide ole internet....my BRAND NEW group, NOT pre-recorded e-course for just 15 people! I have been passionately cooking this up over the past few months 💡😍It is inspired by my 20 years of encounters in real life as an artist, through art education in nurseries, kindergartens, schools, colleges, community settings, businesses, museums. From babies, kids to adults, I have loved creative exchanges, nurturing curiosity to empower people to live more creatively.  I have begun that journey perhaps with you and your kids recently in Berlin or previously the UK, and now through The Slow Creativity Project, and I hope we can work together more on this for yourself, especially where may work better for you from the comfort of your own home, ( I also continue the adult/kids classes in person in Berlin if that ticks your box more.) I have created this very special experience with those in mind who perhaps are looking to re-ignite their creativity, or just get motivated to create a regular creative habit, learn how to let go, and embrace mistakes. The ideas and tasks you explore can work alone or share photo-instructions with family, for example. It's a group e-course for UP TO 15 ADULTS, keeping it intimate with lots of space to share our participant-centred journey in a private Facebook group. This week is the EARLY BIRD Special, until midnight Thursday 26th July. FIRST 5 to sign up get an extra special bonus with me, see the web link to find out more! 💥✨🌱 . . . #artworkshop #experimentalart #madebyhand  #feedyourcreativity #onlineartcourse #artecourse #theslowcreativityproject #reggioinspired #reggioartcourse #followyourcuriosity #artcourse #artathome #creativitycourse #groupartcourse #personcentred #feedyourcreativity #experimentalart #exploreart #thepowerofart