Creative Education

How to Find More Creative Time: Six Tips From a Busy Mother of Four
/ / / /

How to Find More Creative Time: Six Tips From a Busy Mother of Four

Do you long for time to be creative? Maybe even dream of supplementing your family’s income using your creative gifts?  I often feel that my relationship with deep, uninterrupted creative work is elusive.  So close – yet so far away! It’s like we are at the same party but on opposite sides of the room. Close enough…

Why Cleaning Makes You More Creative
/ / / / /

Why Cleaning Makes You More Creative

I swear some of my best ideas happen when I’m hunched over the toilet bowl with a scrubber.  Maybe it’s because I subconsciously want to be in another place?  I’ve thought about this phenomenon (while cleaning) and wondered why for me, cleaning and creative epiphanies seem to always go together.  Cleaning aids creativity? So I…

Creativity Loves Limits – Good News for Creative Moms
/ / / / / / /

Creativity Loves Limits – Good News for Creative Moms

  “The enemy of art is the absence of limitation.” – Orson Welles.  This is for you, artist moms. Do you need some good news today?  Let me tell you about an artist I just discovered on the TED screen.  His name is Phil Hansen, and he is pretty dang incredible.  As an art student,…

Loose Parts – The Ultimate Learning Toys
/ / / /

Loose Parts – The Ultimate Learning Toys

Am I the only one who spends hours reading toy reviews and guides at Christmas or birthday time – determined to find the ultimate toy for my kids and my pocketbook? I’m always sure I’ll find that perfect toy that will engage my kid’s minds and bodies and make them magically want to leave their ever…

How Time In Nature Helps Me Be A Better Mom
/ / / / / / / / /

How Time In Nature Helps Me Be A Better Mom

  We all want it.  That deep assurance that “today I truly connected with my child”.  That knowing smile between mother and child; the shared experience carved deep in our hearts and minds. It can be so elusive in our distraction-filled world.  But I have found a secret to making those moments happen more often…

The Art Habit for Moms – My New FREE Course
/ / / / / / /

The Art Habit for Moms – My New FREE Course

I hear myself saying to my daughter for what feels like the sixty-fourth time today, “You need to practice.  The more you practice, the better you’ll get”. I stop in my tracks and listen.  The voice in my head says, “Dear Hannah, YOU need to take your own advice”. Making Art a Priority As moms, we encourage…

Our Favorite Nature Study Tools
/ / / / /

Our Favorite Nature Study Tools

  You don’t really need much to enjoy nature, but sometimes it’s fun to invest in a few supplies that can make the experience more memorable and enjoyable.  Here is a list of our family’s favorite nature study tools.  I’ll add to it as we find new things (because we are always finding new things!). There…

How American Girl Helped My Kids Love Reading and History
/ / / / / /

How American Girl Helped My Kids Love Reading and History

  Our love affair with the American Girl books started with a desire to get the twins excited about reading on their own, for fun. I wanted to find something that would keep their interest and make them want to come back for more. My cousin (who is just enough ahead of me in this parenting…

How the Amazon Echo is Saving My Sanity
/ / / / / /

How the Amazon Echo is Saving My Sanity

  Am I really doing a whole post about this electronic device? Yes, yes I am.  I am not on the Echo advertising team (although I should be…I tell everyone about this!). I just had to share.  I‘m always looking for ways to simplify so I can have more reserves for creativity.  This little device really…

Why Your Child Needs Unstructured PLAY
/ / / /

Why Your Child Needs Unstructured PLAY

Here at Lily and Thistle, we talk a lot about art and nature. In all of my research, I’ve found that the foundation of creativity and happiness for kids is PLAY.  Do you remember what it felt like to play as a kid?  I’m talking about real play, the kind initiated and driven by kids.  Building tree…