Hello, friends ~ This blog has moved to a Facebook Group Page called "Process Art with MaryAnn Kohl" and it is a great group! I can't believe the fantastic photos and process art ideas that are shared everyday. Videos too. The group is the most inspiring I've ever been a part of. Won't you please join us? (Lots free giveaway art books as we gain followers.) From MaryAnn PS This blog still has some great ideas for you if you browse and scroll. Enjoy! Continue reading

I love the Golden book, the Pokey Little Puppy. Lately I find that I am the human pokey little puppy. I've been so busy doing my monthly newsletter, The ArtsyKidsNEWS, that I have rather abandoned this very nice blog. Please forgive my too busy schedule ! I'd love if you subscribed to my newsletter. It's free, comes in your email once a month, and always has a free book giveaway. Most important, it always has process art to share. To subscribe, go here: http://brightring.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5ede963e35560c1088968f662&id=7fb103d005 Another place that keeps me busy is my process art group on Facebook. Everyone shares such amazing ideas. You can join for free. Go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/processart/ "Things" may be busy, but there are still many great art ideas just waiting for you! I look forward to sharing art with you. MaryAnn www.brightring.com Continue reading

Enhancing Literacy Through Process Art This I know: If you want to hold the attention of a child, read a book out loud to him. If you want to see a child become easily and deeply involved in creativity, give him crayons and paper for free drawing. We know these truths to be self-evident, for we’ve seen and done them so many times we can’t begin to count them! Books and art have always been powerful tools for motivating, subduing, intriguing, and delighting children. Indeed, it is proven through research that success in reading is linked to early experiences reading-aloud to children and reading aloud as often as possible. As an article in the online magazine Collage says, “Reading aloud is more than saying words.” Following up reading time with related activities such as art increases a child’s love and appreciation of books, and inspires children to return to their... Continue reading

Our Facebook group page, Process Art with MaryAnn Kohl, is preparing for yet another give-away of free books! Continue reading

It's almost March, and here is the March 2014 ArtsyKidsNEWS ready to enjoy! The following is a jpg. Click on it and it will take you to the actual ArtsyKidsNEWs in a new window. This month features an exciting blogger... Asia Citro... and her blog, Fun at Home with Kids. Ready? CLICK! Continue reading

February 2014 ArtsyKidsNEWS now ready! Please click on the link above to view. Free of course!! You can subscribe here and you will receive the ArtsyKidsNEWS each month. A free book is given away to a randomly drawn subscriber each month, and each newsletter is packed with fun art ideas or other special fun. All past newsletters can be enjoyed here. Here's a brief sample of the real thing: more here! Continue reading

Glitter. Is there any better time than Christmas for glitter? Valentine's you say? Well, certainly. But Christmas!! Glitter on eyelids, on sweaters, and in your lipstick! Glitter on pinecones, glitter on stars, glitter mixed with paint, stirred into glue, sprinkled on tape, dusted over cardboard cookies, squeezed from glitter glue bottles, one color or colors mixed together, big chunks of glitter, or tiny dusty bits of glitter. GLITTER! Silver has always been my favorite, and I know kids like all the metallics too. Gold glitter can turn a rock into a treasure, a Christmas drawing into a magical masterpiece, dough ornaments from ordinary to majestic. Never say no to glitter. Yes, you'll be sweeping, vacuuming, and picking it up piece by piece from everywhere for months, and how fortunate...just in time for Valentine's Day. Glitter, ahhhhhhh. from Momspotted.com - glitter pinecones theartfulparent blog - glitter tape trees from Gluedtomycraftsblog.com -... Continue reading

This JPG below will take you to view the actual news in your browser, if you prefer. Continue reading

Holiday Art Wrap and Cards for Kids, with MaryAnn Kohl Continue reading

November ArtsyKidsNEWS 2013 featuring the NurtureStore The following jpgs show you what the newsletter looks like, but for a fully interactive one with links, go to this url: http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=5ede963e35560c1088968f662&id=654eb089db Continue reading

The October 2013 ArtsyKidsNEWS is now available. Click on the painted pebbles image below to enjoy the entire newsletter. Remember, if you suscribe to the newsletter (free of course), you will be in the running for a free book drawing each month. This month, Melinda Fant of Albany NY is the winner of Storybook Art. Photo Credit: Halloween Rock Painting from TonyaStabb.com Enjoy a free activity connecting to Ezra Jack Keats and "The Snowy Day" featured in Storybook Art. * Conecting art and literacy helps kids love their books and want to read them more and more. http://www.brightring.com/jackkeats.html The Snowy Day, written and illustrated by Exra Jack Keats. Caldecott Winner. Making snow angels, from "The Snowy Day" by Keats. Original collage artwork by grade 2 student. Continue reading

You can see the very latest in leafy art ideas at this link! http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5ede963e35560c1088968f662&id=044af0a2ef&e=[UNIQID] Posted below are jpgs of the ArtsyKidsNEWS. The links are not active in the jpegs, but if you go to the link above, you will have full access to the newsletter. I hope you will join the mailing list! (I give a free book every month to mailing list members in a random drawing.) MaryAnn Continue reading

An Interview Revisited, from the blog, Having Fun At Home http://www.havingfunathome.com/2012/09/maryann-f-kohl-art-with-young-children.html"MaryAnn F. Kohl: Art with Young Children It's a treat to be able to interview someone you admire who is an expert in a field you care about. That's why, even though this is a busy season in my life, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to interview MaryAnn F. Kohl, author of over 20 award-winning books about children's art and a contributor to Family Fun magazine (among many other distinctions). MaryAnn recently sent me a copy of Scribble Art to review, and the girls and I have been having a ball trying out the activities there. So far, we've done salt painting, made an easy piñata, and tried tissue paper collages (my favorite so far!) The thing I love about MaryAnn's books is her obvious and genuine care for children. It is tempting as a parent or a teacher... Continue reading

