Art Lab for Little Kids - (Lab for Kids) by Susan Schwake (Paperback)

About the Book

Developed for the younger set (4-6 year olds) and targeting one of the most critical developmental periods for children, Art Lab for Little Kids is the perfect book for both parents and teachers who are seeking enriching and unique experiences to offer this age group.

Book Synopsis

Developed for the younger set (4-6 year olds) and targeting one of the most critical developmental periods for children, Art Lab for Little Kids is the perfect book for both parents and teachers who are seeking enriching and unique experiences to offer this age group. As in Susan Schwake's first book, Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2012), the Labs can be used as singular projects, or used to build up to a year of hands-on fine art experiences. Each Lab also features the work of a prominent artist for inspiration. The book begins with an introduction on materials and setting up a space for making art. The lessons that follow are open-ended to be explored over and over - with different results each time. They are geared for children being taught or guided by adults and are successful on all levels of experience and age. They do not result in "cookie cutter" end products, but are a method of learning something new each time they are used. This motivational book stands out as a unique reference for creating fine art with children through finding the student's own voice, marks and style and with playful lessons that result in significant skill building. Gorgeous photography shows different results from different people using the same lesson, exemplifying the way the lesson brings out each artist's personal style. Art Lab for Little Kids is a fresh source of creative activities for families and community groups or will work as lesson plans for both experienced and new art teachers in home school, preschool, and kindergarten environments.

Review Quotes

"Art Lab for Little Kids author, susan Schwake, follows her wildly successful, Art Lab for Kids with another solid hit - a clear, simple guide to exploring art with small children that parents and teachers will delight in." - Rebecca Emberley, Best-selling children's book author and illustrator

"Based on the ideas and images of master artists, these art activities and experiences are developmentally appropriate, adventurous, imaginative, and thoroughly engaging while leading to the creation of artworks with meaning and significance. Art Lab for Little Kids is an important contribution to the literature of the often-overlooked field of visual arts education for preschool children." - Bill Haust, Professor Emeritus of Art Education, Plymouth State University

"I love Susan's Art Lab series and reference them in the Art Studio often. They're easy to follow, full of images, and directed at open-ended exploration - exactly the kind of reference I need for my own busy home." - Meghan Burch, Art Studio Educator, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, MA

About the Author

Susan Schwake is an artist, art educator, and curator. Her passion for teaching art has led her to working in diverse settings for over 20 years. She has inspired thousands of people in private and public schools, museums, community organizations, special needs agencies, summer camps, intergenerational facilities, libraries, and her own art school, artstream in Rollinsford, New Hampshire, which she co-owns with her husband, Rainer. Most recently, she has taken her classroom online with a series of e-courses for artists, including a parent-child class based on her best-selling Art Lab for Kids series of books. She is also curator of artstream studios, where she has brought over 100 group shows of contemporary art to her corner of New England.

Susan is the author of Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2012), Art Lab for Little Kids (Quarry Books, 2013), and 3D Art Lab for Kids (Quarry Books, 2013). Her latest book, Art Lab for Kids: Express Yourself (Quarry Books, November 2018) is an all-new edition of her first book, Art Lab for Kids, with 52 original projects that encourage self-expression through art making.

Follow her adventures.
Blog: artesprit.blogspot.com
Website: susanschwake.com
Gallery: www.artstreamstudios.com

Rainer Schwake is a versatile and talented media designer holding a master's degree in graphic design. His photography has been used in hundreds of business- and arts-related design works for print and websites. He is co-owner of artstream studios (www.artstreamstudios.com) and lives with his wife, Susan, in Rochester, New Hampshire.