KC businesses are continuing to offer distanced and online art and play options as well as in-person activities that comply with social-distancing guidelines. Add something new to your at-home routine (or lack of routine…) and support a small business at the same time.
**Please let us know of businesses offering creative solutions for KC families, so we can add them to our list!
Art Classes and Studio Experiences
Ceramic Cafe
The Ceramic Cafe is also now open for creating in studio with limited seating; masks and reservations are required. Order a pottery kit to go from Ceramic Cafe! Pick up all of the materials you need right outside Ceramic Cafe’s doors. Make your order online, call directly at 913-383-0222, or shop at the store and take it home with you! An associate will be in store to prepare and package all of the materials you need, then hand it off to you for the opportunity to paint in the comfort of your own home. Drop off for your creation to be fired.
Orange Easel
Stick with your activities routine with Orange Easel School of Art’s online courses. $40 a month with give your artist access to over 80 live-streaming classes each month! Classes are available for preschoolers thorough teens. The studio is also now open for in-person classes. The studio abides by all health department guidelines.
Curriculum and Craft Kits
Early Bloomer Kits
The Early Bloomer activity kit is “the Blue Apron for making your own toddler educational activities.” When you purchase a kit, you are sent a curated box filled with craft supplies and step-by-step instructions for a fun collection of educational activities. Each activity takes only a few minutes to make and is a perfect way to keep your child engaged and entertained while also working on their key developmental skills.
Munchkin Academy
Munchkin Academy creates themed preschool boxes for kids ages 2-5. The boxes provide the materials to create theme-based crafts and printed worksheets that address age-appropriate developmental skills. You can order a month’s worth of prepared craft activity kits for just one kid or multiple!
Stephanie Hathaway Designs
Stephanie Hathaway is a local artist and homeschooling mom who creates curriculum for her sons and for others. Her kits are educational and breathtakingly beautiful! With each unit study she provides an extensive activity guide, book lists, and suggested supplemental materials.
Painting Junkie
Painting Junkie offers a seasonal art subscription box containing three art activities to be “enjoyed with support from a helping hand.” All supplies are included. She also offers a monthly subscription to an online kids’ art club.
Wee Create Studio
Wee Create Studio in Prairie Village offers take-home art and play-dough kits for pickup. You must order online in advance; they sell out fast!
Kaleidoscope at Home
Kaleidoscope at the Crown Center Shops offers free art sacks for pick-up! The contents of each sack changes throughout the year but will probably include different shapes, art materials, and sticker sheets. Stop by any day noon-4 p.m. to pick up your bag at Crown Center Customer Service, Level 2, Just drop by any day between noon-4 p.m. Limit 5 per adult, while supplies last.
Play
Purpose Play Sensory Play
Purpose Play offers bi-monthly delivery or local pick-up subscription play kits and individual kits for purchase. They also host “Messy Mornings” in their studio space. Class sizes are limited and adults and kids ages 4 and up are required to wear a mask the whole time. Reserve your spot online!
Lemon Squeezy Sensory Kits
Lemon Squeezy offers both large and small sensory kits with 20+ custom themes and dough colors. You can also sign up for a sensory kit subscription and have themed kits automatically shipped right to your door each month!
Wonderscope Children’s Museum
Wonderscope is now OPEN and ready to play! Everyone (members and non-members alike) must order tickets online in advance! They offer art time, sensational play, story time, music and movement, and engineering time, as well as open play in these areas. Wonderscope limits the number of visitors to allow for social distancing. Visitors age 3 and over are required to wear face masks, shields, or other face coverings. Be sure to follow Wonderscope’s Facebook page to see their weekly line-up of virtual art, music, story, and circle-time classes!
Kidscape at the Johnson County Museum
The Johnson County Museum offers both in-person and virtual fun! KidScape is a fully-immersive, interactive history experience where kids time travel to different periods and communities from the region’s past. Pre-register for either the 9 a.m.-noon or the 1 p.m.-4 p.m. session. You can also see digital exhibitions and tour parts of the museum online.
Music Classes
Stepping Stones KC
Stepping Stones has a great online music group pass. It includes access to all online groups for one monthly price. Those online groups include: interactive early childhood groups, ukulele groups for the older kids, and even an adult ukulele group! They also have MOD videos (Music on Demand). These videos are also interactive and can be watched anytime. Check out their calendar to see a list of their weekly in-person music groups as well!
InJoy Music
Take an interactive online music class with InJoy Music. You can attend live online classes led by “licensed educators who are ready to twirl, bounce, and jump with you—all while sprinkling in a multitude of developmental benefits, parenting tips, and more.” InJoy Music offers unlimited visits to their live online classes during social distancing. They are consistently ranked among the top Kindermusik programs in the WORLD, and how lucky are we to have them right here in Kansas City!
Theater
Theatre of the Imagination
Try interactive online drama classes with Theatre of the Imagination. Kids get to engage with a trained acting teacher in a fun and supportive environment while learning drama games, improv, scripted plays and movie making. The virtual options are not prerecorded videos, all classes are live—and lively! Many different time slots available to work around any schedule and small class sizes to ensure every student gets a chance to shine! Visit dramakc.com for class schedules and registration. They also offer in-person and virtual birthday parties. In-person summer camps are coming soon- make sure to check their website for updates!
The Coterie Theatre
The Coterie Theatre School is offering its spring session of drama classes as in-person or as live, interactive online instruction. In-person classes follow a COVID safety protocol. The Coterie’s classes are led by their staff of trained teaching artists and are focused on a process-based curriculum. For more info, visit The Coterie online!
Cooking and STEAM Activities
Taste Buds Kitchen
Taste Buds Kitchen in Leawood is open and offering kids, adults, and kid and grownup combo classes! They have COVID safety procedures in place including temperature checks, limited class sizes, and required masks. You can also sign-up for 90-120 minute live online cooking classes! Make sure you note the time, as many of the classes go live in other time zones.
Code Ninja
Code Ninja offers virtual and in-person coding classes for kids ages 7 and up! Their “Power Up” program “provides a safe space for kids to boost their learning during the day in a fun and educational environment.” And for $45, you can drop your kids off for a fun night of coding while you get a parents’ night out! To make the space safe, Code Ninja follows a COVID safety protocol. Sign up here.