Sharing... An Interview with THE CHOCOLATE MUFFIN TREE blog: http://www.thechocolatemuffintree.com/2012/03/top-5-process-art-ideas-from-maryann-f.html Top 5 Process Art Ideas from MaryAnn F. Kohl What are your Top 5 Favorite Process Based Art Ideas? This is a question "The Choclate Muffin Tree" Blog asked MaryAnn F. Kohl in our interview from a few posts back and thought it could stand as a post of it's own. MaryAnn is the author of a multitude of children's art books and I consider her an expert on process based Art, so I thought this was a very suitable question. ***I've included process based project links after each listing to get you started. MaryAnn's answer: "My favorites change from day to day, so this is a tough question. But for today, here are my Top 5 and I'm going to list them in very general terms so the possibilities are wide open." Each of these five has a book-full... Continue reading

Free to anyone who loves making things for kids to use, like an easel from a pizza box or a cool way to store markers! Chapter Six from the original First Art book has all this and more. Enjoy! http://www.brightring.com/Bright%20PDFs/First_Art_Chp6.pdf By the way, I still have some of the older versions of First Art on my website, at the special price of $10. Special offer 1st edition of FIRST ART Only $10, and only a few left! (no international shipping) Shipping is $4.00 per book reg price $14.95, sale price $10.00 Continue reading

Are you going to attend the NAEYC 2013 convention in Washington, DC in November 20-23? (Thanksgiving is the following week, later than usual.) I am so looking forward to my session. I hope you can attend!! I will be hosting a panel about "How to Publish Your Teaching Ideas: Become an Early Childhood Author". The panel will be "me" speaking about my own experiences pros and cons and tips as an author and as a self-publisher and agent; Kathy Charner, Editor in Chief of NAEYC's books speaking about acquisitions and preparing a proposal; and Marianne Dambra, a new author just published "Cooking is Cool" sharing her exciting adventure to success. I think our perspectives will cover all the possibilities of authoring. #naeyc13 Continue reading

The July issues of the ArtsyKidsNEWS is here! I will cut and paste jpgs of the newsletter for your browsing enjoyment. The REAL newsletter has hyperlinks to all kinds of fun info. Click to see the actual July ArtsyKidsNEWS. Remind your friends to sign up for the free ArtsyKidsNews on my website (lower right corner on website home page). All two years of past ArtsyKidsNEWS issues are available for free. Hope you enjoy all the great ideas! Continue reading

A Message to Parents From Fred Rogers Mr Rogers thanks those who grew up with him who are now parents and care givers. About five months before he died, Fred Rogers recorded this message to parents and caregivers who grew up watching Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. In addition, another page is full of many many videos from Mr. Rogers. Find the ones that work for you, a parent meeting, a sweet time to share with a child or a new mother. These priceless words from a true childhood expert will hold their truth and value for all time. I wonder, "Where are the Mr. Rogers, the Captain Kangaroos, the original Mouseketeers, the Roy Rogers, for today's children?" Children need role models and heroes. The time is ripe for someone to lead children with honor and care. Continue reading

This article from 2010 answers some often asked questions about process art for children. Feel free to share it with parents or others in your teaching programs. Artist Profile Continue reading

Process Art Inspires Artful Adventures for Kids! By Lisa Albert “Kids need space to create,” is the simple guidance that award-winning author of art activity books MaryAnn Kohl offers to parents who are getting involved in their children’s arty play. Given freedom to explore and make choices, children are more likely to use their own ideas in creating art. You see, too often times, adults (parents and some teachers) project a sense of what a finished piece of art should look like, which denies children the opportunity to explore and create from their own imaginations, and to learn from that exploration and discovering. Why is process art so important? Kids learn as they explore art materials and the creative process of taking ideas from within and bringing them into existence. Art allows for trial and error from which authentic learning can take place. Art is open-ended and fosters individual expression... Continue reading

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed the amazing "Book Bundle" for Spring with $130 worth of books and resources for only $9.99. Hundreds of people bought the bundle, which means many more hundreds of children will benefit. Hooray for kids and creativity!!! If you bought the bundle, I hope you love love love ScienceArts, my contribution to the special. ~ MaryAnn www.brightring.com PS Sign up for my monthly newsletter! The new May edition will come out very soon. On this link, head to the lower right corner of my home page, www.brightring.com. Continue reading

Every now and then the bloggers I know put together a great little package of eBooks to share at the price of only $9.99, a $130 value. Can you believe it? This BUY NOW link will be active from midnight Pacific Time (1 minute past April 7th) April 8th, until April 14th. The sale ends on the 14th. What an amazing deal! Continue reading

Mudworks Bilingual free book giveaway winners Continue reading

The following March ArtsyKidsNEWS is shown with jpgs. To view this newsletter with active links in your browser, CLICK HERE. Continue reading

I hope you will enjoy these photos of kids creating openly with all kinds of materials to make Valentines to give to the Seattle Children's Hospital. We had a workshop at our local children's library on the Feb. 2, and the kids came in open-house-style. It was great fun for me, and they had fun using all the stickers, doilies, glitter glue, and more. The workshop was put on by MaryAnn Kohl and Sarah Nelson Veleos. MaryAnn writes children's art books, as you know :) , and Sarah has a new book for parents who expecting or have lost a baby. Titled: My Angel You Are Loved. Valentine Workshop, Bellingham WA Valentine Workshop, Bellingham WA by Sarah Nelson Veleos my angel, you are loved A poem and journal embracing pregnancy, and celebrating baby A Pregnancy Journal by Sarah Valeos with illustrations by Leanne Westman Continue reading