Is your kid ready for art classes with Aunty Rebecca?

I specialize in teaching adults and older kids: upper elementary, middle, and high school ages. Early in my art class business, I originally tested out having younger kids in my studio. I found it to be an unsafe setup that involved me trying to keep them from touching a LOT of things and to stop running out of my open-door garage-based studio. I was completely exhausted by the end, leaving no energy left for my own family. I just wanted to sit in silence in the dark when they left. (Something about that hour just wiped me! God bless all Preschool & Kindergarten teachers everywhere.) So, I no longer teach younger kids in my studio for safety and sanity reasons!

Beyond that, I decided I wanted to focus my energy on teaching middle and high school level projects. I was split between developing and altering art curriculum for different sets of kids with different stages of brain development. I felt very scattered, and my deeper interest was in the more in-depth projects. So now all my projects are designed to be appropriate for the brain development of older children.

While of course a project can be altered for younger students (which many people successfully do in their homeschools), I have found that younger kids mixed in the same class pull my attention away from the older kids. Rather than making the rounds and giving tips on supply use, craftsmanship, ideas, etc, I spend a lot of time physically helping younger kids put things together. Then the big kids end up feeling like they didn't get what they needed out of the class. And that's not fair to them.

Around age 9-10, many artistically-inclined kids become interested in drawing and painting more realistically. Those are the students that are the most interested in the type of art lessons that I teach. I use real objects and reference photos during lessons. (and they are also welcome to bring in their own). I teach them how to see instead of what to draw. 

While my class descriptions say they are best suited for mature 9-year-olds and up, a 9th birthday doesn't automatically mean your child is ready to be in my particular space. So how do you know if your kid is ready?

An easy way to tell is this:

• Can your child handle 1 1/2 hours of being in the same room? (with just the Hawaiian breeze and fans for air?)
  
• Does your child understand why he or she shouldn't run out of a garage into the road? Or why they can't just randomly leave the garage when they feel like looking at something in the yard?
  
  
• Does your child understand why one shouldn't play behind curtains, mess with surfboards in the corner, or wander in areas of the garage that they've been asked to stay away from?
  
  
• Can your child generally refrain from touching stuff around the room that has nothing to do with his or her current project? Especially other people's art.....and definitely including the art/prints/cards I make and sell for part of my livlihood?
  
  
• Can your child use a paint brush without smashing the bristles into the paper? Leave the paintbrush on the table instead of in the water?
  
  
• Has your child expressed interest in learning how to draw things more realistically?
  
  
• Has your child expressed interest in learning how to draw on their own - not just alongside step-by-step YouTube videos?
  
  
• Is your child interested in drawing things other than anime/cartoon styles? (I don't teach anime at all.)

If you honestly answered yes to ALL of the above, he or she may be ready for an art class with me.

If you aren't sure, take some time to observe your child's habits and interests in art. When you can finally answer yes, then it might be time to book a lesson!