10 Years of Summer Camps

As we approach our 10th year of summer camps (whhhaaaattt???), we are reflecting a LOT and have noticed that while some things have changed, so much of the how, why, and what we do still rings true from 2016.

In January or 2016, when we were brainstorming and daydreaming about Little Art House, we realized that setting the goal to host some art camps would be a perfect starting point for us. As art teachers coming from traditional classroom settings, we wanted to see what we could do when we personally were able to set the parameters for our programming like the camp/class size, what materials, which age ranges, and so on.  We also wanted to see how we could really push art education and the elements that we know are so important for learning into a recreational setting.

We were lucky that the University School of Nashville was open to hosting our camps so we could see how they would be received.  Leighton and I taught every camp that summer and while it was A LOT of work, it was such a dream to run our own program with such freedom in the details.  Some of our decisions for that summer still are in place today such as:

• Small groups (In studio it’s 12 max with one lead/one assistant but 8 kids if one lead) so there is more teacher interaction per kiddo

• Structured in a way that allows for creative freedom

• Fun-focused 

• Varied use of art mediums

• Use of visual Inspiration rather than examples like books!

Over the next few months we’ll continue to reflect and take y’all down memory lane with us for highlights, moments of growth, and best practices we've developed over the years. We’ll also have a special 10yr Celebration Series of events in June, July & August - more information on those coming soon!

Link in bio for full story of our first summer camps!