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Children at Outside the Box-Studio in North Naples are free to express themselves
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Children slip off their shoes and enter Outside the Box-Studio in North Naples for an afternoon of creativity.
Inside a multicolored, two-room studio filled with an array of art supplies from costumes to puppets, four children express themselves freely for one hour during the “My Tribe” class that meets on Tuesdays.
After a few minutes of winding down, children sit on the floor for a short bilingual story time.
Airplane light fixtures hang from the ceiling.
Within minutes, story time is shifted to creating the sound of rain.
Some children grab rainsticks, while others carry decorative umbrellas.
Zachary Stenberg wraps himself in a blue cloth representing rain.
“I like to play here,” Zachary, 7, said.
Maria Luisa Carter, owner of the studio on Shirley Street, which opened in February, said she doesn’t discipline children and allows them to express themselves as long as they are safe. Carter, a native of Brazil, owned a day-care school in Rio de Janeiro.
Children are allowed to play with any item in the studio at any time during the class.
“The idea is to get kids involved in all types of arts,” said Carter, who is also known as Lulu. “Not necessarily teach them an instrument, but get them interested in an instrument.”
Wearing a pink-colored feathered Mardi Gras mask, Alexia Nelson, 3, acts like a bird as Carter spins her in circular motion.
One by one, students open their arms and spin.
The spinning activity is Zachary’s favorite.
While children are learning about art, teachers encourage then to learn another language.
“We want the kids to learn about world peace and not to feel isolated,” Carter said.
On April 15, the class ended with drawing.
Among the other students was first-grader Lorenzo Estanagel, 7.
He enjoys attending the studio because he can paint, he said while painting a castle with two dragons.
And children aren’t the only ones who enjoy the class.
Parents are also welcome to attend the class with their child.
Danaca Stenberg said the studio is the best place her son, Zachary, who has a lot of energy, can express himself and is allowed to be a kid.
Stenberg said she has also learned different teaching techniques to make it fun. Too often, adults forget to have fun with children, she said.
“It’s more than just an art studio,” Stenberg said.
“It’s a fun place where they can be themselves.”
Annamaria Seward of North Naples said her son has been visiting the studio for two months and attends personal lessons twice a week.
Seward said her 4-year-old son, Parker, who has Down syndrome, has progressed verbally, and his attention span has also increased.
“By staying busy doing what he likes, he learns,” Seward said.
The studio, which opened in February, offers My Tribe for age 7 on Tuesdays and ages 4 to 5 on Thursdays, and Fun with Fabric for children and adult workshops.
The cost per hour is $25, and scholarships are available.
The studio plans to offer one new class every month.
“Our focus is for people to come here and be creative to be more resourceful in life,” Carter said.
For more information about the studio, visit www.outsidethebox-studio.com/2.html.
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My children love Outise the Box -studio, they have lots of fun.
#1 Posted by bobsaget on May 17, 2008 at 11:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
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