Mini Makers Good

I teach Mini Makers with Kith + Kin (a indoor family play space in Philly) on Mondays mornings at 10:30- 11:30AM and for the summer we had an additional class in the Corinthian Gardens on Tuesday mornings. Its been over TWO years teaching with amazing Kith + Kin community.

This week at Mini Makers, I watched an 18-month-old, a five-year-old, and everyone in between make art in a garden.

We were surrounded by the abundance of Corinthian Gardens, which is honestly such a highly underrated spot in the city. Flowers blooming everywhere, butterflies moving from one bloom to another, squirrels collecting fallen pecans, and enough space for little bodies to run and explore.

I had set up canvases, paint, brushes, a cozy fort station, and a few different invitations to create. But I didn't really have a plan for what their art should look like.

Because I don't really teach art to kids. I create the space and prepare materials for them to make it.

There was a moment today that I keep thinking about. I watched the children settle into the painting, each in their own way. Some carefully chose their colors. Some immediately started moving paint across the canvas. Some used their hands, some used brushes, some moved between activities and came back again.

Slowly, I watched them relax.

Their caregivers did too.

At first, some of the adults were trying to help. But eventually, they stepped back. The children were leading, and they really didn't need much direction. They just needed the space to explore.

I asked one little one, “How are you feeling?”-

“GOOD.”

That's it.

I hadn't heard another word from them the entire time.

Just this giant smile and a very clear, very contented GOOD.

And I think that word says so much.

Because what I see in these classes isn't just children making art.

I see them making choices. Following their curiosity. Getting messy. Trying something, changing their minds, trying something else. I see them realizing that their ideas are worth following.

And I can actually see them regulate through it.

I can see their bodies settle. Their confidence grow….. I see the caregivers watching all of this and realizing, “Oh. They're okay. They're safe. They're happy. They're capable.”

And then something else happens.

The grown-ups start to play too.

Today I watched a caregiver eventually pick up a brush and start painting alongside their child. A little while later they laughed and said something like, “Oh, this is actually really fun.”

And I love that.

Because maybe that's one of the things I love most about Mini Makers. It isn't only a space for children.

It's a space where caregivers get to breathe too.

They talk to each other. They connect. They watch their children discover something new. Sometimes they join in.

For an hour, everyone gets to slow down a little.

And in a world where so much of childhood can feel structured and scheduled and focused on an end result,

I feel incredibly lucky to create these little pockets of just being.

To watch a child who was unsure walk over and begin.

Help an 18-month-old make something alongside a five-year-old.

See a caregiver step back and let their child lead.

Where children become completely absorbed in something they have chosen for themselves.

To watch a mama come weeks postpartum and have a little space to breathe, connect, and feel supported.

I feel so grateful to be a small part of that.

Grateful to Corinthian Gardens for giving us such a beautiful place to create, and to the Kith + Kin community for making space for these little moments of connection, creativity, and joy.

Because sometimes art isn't really about what we make.

Sometimes it's about what happens to us while we're making it. :):):)