Crazy things kids do with Covid-19 social distancing can be irresistible fodder for films and cartoons.
At Robertson Art Zone kids have the unique opportunity to tell tales with characters, comics, and clay. Registration is open for RAZ after-school classes in film-making, comic books, musical theater, and more.
Laughter in daily moments is a practical way to cope with the pandemic for Orange County cartoonist Adrienne Hedger, mother of two teenagers.
"Laughing gives you a momentary release," she says. "It can shift your perspective. We’re all struggling, and no one is doing things perfectly."
Hedger says sharing stories makes parents feel "like we’re all in this together."
Mills, M (2020, Sept 21). Hilarious Cartoons Showcase Reality of Distance Learning at Home. Parents.
Parents get a lift seeing their kids' comics too. "A good sense of humor helps kids emotionally or socially. Research has shown that people who laugh more are healthier," Mary L. Gavin, MD advises in the article "Encouraging Your Child's Sense of Humor" she reviewed for KidsHealth.
Kids can rely on humor as a "tool throughout life to help them:
See things from perspectives other than the most obvious
Be spontaneous
Enjoy and participate in the playful aspects of life
"They're less likely to be depressed and may even have an increased resistance to illness or physical problems."
Among after-school activities and classes at Robertson Art Studio, in Beverly Hills / West Los Angeles area are:
Stop Motion Animation, 5-6:30 pm, Ages 9-15 Thursdays: make your movie with characters, sets, props, app
Comic Book, 5:15-6:15 pm, Ages 7-12 Wednesdays: drawing, story, clay, ink, illustrate, cover art.
Drawing Characters, 4-5 pm, Age 7-12 Wednesdays: drawing, shapes, shading, perspective, depth.
When students arrive at RAZ, surrounded by imaginative paintings and possibilities, their creative juices explode. Know what can be done with kids' art? Look how teenage singer Billie Eilish's amazing talents have become airborne lately. A brand new collaborative product "features a logo on the tongue that Eilish says she drew when she was 14."
The 19-year-old singer announced the sneakers on Instagram. "I really wanted to kind of have, almost like an ode to myself in like an appreciative way and a kind of sentimental way, of just like, this was me for a while," Eilish said in the video. "It sounds kind of dumb because it's a shoe, but it means a lot."
Cohen, L (2021, Sept 24). Billie Eilish Pair and Nike Pair Up for "100% Vegan" Air Jordans. CBS News.
Valentina Efendiev, 6, Jackson, N.J.- . I drew a paw print and a flamingo in my art class. My class was on the computer. Now it’s in my classroom, but hopefully, soon it can be in the art room.
As told to TIME via interview
Jeremy Liew, 13, Riverside, Conn. - The last year made me comfortable with being uncomfortable.
I was uncomfortable being singled out for how I look (I am an Asian-American Pacific Islander). A year ago, people looked at me with suspicions as if I had COVID-19 or brought it to my community. I felt embarrassed to be me. I usually use jokes or magic tricks in awkward moments, but people didn’t want to be around me. That made me empathetic to how others feel based on how they look.
Mira McInnes, 12, Leawood, Kan. I struggle with anxiety and depression, and although I was in a good place mentally when the first wave of COVID-19 cases hit in the U.S., the pandemic created a greater challenge for me. I needed to find a way to take my mind off things. So, I turned to writing. Over the past year, I’ve spent several hours most days writing short stories, poems, and songs about how I’m feeling and what my hopes for the future are.
Rory Hu, 11, Cupertino, Calif.
"Blame the Avengers. They took the Infinity Stones, altered the flow of time, and turned the world upside down." Seriously, 2020 felt so strange that it was as if we had entered a parallel timeline. Everything around me has gone virtual since: virtual school, virtual playdates, and even virtual birthday parties!" ...This “virtual” world made me feel anxious, lonely, and bored at first. Then it hit me that this past year my family has had a chance to spend more time together than ever before." Same with my friends. For example, I had no idea about one of my friend’s artistic skills until we began collaborating on a Zoom whiteboard. Although the real distance was very far, we got much closer virtually.
Kluger, J and Singer, A (2021, June 12). 'A Year Full of Emotions.' What Kids Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic. Time. Retrieved from https://time.com/6071300/kids-pandemic/
Photo credits: Valentina Efendiev, 6, Jackson, N.J., Courtesy Karen Henriquez, Jeremy Liew, 13, Riverside, Conn. Courtesy Michelle Toy Liew, Mira McInnes, 12, Leawood, Kan.
Courtesy Stephanie McInnes, Rory Hu, 11, Cupertino, Calif. Courtesy Yanlin Wu
Do something new every week
We Help People Make Art Through Storytelling
Dowdy, S (2020 October 23). Your Pandemic Story, Illustrated, Shared, and Remembered. Minerva's Kaleidoscope. The Library o Congress. Retrieved from https://blogs.loc.gov/families/2020/10/your-pandemic-story/
Let your child try one class before signing up for the full course!
Enjoy making your own art project, while your child is in class
Fridays, 8 weeks: Storytelling, genre, camera movement, characters
Tuesdays, 10 weeks: act, dance, build sets/props, make costumes, sing
Thursdays, 8 weeks: design, drawing, sculpting, wood, fabric, I-clay.
Wednesdays, 8 weeks: mixing colors, color wheel &spectrum, color group
Mills, M (2020, Sept 21). Hilarious Cartoons Showcase Reality of Distance Learning at Home. Parents.