ArtHouse News

British V8 Newsletter features performance tips and mods for classic sports cars!

2007-03-08T10:23:00.000-07:00

The British V8 Newsletter is a free online publication. The website includes the internet's only authoritative library of information on V8 engine swaps and other performance modifications of classic British sports cars such as MGA, MGB, MGC, Triumph Spitfire, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, and Austin-Healeys. The newsletter is especially valuable as a source of primary information on Buick and Oldsmobile 215cid aluminum V8 engines and also the Rover V8 engines derived from them.

British V8 Newsletter home page: performance modified classic sports cars!

British V8's searchable archive: engine building, engine swaps, parts interchanges, modding and tuning.

British V8's huge photo gallery of modified MG cars: MGA, MGB, MGC, and Midget

Reading? Literature Circles? Use ArtHouse, and this new book review template!

2006-05-02T17:19:00.000-06:00

We hear often from educators that ArtHouse provides a great way for kids to present book reports... lately we're hearing something just a little different: ArtHouse is great for book reviews too!

Have you heard of "Literature Circles"? A literature circle is a small group of students that meet in class to discuss what they've been reading. Their discussions are structured. They're typically driven by suggested questions or activities. Inevitably, the students' enthusiasm for reading grows from sharing. One of the reasons literature circles work so well is that the emphasis is on reviewing books - not "reporting" on them.

Enter ArtHouse! Using a "library template", as shown here, the students have a nifty new way to present their book reviews. They're fun to read and to compare.

Book Review Template (pdf 36KB)

New: Jackson Pollock Lesson Plan

2006-04-12T20:08:00.000-06:00

We've just added a great new lesson plan to the Storyboard Toys website. It's an introduction to abstract expressionism, with background information on painter Jackson Pollock. Fun, easy-to-use, and adaptable for a very wide range of uses and student skill levels. Check it out: Jackson Pollock Lesson Plan (American Abstract Expressionism)!

See what kids in an afterschool program in Boulder CO did with it:

Note: we’ve recently uploaded free "museum scene templates" that can be downloaded, printed, and cut out. They complement all sorts of art projects, and provide a convenient place for kids to sign, title, and comment on their art. We like the way they play with perception-of-scale. Suddenly original artwork that’s letter-size or smaller looks big enough to dominate a whole wall of a museum!

Museum Scene with Artist (pdf 25KB)
Museum Scene with Curator (pdf 120KB)
Museum Scene with Security Guard (pdf 27KB)

A Photo and Note from "The Thomas Team"

2006-04-09T12:14:00.000-06:00

One of the greatest pleasures a toymaker can have is seeing his creations make a child happy. We love receiving notes and photos from customers.

Read more here: (the Support-for-Christi-Thomas weblog)

ArtHouse is becoming more and more popular for all sorts of play and art therapy. Per customer request, the ArtHouse you see in the photo above has been specially labeled with a bright and rugged roof sign for use in this capacity. Look for our new ad in the upcoming issue of "Play Therapy" - the quarterly magazine of The Association for Play Therapy.

Do you like the hand-stained wood finish on Christi's ArtHouse? You can purchase a similar ArtHouse for just $120 (while supplies last):
ArtHouses in Discontinued Colors
(Let us know if we can make special modifications for you. We're very flexible, and we'll work hard to support your needs.)

Another Storyboard Toys Exclusive:Civil War Leaders Historical Dolls

2006-04-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Civil War Leader Historical Play Figures are the latest addition to our growing line of historical dolls. The set includes an authentic looking President Abraham Lincoln doll, a General Robert E. Lee doll, and a General Ulysses S. Grant doll.

Each play figure stands about four inches tall. They're clothed in authentic costumes and come with fun-to-read biographical cards. (The biographies are about as detailed as you'd find on baseball trading cards...) These realistic, economical play figures are a great accessories for ArtHouse. They'll inspire imaginative role-playing and wildly creative ArtHouse decoration projects.

New and Exclusively From Storyboard Toys:Fire Fighter and Rescue Heroes Action Figure Set

2006-03-18T16:46:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the 911 heroes, these Fire Fighter and Rescue Worker Action Figures are the latest in our line of historical dolls. This set of five includes a black fire chief and a woman firefighter too.

