Creative Café

Back when I taught middle school, Creative Café, formerly Coffee Shop, was a time for my students to create and share their poetry, stories, and other talents. You can read more about it here. 

These days, I've found ways to introduce Creative Café to my own children. Someday we will do creative writing together, but for now, our focus is on art projects, narration pages, and other book-based activities. 

The basics for Creative Café are simple– we put on some coffee shop jazz or instrumental music, choose a spot with comfortable seating, and then we get to work on something creative! Sometimes I also offer refreshments. 

For older children, Creative Café time can be a time set aside for creative writing in a relaxed environment. If you are looking for a fabulous way to inspire creative writers and thinkers, check out my free Creative Café: The Basics guide to get started! 

My workshops for middle-grade writers lay a feast of beautiful ideas using music, art, and story to spark each child's creativity. These workshops are great for classroom teachers, but they are also designed for use by homeschooling families with children of multiple ages.

Additionally, I created a website, CreativeCafe.org, which offers inspiration and "spark your creativity" writing and art-based prompts that can be completed in a writer's notebook! Ideal for middle-grade writers! 

🎨 Need some ideas to get started? Check out the "Creative Café Time" we have enjoyed together!