Creative Clubhouse

When I started a new program two years ago, I knew I wanted to combine books, crafts, and a sense of wonder for the world around us. Thus, Creative Clubhouse was born. Truth be told, I think I enjoy it as much as the kids!


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Program Plan



Creative Clubhouse participants are in Kindergarten through second grade. During each session of the six week program, I read a book to the group, we take time to delight in and wonder about something, and then we get creative! The students are used to this routine: reading, discussing, creating. We don’t take a long time to discuss, but it’s a really powerful part of the program. Often I’ll use the Smithsonian Institution’s Learning Lab to curate collections. Looking at the art or other items in a particular collection, I’ll ask the students to use Project Zero’s thinking routine: See, Think, Wonder . What do the students see? What do they think about what they see? And what do they wonder? The insights they have when they look at art always, always amaze me.



Artists and Projects



I’ve shared the work of creators such as Anni Albers, Minoru Yamasaki, and Elijah Pierce. Those artists’ works in turn inspire our projects.




When we explored quilting, we started by reading When the Stars Came Home (Brittany Luby). We practiced close looking and the See, Think, Wonder thinking routine with a quilt by Faith Ringgold , which is in the National Portrait Gallery and featured in a Learning Lab collection. We then created our own paper story quilts as the project.



After reading most of Shapes, Lines, and Light: My Grandfather’s American Journey (Katie Yamasaki), we looked at a slideshow I had created of buildings Minoru Yamasaki had designed. The students made paper bag buildings , using the guidelines from Center for Architecture.



During one program, we read Lucy and the String (Vanessa Roeder) and then examined this amazing art installation by Gabriel Dawe at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. The students enjoyed using string and paint to create colorful string pull paintings.




For the upcoming spring quarter, we will explore and create art inspired by math and science. Ruth Asawa and Alma Thomas are two artists whose geometric art will be the inspiration for two projects. I don’t plan to feature an artist each week, like I’ve done for the past few quarters, but we will continue to use our thinking routine.




For our symmetry program, we will look at flowers, buildings, bridges, and even letters. We will discuss what we see, what we think about what we see, and what we wonder. We will create ephemeral symmetrical patterns using colored tiles and a mirror as well as more permanent pieces using paint and paper.



This moon crater painting on the Lunar and Planetary Institute website looks fun. Incredibly messy, but fun!



Creating a skyline on graph paper using the digits of pi is another project I’m planning to do. Practicing close looking at a variety of large cities’ skylines will likely yield some interesting insights.




What Doesn’t Work/What Does?



In Creative Clubhouse, what doesn’t work well? Three things come to mind. Complicated art projects. Not having a secondary, smaller project on hand for those who finish quickly. Lastly, I have found that having too many options within any one project can be overwhelming, so a few limits are helpful.



On the positive side, the routine of reading, discussing, creating works well. For kids who need to get the wiggles out before settling down, a quick dash around the program room works well. Process, rather than product, art is always my goal. I’ve found clear directions are a safety net that allow for creativity to flow while addressing students who feel anxious about “doing things right.”



Creative Clubhouse “members” know that our time together is the highlight of my week! What programs have captured your heart? Please share some of your favorites in the comments below.
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