Each play figure stands about four inches tall. They're clothed in very colorful and authentic costumes. They come with fun-to-read little bio cards. (The biographies are about as detailed as you'd find on baseball trading cards...) These realistic, economical action figures are a great accessories for ArtHouse. They'll inspire imaginative role-playing and wildly creative ArtHouse decoration projects.

Lyra Skin Tones Pencils

2005-11-22T09:44:00.000-07:00

Enhance your celebration of student diversity with "Multicultural Pencils"!

Okay, we agree with you that it's stupid to call pencils "multicultural"... but on the other hand it's always been difficult for young artists to color-in human skin tones.

Lyra Skin Tones Pencils make it much easier and more fun for artists to shade characters in convincing natural color and to capture the subtleties of human complexions. These pencils blend and shade nicely, and they're generously sized to last a long time even when subjected to daily classroom use. We hope Lyra Skin Tones Pencils will help teachers promote an inclusive attitude toward students of all heritages and racial backgrounds.

Please note that these earth-tone pencils are also excellent for architectural rendering and for drawing naturalistic scenery. Their versatility makes them a great tool for ArtHouse storyboarding!

Now Available: Exciting Historical Play Figures

2005-11-18T09:04:00.000-07:00

Check out our newest product offering: Exciting Historic Play Figures!

We'd call them "dolls", but too many people are too closed-minded about buying "dolls" for boys. These little poseable "action figures" provide quality non-electronic educational fun for both girls and boys!

Founding Fathers Play Figures: Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Jefferson action figures that are ready for imaginative play in the context of historically inspired ArtHouse decorations.

American Patriot Play Figures: Three soldiers in Revolutionary War costume, including a continental soldier, a drummer boy, and a British "redcoat".

Medieval Knight Play Figures: A White Knight, King Richard the Lion Hearted, and a Dark Knight suited-up in colorful armor!
(Note: these will look great displayed with your child's interpretation of our free Coat of Arms Lesson Plan!)

Pirates of the Caribbean Play Figures: Blackbeard, Lieutenant Maynard, and a pirate from Blackbeard's crew will inspire really creative storyboarding.

Each play figure stands about four inches tall. They're clothed in very colorful and fairly authentic period costumes. Every one of these play figures comes with fun historical and biographical information! (The biographies are about as detailed as you'd find on baseball trading cards...)

These realistic, economical historic play figures are great accessories for ArtHouse. They'll inspire wildly creative ArtHouse decorations on historical themes, and imaginative role-playing on historic topics. They help make learning fun!

ArtHouse Featured In SchoolArts Magazine's "Multicultural Showcase"

2005-10-19T19:58:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys is featured prominantly in the November issue of SchoolArts Magazine!

(transcript)

Storyboard Toys

ArtHouse!
For superior dioramas,
exciting group projects,
and wonderful miniature
galleries - discover the
beauty of ArtHouse!

These versatile, durable,
easy-to-use buildings
display student art inside
letter-sized transparent
walls. Share Art History
& Multicultural project
ideas for all frades on
our website.

www.storyboardtoys.com
(866) 668-8697

Circle No. 132 on Reader's Service card.

Photo captions:
(1) Day of the dead altar (Papel Picado)
(2) Haiku Hut (Straw Blown Ink Trees)
(3) Stained Glass Windows (Markers on Transparencies)

Great New Lesson Plan Posted:Telling New Stories with Medieval-Style Tapestries

2005-10-17T17:32:00.000-06:00

Students learn the history of tapestries, and apply their knowledge by designing medieval-style tapestries of their own. In the process, they learn a little about classical allegory and the role of art in our culture.

To get the process off to a quick start, we provide a free reproducible tapestry template:

(pdf 23KB)

Of course, when studying and creating art, it can help to have access to inspirational examples. The Telling New Stories with Medieval-Style Tapestries lesson plan describes and explains the significance of the following actual medieval tapestries:

The Hunt of the Unicorn "The Unicorn at Bay" ca: 1495-1505

The Hunt of the Unicorn "The Unicorn in Captivity" ca: 1495-1505

The Lady and the Unicorn "To My One Desire" ca: ~1510

The Bayeux Tapestry "Coronation of Harold" ca: ~1070

The Acts of the Apostles "The Miraculous Draft of Fishes" ca: 1516-1519

See ArtHouse in Arts & Activities Magazine

2005-09-30T10:54:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to announce our newest advertisement!

