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With summer in full swing, Kidcreate Studio demonstrated on TV how kids can stay engaged and active during the long hot days! Our arts and crafts franchise was recently featured on Charlotte Today, the popular NBC lifestyle morning program based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. Jerry LaMonica, owner of a Kidcreate Studio franchise in Rock Hill, South Carolina, joined hosts Colleen Odegaard and Larry Sprinkle to walk them through a DIY candy beach art project and talk about all things Kidcreate!
Before jumping into the craft project, Jerry described Kidcreate and our unique purpose as an art studio solely for children. Detailing our mission to provide accessible art to kids from 18 months old to 12 years old, he emphasized the goal of our franchise to work with both children and the local community to provide as many art opportunities as possible. “We do classes, camps, workshops, birthday parties, field trips… You name it, we do it,” said Jerry about the multiple activities Kidcreate offers. He also talked about how he specifically likes to partner with parks and recreation centers as well as local YMCAs to host events and camps that will bring art enrichment to the community.
After giving a rundown about Kidcreate and the numerous events going on with his studio, Jerry walked the two hosts through the quick and easy process of building the crafty beach project. Utilizing supplies like marshmallows, candy, and cake frosting, Jerry brought up the fact that the tools required for our art projects are incredibly simple and accessible for all, stating that this is “all easy stuff that you can get from your pantry or your local grocery store”. As the two TV show hosts coated their cardboard rounds with colorful cake frosting, Jerry discussed the incorporation of art education in every aspect of our arts and crafts franchise curriculum. “Every class, every camp, every workshop, there’s a piece of art education. Whether it’s a material we’re using that’s a little bit different, like papier mache or plaster, or maybe it’s an artist like Picasso or Van Gogh, there’s always something that the kids are going to learn, even though they’re making art with candy,” Jerry says. “They’re learning without really knowing they’re learning, so it tends to stick really well.”
We want our art students to have fun while they learn and create, so incorporating candy and play into our curriculum holds great importance to us. Like Jerry said, we strive to find the perfect combination of having fun while also learning all about the joys of art education, technique, and history.
Jerry also expressed how Kidcreate wants to get children to tap into their creative potential and reach to think outside the box. Referencing the beach project, he poses the idea of how kids could consider what a beach in space could look like. By using simple and fun craft projects like the beach scene, children can explore the wonders of their imagination, learn, and, most importantly, have fun!
Lastly, Jerry highlighted the benefits of the technology and device-free nature of our arts and crafts franchise. He speaks on how the children not only get to unplug from their technological devices, but by being hands-on and creating their own art projects, the students discover a new side of creativity that they would not have uncovered otherwise. He brings up the benefits his own children receive from exploring with art as he says, “I have two small children myself. They just light up when you spark that creative part of their brain when you get them thinking about things that they have not thought of before. We are truly doing things they have not done before.”
Host Larry Sprinkle asked a question that other community members unfamiliar with our studio may be asking themselves. “What can we expect when we come to the studio?” Jerry answers,
“Just fun. And getting very, very messy.”
Jerry opened his first Kidcreate Studio location this past November with his partner Eric LaMonica, and they are slated to open three more locations across North and South Carolina in the near future. Congratulations to Jerry for doing a wonderful job representing and showcasing Kidcreate Studio on Charlotte Today!
To watch the original news segment on Charlotte today, click here! If you were inspired by Jerry and want to help bring children’s art education into your own community, opening your own Kidcreate Studio could be the perfect opportunity for you! Click HERE to visit our page, where you can learn all about our mission and goals as an arts and crafts franchise.