Artopia, located at 4020 N. Access Road, right off of S McCall Road / 776 in Englewood (near the Winn-Dixie grocery store) is a lovely little art gallery & studio run by artist Lori York Pearce. Lori has been offering art classes for adults at her studio and recently decided to share her teaching skills and love of art with the younger generation - which is why she began Artopia Kids Art Classes.

Artopia's Kids Art Classes are held on Saturday mornings from September through May. (During the Summer months, classes are offered twice a week but we'll post more about that when we get closer to Summer break!)

All school-aged children are welcome. Parents (or grandparents) can choose to enroll their child(ren) in just one class, a couple classes here and there or choose to attend every weekend.

During Artopia's Kids Art Classes, children get the opportunity to work with paints, wood and natural items in mixed media, clay, paper mache and more.

Artist/Instructor Lori always comes up with really awesome kid-friendly projects - you'll be pleasantly surprised to see what amazing things your little ones can create!

Our son began attending Artopia's Kids Art Classes during Summer break and has had so much fun; Read more about why we love these classes in a bit, but first let's give you a little bit more info:

Artopia's Kids Art Classes are held on Saturday mornings from 10am-12pm(noon).

Parents or grandparents are welcome to drop off their child(ren) for this class - which means this is a DOUBLE WIN because not only does your little one get to enjoy a super fun, creative hands-on learning experience, but you also can use those two hours to run errands, have a coffee with a friend, or simply put your feet up and relax with a good book (you deserve it!) 

The cost is $25 per class/per child which is a great deal considering your little one can have a fantastic time in a welcoming, warm environment while they get creative and learn a bunch of cool artistic skills and you get to have a little bit of guilt-free "me time!"

In exchange for our review, our son was given admission to some of Artopia's Kids Art Classes. Scroll down to read what we love about Artopia's Kids Art Classes and why we think you will too!

We signed our 7-year-old up for Artopia's Kids Art Classes earlier this Summer and he has had so much fun at every class he's attended! 

Lori always comes up with really great art projects that challenges the kids yet is still totally kid-friendly. I love how she teaches the kids different art styles and encourages them to create their art to suit their own unique styles. She says, "Art should make you happy" and that is exactly how my son feels when he proudly shows me his art pieces after class.

As a mom, I think it is awesome that Artopia offers a great class where kids can learn several different art techniques and express their creativity while in a friendly environment with other kids around their age.

After checking our little guy in to his class, I usually run errands or get the grocery shopping done and by the time I am finished, it's time to pick my older son up from his art class. It's so nice being able to complete my errands so quickly & easily while my kiddo is busy having a great time. 

When I arrive to pick him up, our little guy is always so proud of his art and has a smile from ear to ear. And he's not the only one; we've attended several classes now and every time I come back, all the kids who attended that week have big smiles and say that they had a great time, too.

The art projects are always fun and creative. So far, these are some of the things our little guy has created:

• A lovely resin seascape on framed glass featuring lots of lovely seashells, star fish, shark's teeth, and all kinds of pretty, tropical things that perfectly capture beachside living in the Sunshine State. 
• A whimsical, glowing "fairy bottle" which he custom painted and has beautiful twinkling blue lights inside.
• An adorable full-size canvas tote bag which he painted and customized himself with a fun beach scene.
  
• Traditional painting on canvas using paint brushes and a variety of colors.
• Abstract painting on canvas experimenting with different mediums such as straws, string, etc.

Each week offers a fun new adventure into the expansive world of art and creativity - sign your little one up today and see what amazing things they can create at Artopia's Kids Art Classes! 

We highly recommend Artopia's Kids Art Classes to everyone looking for something fun, unique and special for their little ones!

Summer is in full swing and now that the kids have been out of school for almost a full month, we have been looking everywhere for ways to continue keeping our little ones busy and fend off the "Summer Boredom Blues" with all this free time they've got.

We're lucky to have lots of great programs available at our local libraries, the Kids Bowl Free program and Regal Theater's $1 Summer Family Movie Days - but did you know there is also an AWESOME kids class in Englewood where kids can embrace their inner artists and explore working with a variety of things like paint, clay, paper mache, wood and more? 

Artopia, located at 4020 N. Access Road, right off of S McCall Road / 776 in Englewood (near the Winn-Dixie grocery store) is a lovely little art gallery & studio run by artist Lori York Pearce. Lori has been offering art classes for adults at her studio and recently decided to share her teaching skills and love of art with the younger generation - which is why she began Summer Art Classes for Kids at Artopia.

In exchange for our review, we were given admission for our son to attend one of Artopia's Kids Classes. Scroll down to read what we loved about Artopia's Summer Art Classes for Kids and why we think you will too!
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Our 7-year-old absolutely loved attending Artopia's Summer Class for Kids!

He had so much fun creating his hands-on art project: a beautiful resin seascape on framed glass featuring lots of lovely seashells, star fish, shark's teeth, and all kinds of pretty, tropical things that perfectly capture beachside living in the Sunshine State. 

After their resin art was complete, the students had a little extra time on their hands so they each were given a canvas to paint on as a bonus art project - what a fun surprise!

As a mom, I thought it was awesome that Artopia offers a great class where kids can learn several different art techniques and express their creativity while in a friendly environment with other kids around their age.

After checking our little guy in to his class, I took our younger son to run errands and get the grocery shopping done. When we were finished, it was time to pick my older son up from his art class. I was so happy to have completed my errands so quickly & easily while my kiddo was busy having a great time!

When we arrived to pick him up, our little guy was so proud of his art that he had a smile from ear to ear. When it was time for us to leave, he thanked Lori his art teacher and gave her a big hug. 

As soon as we got home, our little guy proudly chose a spot in our living-room to display his art for all of us to enjoy. 

We truly had a wonderful experience with Artopia's Summer Class for Kids and we recommend it to everyone looking for something fun, unique and special for their little ones to do this Summer!