This ad gives Arts & Activities magazine readers a quick overview of ArtHouse. (September 2005 issue)

(transcript)

ArtHouse, Make it Your Own!

For superior dioramas, exciting group
projects, and miniature museums of
student artwork. This durable wooden
toy building displays student art inside
letter-sized transparent walls.

"Exceptional quality and educational value."
-Teachers' Choice Award

"What an amazing self-esteem booster!"
-Cynthia Palmer

Online gallery - Free lesson plans
www.storyboardtoys.com
Free Brochure: 866-668-8697

(Circle No. 256 on Arts & Activities Reader Service Card)

Announcing New Website Content

2005-09-29T23:45:00.000-06:00

We want to take a moment to invite everyone to check out our newest website changes!

First, we've created a website section specifically for Lesson Plans!

A related newly-revised gallery entry contains great ideas for a Henri Matisse inspired lesson plan. A collage activity provides the basis for cross-curricular learning in language arts, social studies and art. Information is provided in case a teacher would like to enrich the lesson with: (a) the story of Daedalus and Icarus escaping from Crete, (b) the history of Nazi occupation of France and the French resistance flyers, or (c) the biography of painter Henri Matisse, and what he contributed to the art world even after he was too sick to paint. They synthesize some selection of this information as they make their own storyboards and tell their own stories, which builds pre-literacy and writing/composition skills.

Second, we've packed up and moved our store out of the mall and into its own building... figuratively at least. Our store now has its own domain name: www.storyboardtoys.biz!

Remember, Storyboard Toys is the best place on the web to buy:
ArtHouse and ArtHouse accessories
Pretend Professionals Career Dolls
Diverse Abilities Vinyl Dolls
An Asian-American Doll Family
A Black Doll Family
A Latino Doll Family
A White Doll Family
Lyra Beeswax Crayons (16 crayon set in a wooden box)
Lyra Beeswax Crayons (12 crayon set)
Lyra Aquacolor Crayons (24 watercolor crayons)
Lyra Aquacolor Crayons (12 watercolor crayons)

Have a look around... we hope you enjoy your shopping experience!

Entrepreneur Magazine Names ArtHouse a "Smart Idea"

2005-09-02T14:47:00.000-06:00

(September 2005, as featured in the magazine's "Smart Ideas" column)
by Lori Kozlowski

Finishing Touches - A former engineer inspires kids to use their imaginations by letting them build and customize dollhouses.

What: Customized dollhouses kids can assemble and design themselves
Who: Curtis Jacobson of Storyboard Toys
Where: Longmont, Colorado
When: Started in 2002

A former engineer for Volvo, Curtis Jacobson, 38, made toys as a hobby in his spare time - frequently using his eight neices and nephews to test-market his innovations. But he knew he was onto something when he got the idea for ArtHouses. "You could have the kids designing their own wallpaper or siding, and that got me to the idea of building a dollhouse with walls that display 8.5-by-11 [inch] paper artwork," says Jacobson, who launched the business with personal savings. Made of furniture-grade plywood and plastic, the dollhouses are collapsible and can be assembled by a child in just two minutes.

Though Jacobson originally believed toy stores and museum gift shops would be the top market for his product, he's seen the most interest from elementary school teachers, who use ArtHouses as creative teaching tools. Conducive to group projects and the imagination, ArtHouses have been used to teach poetry, explain color theory, and more. Currently, primary schools in Brevard County, Florida, have incorporated ArtHouses into after-school programs and the summer school curriculum.

The product is also sold on Jacobson's website (www.storyboardtoys.biz) and in some independent toy stores nationwide. In 2004, the company grossed five figures, but Jacobson expects to earn six figures this year, since the education community keeps asking for more. Says Jacobson, "It's all about what kids do with it. It's a very creativity-inspiring device."

