PSA: Excellent, Cheap, Virtual Drawing Class

[wendyroo]

Just a plug for the virtual drawing class that my kids attend (and LOVE) in case anyone else kids would be interested.

http://www.googenius.com/learning/draw-club.html

The class is actually local to us, and in the before days my kids attended in person. Since March, the teacher, who is a great guy, has put a lot of time and money into transitioning to a virtual setup. He now teaches hybrid - some kids in his studio and a growing number virtually at the same time.

The class is really a good experience for my kids. The teacher keeps the atmosphere fun, interactive and social, with lots of silliness and encouragement. He seems to answer every call for him to "Look at this!" with just the right mixture of enthusiasm and constructive advice.

This week they will be starting a unit on Superheroes, so I thought I would mention it here in case it might be of interest to anyone.

These are some of the things my oldest has drawn in class...

[Calizzy]

Does your child do the online class? Is it simultaneous to the in person class? Do the kids in the online class get as much feedback as the kids in person? 

[wendyroo]

37 minutes ago, Calizzy said:

Does your child do the online class? Is it simultaneous to the in person class? Do the kids in the online class get as much feedback as the kids in person? 

My 7, 9 and 11 year olds all participate in the online class...we are not comfortable with in-person learning due to Covid.

The online classes are both simultaneous with in-person classes. If anything, I think the online students get a bit more immediate feedback. Wade, the teacher, is trying really hard to create an inclusive environment for the online kids. He always finds time to look at what they show.

Since the in-person students are supposed to stay in their seats (for Covid reasons), Wade cannot see their work as easily from his seat at the front. Instead, every 20-30 minutes he tells the online students to keep working as he walks the room, and he goes table to table commenting on in-person work.

Obviously hybrid teaching is a challenge, but I think this class is handling it well.

[historically accurate]

@wendyrooOne of my kids wanted to jump into the super heroes month, but it's only allowing sign up for last week. Do you know if there a way I can sign up for the next few upcoming weeks? 

[wendyroo]

2 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

@wendyrooOne of my kids wanted to jump into the super heroes month, but it's only allowing sign up for last week. Do you know if there a way I can sign up for the next few upcoming weeks? 

Yeah, Wade is still figuring out the logistical aspects of virtual classes. He typically updates that page on Wednesdays so the payment info reflects the correct week.

I'll PM you his email. He is very helpful and easygoing and can get you set up for an many weeks as you want.

 

[Not_a_Number]

Very cool!! Thanks for sharing.

I don’t think that time slot works for us,  alas, but we’ll keep it in mind. Do you think you guys will keep taking them?

[wendyroo]

1 hour ago, Not_a_Number said:

Very cool!! Thanks for sharing.

I don’t think that time slot works for us,  alas, but we’ll keep it in mind. Do you think you guys will keep taking them?

I expect so.

Elliot, in all his Elliot-ness, sometimes misses out due to tantrums or opposition, but Peter has been participating for 2 years, and Spencer hasn't missed a class since he started in the fall.

I know Peter wishes he could be in person-in, and obviously I wish that too. Last year, it was a really great experience for him. The class is held about a mile from our house along a walking trail, so he got himself there and back each week independently...which is a rare opportunity due to our location and helicopter culture.

This year Wade is paying one of his long-time students as an assistant during some of the classes. I think that could be an amazing opportunity for Peter some years down the road if he continues to build his skills.

ETA: Plus, there are just so few enrichment activities at that price point...I pay $20 a week total for 3 kids to get 2 hours of drawing instruction!

Edited February 2, 2021 by wendyroo

[Not_a_Number]

1 hour ago, wendyroo said:

ETA: Plus, there are just so few enrichment activities at that price point...I pay $20 a week total for 3 kids to get 2 hours of drawing instruction!

Wow. That is a serious bargain!! 

[Sarah0000]

Hmm, I wonder if the instructor would consider a 6 year old for the online class? He spends several hours a day drawing.

[wendyroo]

4 hours ago, Sarah0000 said:

Hmm, I wonder if the instructor would consider a 6 year old for the online class? He spends several hours a day drawing.

I don’t think it would be a problem to try. This is what it says on the class page:

 

Could my 6 year old attend In-person classes if he or she really loves drawing?

We're always happy to make an exception, but a student must be able to stay focused on drawing for the whole two hour session, otherwise it's not fun for them and distracts other students.
 

(I think that only mentions in-person classes simply because it hasn’t been edited since he started offering virtual.)
It is a long class; my ADHD 7 year old certainly gets fidgety by the end.  But since it is a drop in class that doesn’t require any commitment, it is certainly worth a try. Let me know if you would like me to PM you the teacher’s email if you want to run it by him.

 

[Sarah0000]

Yes, do please PM the email. I'm also curious if the superhero drawing is a recurring event.

[wendyroo]

31 minutes ago, Sarah0000 said:

Yes, do please PM the email. I'm also curious if the superhero drawing is a recurring event.

Done.

The drawing class is weekly, and run on a drop in basis. This whole month is drawing superheroes, so this week won't be the exact same lesson as last week, but it will be on the same theme. There are some kids who join in every week; there are others that just drop in occasionally.

While the skills learned do subtly build on themselves, each class stands on its own. A student can drop in to any class and not have missed anything vital the previous week.

The classes also more or less repeat every year. So, for some kids, this is the third or fourth time they are completing the superhero unit, but, obviously, the characters they can draw after multiple years are very different from where they started.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

[historically accurate]

Thank you, Wendyroo, for posting about this. My DD has spent several hours drawing superhero characters this week. I just registered her for Friday's class too.

[Sarah0000]

My 6yo loved the class on Friday. He plans on attending weekly.