The Art Studio

“Art has too often been separated from life, and like creativity, it has not been recognized as an everyday right, as a quality of life.” – Carla Rinaldi

Having an art studio here at Play Haven was always important to me. I’ve seen how much children benefit by having access to explore and create with various mediums. Art gives children the opportunity to view and experience their world in different ways. It also allows them to gain new perspectives and a higher level of understanding. 

Take markers and glue for example. With these 2 simple materials children’s creativity is endless. As you’ve likely seen, children enjoy the process of making art and the final product isn’t nearly as important (we often end up with many beautiful, forgotten works here at Play Haven). Another popular spot in the art studio spot is our glass wall where children paint, then squeegee, clean and repeat.  Again, it’s about the experience, not the product.

The learning process is a creative process. Children thrive with opportunities to represent their mental images and share them with others. Through their own unique creativity, they make all new connections between thoughts and objects and research their theories from scribbling on up. Even if all they do is glue one squiggly eye on a piece of paper and walk away, that itself is a successful experience. As they continue exploring in the space they build upon every visit and experience.

The art studio at Play Haven is designed with this learning in mind. It offers children the time, information, inspiration and materials to freely express themselves. Here they can experiment, make mistakes, plan, follow through, and create – this shows them there’s no right or wrong way to do something. We want children to find their own way of working, their own preferred materials, and their own ideas to follow. This puts them at the center of their own learning and gives them the confidence to want to learn in any situation.