Erin is the owner of Makers, a process-based kid’s art studio in Rhode Island. She earned her Masters in Elementary Education, and believes creative experiences are highly beneficial for the emotional, intellectual and developmental growth of children. Erin lives in Rhode Island with her husband, their two young children, Emma & Jack, and the world’s best dog.
I’m Rachael, a mummy to three gorgeous children. I am a teacher by profession, studying a degree and then continuing on to masters level. Teaching was my passion and still is, but after having three babies in just under three years, I thought it was time to take a career break. I will forever be grateful for the position that I am in and cherish each and every moment spent watching my little ones grow. I hadn’t really documented our learning and play journey so much until just over a year ago when I decided to start my very own Instagram page. I absolutely adore the Instagram community and have connected with like-minded people all over the world. Sharing our passion and love for all things play has become something that I thoroughly enjoy. I discovered my love for natural resources and use them as often as I can. The majority of the time, they are completely free, they offer so much inspiration and provide such a multi-sensory experience for our little ones during play. My eldest daughter however, isn’t so much a hands-on learner and thrives off structured learning experiences. I created many printable resources of my own for her when she was younger and decided to open up a shop to share a small selection of our ideas. Now that my youngest is two, I feel as though I can focus more on building up a resource bank for all parents/careers to use with their little ones at home, mixing both approaches to learning.
We are Laura Mah (BA, Grad Dip Ed) and Emily Van Der Molen (BA, Grad Dip Ed).
We are both artists, art teachers, Mums (and besties) with superpowers in making art education whizz bang wonderful.
We met studying art at uni, making very similar artworks on opposite sides of the studio, then both went on to become art teachers.
But it wasn’t until many years later that we reconnected over our mutual love of all things bright and sparkly, and realized we’ve been living parallel lives since the 70’s.
Keira Gladstone has been teaching art for twenty years. She started her teaching career in Washington, DC where she taught early childhood art. Her collaboration with Little Loft Studios created more opportunities to offer art to families in her community. She and her family moved back to Portland, Oregon a few years ago. She continues to teach art to elementary students and offers summer sessions in her backyard art studio.
Lia Salza Goldstein is co-founder and owner of Little Loft Studios in Takoma Park, MD, at the edge of Washington DC.
A graduate of Wesleyan University, she worked as a teacher and reading tutor before studying child development at Harvard Graduate School of Education.
While raising her own young children, she opened Little Loft with art teacher Keira Havner in 2012. Their combined vision resulted in a beautiful space for children to play and create, and a gathering spot for neighborhood families. She lives in Takoma Park MD with her husband and three children.
Little Loft offers art classes for children as young as two, an after school art program for children in grades K-5, a sewing club for ages 9-12, and school day off camps including winter, spring and summer camps. Visit our website or follow us on Instagram.
Benares Angeley is the owner of Children’s Art Lab, a process based art studio for kids and families on the Southcoast of Massachusetts. Benares has an MFA in Fiber Art from UMASS-Dartmouth and studied as a Core Fellow at Penland School of Crafts. She has been working with children in creative art endeavors for more than twenty years and loves what she does with her whole heart. She is deeply inspired by children making art, both those who visit her studio and her own two little innovators, Penelope and Silas.
Abbey Donald is a home educator and the creator behind Wild Wattle Folk, a website dedicated to connecting children with the natural world and its seasonal rhythms with a range of nature-based craft and learning activities. These activities have free tutorials, some of which are used for West Melbourne Wildlings, a non-profit, homeschool pre-school co-op which Abbey founded to help families in the area connect, support and grow into a village. Abbey believes children have a birthright to be in nature when they choose and as frequently as possible. She draws educational inspiration from the Reggio Emilia approach where children are considered “knowledge bearers” and should be given endless ways and opportunities to express themselves.
Samara Caughey is the owner of Purple Twig, an art studio for kids and families in Los Angeles, CA. She has a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago in Photography and an MFA from USC in sculpture. Samara has been creating art with children for 15 years and continues to be constantly surprised and delighted by watching kids explore materials to create their work.