Learning by design - Curtis Jacobson's dollhouses are a hit with kids and teachers.

Our newest ad - for SchoolArts magazine! (October 2005 Issue)

2005-08-02T23:50:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to announce our newest advertisement!

Designed for SchoolArts magazine's special "website showcase" section, this ad
gives readers a quick overview of resources available on our site. The ad space
is 1/4 of a page, on a colored background. The following screenshot will be the
focal point of the ad:

ArtHouse, the building with storyboard walls:
* makes it easy to integrate art across-the-curriculum
* engages all ages, genders & interests
We sell top-quality art supplies too!

Immediately below the screenshot, readers will see "www.storyboardtoys.com" followed by this text:

Wonderful miniature museums. Superior dioramas. Easily
shared group projects. Discover the beauty of ArtHouse!
This exceptionally versatile, durable, easy-to-use wooden
building displays student art inside letter-size transparent
walls. Our website offers creative and relevant free lesson
plans and exciting hands-on project ideas for every grade
level. For fast, friendly, personal service call 866.668.8697.

K.B. Thomas's new novel: "The Fabric of Desire"

2005-07-20T20:22:00.000-06:00

K.B. Thomas, one of our favorite writers of short stories, has a new full-length novel and a new website to promote it!

The Fabric of Desire: Tapestries are like fine paintings in that they are catalogued, studied, and tracked through the world as if they were the last members of a dying species. They have pedigrees, histories, bloodlines. Once the prizes of kings, the glories of cathedrals, today they can be found in the textile collections of the most famous museums in the world. After the death of her mentor and lover, Alissandra Morgan finds herself the sole custodian of three priceless and hitherto lost fragments from the famous tapestry series "The Hunt of the Unicorn". She must battle with her own private vision of professional success, her past relationship with her brilliant mentor, his newly widowed wife, and the art 'dealer' whose fortunes are now irrevocably woven with her own before she can understand what it means to be a world class art conservator. This novel will appeal to readers who enjoyed Robert Hellenga's "The Sixteen Pleasures", A.S. Byatt's "Possession", and Donna Tartt's "The Secret History". 84,000 words

At www.kb-thomas.com you can read an excerpt of the novel, or download fabulous K.B. Thomas short fiction.

A New Addition to our Children's Art Gallery

2005-07-05T12:44:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to announce a new addition to our Children's Art Gallery!

Sarah Chesnutt, graphic designer, enjoyed taking a break from the computer
to create this simple crayon and cut paper exploration. Her room has the
essentials: a chair, a window, and life.

Thank you Sarah!

Visit Sarah at www.sarahchesnutt.com

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)

2005-06-28T10:14:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys will present ArtHouse at the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) annual conference, November 10-12 in Louisville KY. Visit us at Booth 451, adjacent to Exhibitor Workshop Area #1.

The National Association for Gifted Children is a member-supported organization of nearly 8000 educators, university personnel, parents, and interested members of the community. Educator members include district Gifted & Talented Program coordinators, administrators, classroom teachers, and gifted education researchers.

At this conference we'll demonstrate the usefulness and versatility of ArtHouse for project-based learning in Gifted/Talented Programs. GT Program teachers recommend ArtHouse for social studies, reading, language arts, foreign language, character education, fine art, and other subjects. ArtHouse appeals to all students from grade levels from K through Sixth. We'll show a variety of example student design projects and give away fun and innovative free-sample lesson plans.

Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT)

2005-06-27T15:34:00.000-06:00

Storyboard Toys will exhibit ArtHouse at the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) annual conference, November 2-5 in San Antonio.

"The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented is a non-profit association of educators, parents and friends of the gifted. For more than 28 years, TAGT has been the driving organization and principal advocate for Texas gifted youth and is the nation's largest state advocacy group. The TAGT mission is to promote awareness of the unique social, emotional, and intellectual needs of gifted and talented students and to impact educational services to meet these needs." (Reference: www.txgifted.org.)

