I was recently asked to try out a new series produced by Amazon Prime Instant video called Creative Galaxy. I currently nanny for a 4 yr old boy, 2 yr old boy, and at home we have an almost 2 year old and a 4 month old, so plenty of eyes to try this out on :)
I really like how their central theme is finding the fun and beauty in everything. In one episode Arty doesn't want to stop playing with his cars to eat, so they decide to make eating time fun. They turn the dinner table into a city with streats and stoplights, roads and rivers, using mostly recycled items. Milk cartons are skyscrapers, paper towel rolls become traffic lights etc. It gives the kids something fun to look at while they eat their meal. Another time Arty didn't want to take a bath, he wanted to color, so they made soap crayons so he could draw during bathtime.
There are so many ways to make seemingly "boring" events fun for kids, and I've really enjoyed watching these shows with the kids.
Creative Galaxy, is now available for exclusive unlimited streaming on Prime Instant Video at no additional cost to Prime members. A make-along, create-along art adventure series for children ages three to five, Creative Galaxy comes from Angela Santomero (Super Why!, Daniel Tigers Neighborhood), the creator of the hit show Blue’s Clues. The series features “Arty,” an adorable alien artist, and “Epiphany,” his inspirational side-kick, on their adventures through the Creative Galaxy solving problems through art, music and dance. To give kids and parents the real-life tools they need to recreate Arty’s experience, a live-action piece at the end of each animated episode takes families through the craft project Arty showcased in the galaxy. This series is designed to support a child’s natural inclination to use their imaginations, make and create. Art make life joyful. Everywhere one goes art is evident.
And the skills utilized and learned through making art are vast and useful. In every episode, our characters will use "fix it with art" to model the pervasiveness and importance of art as a resource for life for our home viewers.The series helps kids at home feel as if they are making art along with Arty, through its interactive story format. As "helper artists", the kids at home will “create” alongside Arty, empowering them as “makers” in a media format. Parks use sculptures to add interest and to inform people; posters on walls give information and motivation; the clothes we wear are designed; music plays on the radio to keep your energy levels up; dance has meaning and tells stories. Whether we think of our world as art or not – it is!
To help reinforce what my son is learning from this show, seeing beauty everywhere and using art to make things fun, we decided to make artwork of our own using recycled products.
We decided to turn his high chair tray into a town. We used a plain sheet of printer paper for the bottom, toilet paper roll for the stop light, baby formula can lid for the lake, and old tea box flipped inside out for the house. My son had the truck already in his toybox. It was so much fun to make, and didn't cost us a penny! See what kinds of art and masterpieces you can come up with using what you already have lying around your house.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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