Creative Café: In the Flower Garden

If you are new here, I invite you to begin by reading about Creative Café. Although I designed the Creative Café Framework with school teachers and homeschooling parents in mind, I am currently a stay-at-home mother with two children in traditional school (and one not in school yet!), so I've been incorporating Creative Café into our summer schedule, our days off, and even as an afternoon activity when my children are up for it. 

All three of my children love to do creative projects and activities, so they are usually the ones asking me if we can "do Creative Café." I like to think of these impromptu home sessions as our "casual Creative Café."

To prepare, I round up some snacks and our tea cups that I found at Goodwill. I throw on some coffee shop jazz music, make a few cups of tea, and place our Creative Café mugs on the table. Our Creative Café mugs are filled with watercolor paint brushes and colored pencils. Our dining area is set up with a standing drawer organizer filled with various kinds of paper and our watercolor paint for easy access. 

We called our most recent impromptu Creative Café "In the Flower Garden." Prior to hosting our creative time, we read a few picture books related to roses—Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner and The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie dePaola.

Next, I placed a rose on the table, showed them how I like to draw roses, and we also hung up my oldest's floral artwork from school. With options on the table, I invited everyone to create their own flower artwork. My children know that they are welcome to create whatever comes to mind, even if it doesn't fit the theme—the goal is to enjoy time creating together. Every child came up with a unique creation, and it was a great half hour or so of creative endeavors. Super simple and a great way to encourage their creativity!