“Anybody with artistic ambitions is always trying to reconnect with the way they saw things as a child.” - Tim Burton

Classes are offered Saturday and Sunday, 2 sessions each day.
Class 1: 10:30am - 12:00 pm
Class 2: 1:00pm - 2:30pm

We are OPEN the following dates: 9/14 & 9/15 ; 9/21 & 9/22 ; 9/28 & 9/29 ; 10/5 & 10/6 ; 10/12 & 10/13 ; 10/19 & 10/20 ; 10/26 & 10/27 ; 11/2 & 11/3 ; 11/9 & 11/10 ; 11/16 & 11/17 ; 11/23 & 11/24
$56 per class, please text/email for address
hello@reviveminddesign.com
Below you can find a detailed explanation of what students will learn.

I also offer private lessons or “pods” after school by appointment, in addition to ALL DAY mini camps during school vacations and closures. I am currently unable to take more than 7 students per class or “pod.” Children must be at least 4 years old.
Current Pod Dates: 10/3 & 10/4 (Rosh Hashanah) ; 11/1 (Diwali) ; 11/5 (Election Day) 11/7 & 11/8 (Public School Staff Development Days) ; 11/29 (Thanksgiving Break) ; 12/26, 12/27, & 12/30 (Winter Break)
If there are local school closures not listed (Maplewood/SO, West Orange, Livingston, Summit, Millburn, JCC, or Golda Och) please let me know and I will try to accommodate!

Lastly, I offer custom Art Parties for up to 15 kids off-site. I create the party and art projects to coordinate with your child’s theme. I bring the tables and supplies to your party! Parties start at $450. Final cost is determined by types of projects and number of children. Please click HERE for more information.

WANT TO KNOW MORE? Children having fun and feeling supported and cared for is #1 priority. In addition:

  • Children always get time for open exploration of materials available - yarn, collage, markers, colored pencils, fabric, embroidery thread (friendship bracelets, sewing with blunt needles), painting, pastels, beading, and origami. I will teach them how to use and care for the materials, what can be done with them, and push their thinking and skills further.

  • Teach a number of basics to build upon - how to draw a variety of lines, shapes, textures, and objects. How to use things like a compass, ruler, transfer paper, tracing paper, etc. Building basic skills and their visual vocabulary will enable them to draw specific things or transfer their original ideas onto paper. The more they practice the basics, the better and more confident they’ll get. Basics lay the foundation that enable them to make anything they imagine in the future.

  • Teach both their interests and mine - if they want to know how to draw a forest, I will teach them a few different ways they can draw a forest. I consistently have a stock of unicorn, mermaid, animal, superhero, and other age appropriate crafts on hand. I will also introduce them to a variety of other things, like paper mache, block printing, tie dye, weaving, collage making, jewelry, building dioramas, etc. I have found that letting children explore their own interests keeps them better engaged.

  • Wide variety of arts and crafts - the more materials they are exposed to, the more insight they gain into how many ways materials can be used. Materials of all kinds begin to have different potential. Exposure to variety can spark a specific direction of interest. They’ll come home with projects, but they’ll have done a lot more in the class than just those projects. They’ll also have been drawing, coloring, painting, planning, practicing, experimenting, and using materials they may not be used to (ex: ink, pastels, wood) in ways foreign to them (ex: painting with a toothbrush, building with cardboard). EXPERIMENTING with different materials and exploring their ideas however they wish is crucial for them to learn what the materials do and how they interact with other materials. Their explorations don’t always work the way they want them to…they fail. They learn that failure is normal and okay, and how to learn from those failures. I can tell them WHY they should use a tool or material a certain way all I want, it really only “clicks” when they observe it for themselves.

  • Exposure to different artists and types of art - I have a “cozy corner” with art books, toys, and soft flooring. I want to make art relevant to them by explaining how art and design are everywhere, teach them to look elsewhere for information and inspiration, and drive home the idea that creativity is limitless! Toys are available when kids need a mental break from projects. 

  • Art is more than “making stuff” - habits and skills built by practicing art translate into many other facets of learning and life. It teaches children to disconnect and express themselves while developing their visual spatial processing, fine motor skills, memory, self control, concentration, problem solving, and creativity. It teaches them how to think about and observe things with open-minded curiosity. It builds innovative thinking. It’s also super relaxing and fun! 

Small class sizes allow everyone to get A LOT of attention, ideas, and notes from me. More in depth planning and projects can occur. This is particularly helpful down the road as kids veer off in different directions of interest. One student may want to make a wood sculpture, while another wants to build a fairy house out of cardboard. I can teach them a number of ways to make these ideas come to life!

I’ve found one of the hardest things for kids to do is literally, having to wait for paint to dry! There isn’t too much instant satisfaction happening in art.  This is so crucial in this day and age of materialism and instant everything.  They often work on projects for months (even though they want to take it home asap) but they learn it’s worth it. They end up being so proud of what they accomplished.

With multi-week projects, children learn how to wait. Bigger art pieces take planning, time, patience, and concentration. Art requires brainstorming, experimenting, practicing, researching, failing, and problem solving. It gets them comfortable implementing and exploring their own ideas. They learn it's normal to not know exactly HOW to do something, that you TRY ANYWAY, and it builds their confidence knowing they will FIGURE IT OUT...which is really what we’re all doing, right? Figuring out life as we go?