Visiting Artist & Author Creativity Workshops for Grades 1-4 Schools, Library, Home School & Youth Creativity, PTA, PTO Enrichment Programs

 

Now Scheduling for 2024-25 School Year

 

Ron and Amy Schmidt have over fifteen years of experience igniting creativity in elementary school students through art, storytelling, and creative writing. Their engaging workshops encourage young minds to explore their imagination, inspiring them to express themselves through art and poetry. As the creators of three top-selling children's poetry books—Loose Leashes, Dog-Gone School, and Back to Dog-Gone School, all published by Random House—they bring a wealth of experience and passion to their educational programs. Their work not only fosters a love for reading and writing but also empowers students to unleash their creativity.

 


 

Program Descriptions by Grade

For Grades 1, 2

Program Length Per Session: approx. 45 minutes

In these workshops, tailored by grade level, Ron and Amy share what it means to be creative thinkers, storytellers, and writers. By leading the students through an interactive idea-generating session, they use Ron's images and simple poetry written by Amy as examples. At the end of the session, students are gifted their own idea journals (from the Schmidts) to spark inspiration for creative drawing and writing.


For Grades 3, 4

Program Length Per Session: 45-60 minutes

Ron and Amy tailor their programs to a grade-appropriate discussion of what it means to be creative. The Schmidt's share their creative process by leading the students in an interactive brainstorming, idea-generating session that covers the sparking of ideas, character creation, storytelling, through using different poetry styles as a form of creative writing. Ron leads a discussion of his artistic process and Amy shares her process for creative writing using several different poetic forms as examples. At the end of the session, students are gifted their own idea journals (from the Schmidts) to spark inspiration for creative drawing and writing.

 

* Please note: Due to the highly interactive nature of our presentations, our workshops are best presented to a specific grade(s) vs a school wide presentation. Our workshops are delivered to up two classes at a time (about 40-50 students). For example - if Grade 1 has six classrooms,  we would do three workshops, meeting with two classes at a time.

 

Rave Reviews

We had so much fun! We know and appreciate how much work went into the prep and the presentations. Thank you for bringing such a meaningful experience to our students--we are so grateful! – Grade 4 - Winthrop Elementary School, Ipswich MA

Each presentation is well-planned and age-appropriate! The students love the interactive work around the dog photographs that are presented and are inspired to write many different poems and create stories around the beautiful photographs. The students are left understanding the work of both the poet Amy and the photographer Ron. Every year our young writers' creativity is sparked and their understanding of the writing process is enhanced!  - Grade 1 - Bedwell Elementary School, Bedminster NJ

We had such a wonderful time with you. The kids were left inspired and ready to create their own images, poetry, and ideas. Many have been seen throughout the school day at recess or lunch with the little journals you gifted them. Thank you! –  Grades 1-3 - H.W. Mountz School, Spring Lake NJ

Pricing

Given the interactive nature of their workshops, Ron and Amy typically conduct grade-specific workshops instead of school-wide presentations.  Pricing ranges between $950 and $1500 per day depending on the number of workshops delivered, grade size/number of students, the number of classrooms, and the school's location.

Visits outside of eastern Massachusetts, Southern NH, and Southern ME may include a travel fee.

To Schedule A Visit/Questions

For information and questions on visits and availability please contact us at the e-mail below.

Amy Schmidt

Email: as@looseleashes.com

Tel: 732-737-4526

 

Giving Back

For every 5 schools that Amy & Ron visit, they donate a school visit to an elementary school in an under-served community.

 

 Amy & Ron sharing their workshop with students at

Tembea School for Girls, in Kajiado Kenya

 

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Click here to learn more about Amy & Ron Schmidt

 

Available Books - Click Here