Blue Mouse Art Club
Creative afternoon programs for preK-grade 4
What will your child create in the age of AI?
Children are born creators. It is our job to support and encourage their creativity. Creating builds confidence in new ideas, requires constant decision making, and initiates peer review and recognition. Simply put, creativity is the most important personal skill in tomorrow’s world.
What kind of art do we teach?
We teach art that is engaging. We will draw and paint occasionally, but our most rewarding projects will involve printing, sculpting, collaging, and crafting with fabrics as well as recycling materials. Our art projects are open-ended to support individual expression. No two artworks will ever look the same at Blue Mouse Art Club.
What if too much art gets boring?
We strongly believe that art and science belong together and regularly explore STEAM projects. We love science experiments (Can we make a rainbow?) and building challenges (What can we build from a cardboard box?). Most of all, we follow our students’ interests. That way, it’s impossible to get bored.
What else do we do?
We spend time outside every afternoon and enjoy a snack together. During free time, children can work on individual art projects, or they can play games and read books. The one thing we do not allow are individual screens.
Junior Art Club (Ages 4-6)
Explore, create, and make friends!
Junior Art Club is offered on two days of the week. We practice art in an age-appropriate, playful way. Our focus is the process of creating and the exploration of different materials and techniques.
Projects will include (but are not limited to):
Drawing with pencils, regular and acrylic markers, art crayons
Painting with watercolors and tempera paints
Basic printing techniques
Basic collages
Sculpting with air-dry clay
Mixed-media crafting
All projects are open-ended and encourage individual expression, using high-quality art materials (included in program fees). The end result is secondary but may surprise you if you are open to your child’s aesthetic standards. Group size is limited to 8 children.
Every day, we will spend time outside, have a snack, and work on a project together. During free time, children can play, read books, work on individual projects, or simply rest. We will never use individual screens during program time.
Program time: Monday and Tuesday 2:30-6pm; Term 1: September 2026-January 2027 (If your child’s school ends before 2:30pm and you need an earlier drop-off time, please contact us for individual accommodation.)
Age requirement: age 4-6 (must meet age requirement on September 1st, 2026), proof of age requested for registration. Participants must be fully potty-trained and able to use the bathroom independently.
Program fees:
1 day: $250 per month ($245 by check) or $1,125 advance payment for half-year term ($1,100 by check)
2 days: $490 per month ($480 by check) or $2,225 advance payment for half-year term ($2,175 by check)
Commitment required for the full term; a non-refundable down payment for the term’s last month ($250/245 for one day, $490/$480 for two days) is required at registration. Program participants of Term 1 (September-January) will receive priority during registration for Term 2 (February-June 2027) and are guaranteed a spot to continue their program if interested.
Transportation: Our studio is only 2 blocks away from King Open School. If requested, we will pick up participants from the school lobby or the CPS bus stop at King Open School for a one-time pick-up fee of $50 per program day for a half-year term. Parents are responsible for arranging transportation by submitting a CPS Transportation Change Form to their school. (4 year-olds who are enrolled in a CPS pre-K room are eligible for CPS bus transportation to a school that is more than 1 mile from the school they attend.) We are happy to assist and coordinate schedules.
Financial aid: We will be able to offer a limited number of scholarships for program participants. If you are a candidate, please send us an email explaining your financial situation and why you are specifically interested in our program. We will respond with an offer in accordance with available scholarship funds and program openings.
Elementary Art Club (Grades 1-4)
Learn, create, and develop your personal style!
Elementary Art Club is only offered on Thursdays. We will learn about different styles, materials, and techniques while working on a wide variety of art projects.
Projects will include (but are not limited to):
Drawing with pencils, art crayons, and different types of pastels
Painting with watercolors, tempera and acrylic paint on art papers and canvas
Basic printing techniques
Paper and mixed-media collages
Sculpting with paper mache, plaster, and air-dry clay
Mixed-media crafting
All projects are open-ended and encourage individual expression. We enable our artists by supporting their creative process, but they decide what to create and how to get there. Our high-quality art materials (included in program fees) provide a true artistic experience. Group size is limited to 10 children.
Every Thursday, we will work on our current art project, spend some time outside, and have a snack together. During free time, children can play, read books, work on individual art projects, or simply rest. We will never use individual screens during program time.
Program time: Thursday 2:30-6:00pm; Term 1: September 2026-January 2027 (If your child’s school ends before 2:30pm and you need an earlier drop-off time, please contact us for individual accommodation.)
Age requirement: must be enrolled in grades 1-4 during the 2026-2027 school year (If students fulfill age requirements for both the Junior and the Elementary Art Club, they are permitted to sign up for both programs.)
Program fees: $250 per month ($245 by check) or $1,125 advance payment for half-year term ($1,100 by check); program fees include all art materials
Commitment required for the full term; a non-refundable down payment for the term’s last month ($250/$245) is required at registration. Program participants of Term 1 (September-January) will receive priority during registration for Term 2 (February-June 2027) and are guaranteed a spot to continue their program if interested.
Transportation: Our studio is only 2 blocks away from King Open School. If requested, we will pick up participants from the school lobby or the CPS bus stop at King Open School for an additional one-time fee of $50 for a half-year term. Parents are responsible for arranging transportation by submitting a CPS Transportation Change Form to their school. We are happy to assist and coordinate schedules.
Students in grades 3 and 4 are permitted to take the bus and/or walk to the studio by themselves after we receive written consent from their parents.
Financial aid: We will be able to offer a limited number of scholarships for program participants. If you are a candidate, please send us an email explaining your financial situation and why you are specifically interested in our program. We will respond with an offer in accordance with available scholarship funds and program openings.