Category: Learning Studio

Creative Space, Learning Studio

The Guided Learning Studio

Maria Arana

Happy 2019!  I am excited to start the new year with ideas about the kinds of learning and teaching happening in my home. I started this blog just about a year ago as a way to share the ways I encourage my kids' interests. At the time, I was also supporting the learning needs of… Continue reading The Guided Learning Studio

learning at home, Learning Studio, tutoring

Guided Learning

Maria Arana

     This week I have been reflecting on the learning and teaching process and thinking about what it means to support children as they learn.  This post is about what guided learning means to me. I will also describe the influence educators and learning philosophies have on my beliefs about learning and teaching. Guided… Continue reading Guided Learning

art appreciation, Learning Studio

Back-to-School

Maria Arana

      After a wonderful summer of travel, we are back home finding ourselves adjusting to the back-to-school routine.  When I last wrote an entry the kids and I were spending time learning about art.  We took time to learn about Renaissance artists form Florence, Impressionist, Post-Impressionists and Modern art in preparation for our trip… Continue reading Back-to-School

learning at home, Learning Studio, reading

Multi-Sensory Learning at Home

Maria Arana

When I think about the ways kids learn and the way an environment can support learning, I am reminded about the importance of providing kids with materials that can help them visualize a concept or an idea they are working on.  Many of us are visual learners and creating a visual to represent a concept… Continue reading Multi-Sensory Learning at Home

Learning Studio, tutoring

A Learning Play Date

Maria Arana

This week in Arizona many schools are closed due to the teacher walkout.  There is a great necessity to adequately fund schools in the state. I support the teachers, administrators and support staff who have stood their ground to put pressure on the state legislature and leaders to come up with a solution. Since the… Continue reading A Learning Play Date

learning at home, Learning Studio

Middle School Learners

Maria Arana

When my kids were young, I would direct their attention toward nature, building blocks, art supplies, etc to keep little hands busy. We also took trips to the zoo, the park, science museum and gardens.  At home, I would place materials out for them to play with and and use.  It was a very natural… Continue reading Middle School Learners

art appreciation, Art Lesson, Learning Studio

Exploring Shapes and Making Connections

Maria Arana

This summer we will be spending almost three weeks in Europe.  We are starting our trip in the Swiss Alps then spending time in Florence, Paris and finally Ireland. (Where we get to visit friends we miss greatly.)  I hope to prepare the kids for the art and architecture they will encounter on the trip.… Continue reading Exploring Shapes and Making Connections

Child Friendly Home, Learning Studio

A Creative Space

Maria Arana

During my Master's program, I had the opportunity to take a creativity class.  The class helped me explore the nature of creativity, examine the life of current creative people, and think about how we encourage creativity in different settings.  Learning about creativity is what prompted me to turn the formal dining room into a creative… Continue reading A Creative Space