Kids Art Box is offering a downloadable Van Gogh art pack to help teachers provide educational art projects. The pack provides detailed step-by-step instructions for teachers and students, a list of supplies and optional extras to make the setup as easy and quick as possible. Kids Art Box is a family-owned business that uses the Montessori method to teach children ages three-12 how to create art. The art subscription boxes are typically used to supplement homeschooling or virtual learning curriculum, but as schools have returned to in-person learning the kits are being used in the classroom as well. 

Kids Art Box was created by Melanie Phillips, a mom of three boys who are seven, five and two years old. A former engineer from France, Ms. Phillips started making art activities with her children as a hobby, but it quickly turned into a business. Before the pandemic began, art was already being phased out of many schools across the country; when virtual learning became widespread in the midst of the pandemic, art classes became almost nonexistent. Ms.  Phillips created the “My Artist Box” as a way to deliver educational and hands-on art projects.

“This past year has turned our world upside down. With remote learning and online lessons, we’ve stayed connected but from a distance. Students’ well-being has been impacted and there are some things you simply can’t learn through a computer screen. This free printable of the “My Artist Box” makes art easy and educational. It’s also a good way to give teachers exposure to our process,” said Ms. Phillips. 

Hamilton Flex School, a charter school in Hamilton County, Mi., has begun taking advantage of the “My Artist Box” subscription. The Kit Manager for Hamilton Flex School Jenna Chisholm ordered 20 kits this month and said she was pleasantly surprised by the quality. “I vet a lot of kit companies. From a curriculum point of view, the kits are high quality and very organized. I almost cried tears of joy when I opened the first box because everything is color-coded, and the instructions are easy to understand for students who are virtually learning. The kits are also exposing students to artists who are historically known and artists that are not as well-known but are still living and making art,” said Ms. Chisholm. Hamilton Flex School utilizes the art kits in their art elective classes. The nature of the art kits allows for students to attend the art classes in-person or virtually. Kids Art Box sells to all 50 states, and prices can range from one month of $35 to a year subscription for $360. The printable Van Gogh art pack can be downloaded for free online at www.kidsartbox.com/van-gogh-k12-art-budget. Educators and Nonprofit leaders can learn how to receive funding for art kits online at kidsartbox.com.

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