Come visit us at Booth 635 (located along the first aisle, between entrances to the General Session.) Our exhibit will demonstrate that ArtHouse is a wonderful new teaching aid for project-based learning "across curriculum". Exceptionally versatile, ArtHouse engages gifted and talented students from grades from K through Sixth. We'll present sample lesson plans and show a diverse variety of actual student projects.

Successful projects build student self-esteem!

2005-06-23T13:59:00.000-06:00

(social studies students creating a "Traditional Japanese Home")

ArtHouse: "What an amazing self-esteem booster!"
- Cynthia Palmer, Kings Community Action Organization

3rd Grade Student Project on African Wildlife Preservation

2005-05-19T21:06:00.000-06:00

Last week we received this little note from classroom teacher Abby Kass in New York City's South Bronx:
"I wanted to let you know that I've been using ArtHouse with my third graders to create an African Game Reserve. Well, we don't really use the roof, except to place a sign with information about the game reserve. But I let the kids use all sorts of fun materials to create the landform onto heavy cardboard, and we placed it onto the base. Then they drew the sky and extended the land onto the "walls." On the outside we are placing "save our animals" posters with information about the animals and the importance of game reserves and protecting our wildlife. One of my groups of students was really into drawing so I got them a book about drawing the African animals and I supplied animal print paper, so we will have animals roaming around the reserve. We should finish up early next week, so I'll email photos to you. The kids are absolutely ecstatic about it!"

.

Click here to see additional photos and an expanded description of the African Game Reserve diorama project.

Click here to download a printer-optimized (PDF) version of the write-up.

International Reading Association Conference

2005-04-29T18:33:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow we're heading back to San Antonio to exhibit ArtHouse at the International Reading Association annual conference. This is a show for literacy professionals - so it'll be a GREAT show for us!

ArtHouse is the toy building made from storyboards. Creating and presenting storyboards helps students:
• build confidence and skill for speaking in front of audiences
• learn a wide range of storytelling strategies and methods
• become familiar with traditional conventions and structures
• develop and exercise memory skills
• improve lateral thinking and problem-solving skills
• develop skills for working co-operatively with groups of peers
• encourage further reading and creative writing

Our booth (number 906) is located on a corner, close-to and in-between the two main entrances.

Hey, can you believe it's snowing here in Boulder Colorado? Tomorrow will be May 1st, but snow is piling up on our roof... four inches already. (Just like where we learned our trade, up at the North Pole.) Well, we'll be laughing about that next week as we celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the balmy warmth of the San Antonio River Walk.

Check Out Our New Webpage Banner!

2005-04-20T23:26:00.000-06:00

Okay, it's not the most newsworthy thing, but I'm proud because I figured out how to paste this banner together all by myself. What do you think?

I've been thinking that every single page of the www.storyboardtoys.com website should include a photo of an assembled ArtHouse. Normally Lisa does our graphic design, but she's out of town, so I decided to learn some PhotoShop. Did you know we have over 70 different pages of great ArtHouse artwork in our Children's Art Gallery?

"Arts and Activities" magazine features ArtHouse

2005-04-15T13:07:00.000-06:00

ArtHouse appears in the new (May 2005) issue of Arts and Activities "the nation's leading art education magazine". Here's a slightly re-formatted scan of page 14. (The same page had an ad for pottery kilns, a write-up on a new grout for tile mosaics, and a piece about oak-wood flat-files for storing art.)

Look for Storyboard Toys in Entrepreneur Magazine!

2005-04-14T15:19:00.000-06:00

Today we were interviewed by Entrepreneur Magazine - and you'll be able to read all about our company in the September issue's "Smart Ideas" column. Here's a lower-resolution version of the photo they requested. (It features our founder, Curtis Jacobson, looking through an ArtHouse and holding one of our unique "storyboard walls".)

A new record: Sixty ArtHouses shipped today!

2005-04-11T17:10:00.000-06:00

The title says it all... well, nearly. What it doesn't say is to whom we shipped so many ArtHouses: as previously announced, Brevard County Public Schools has decided to utilize ArtHouse in afterschool and summer camp programs at all fifty five of their elementary schools!

Brevard already has three ArtHouses purchased last year for evaluation. The site director at one school wrote us a lovely note:

"I love how the children use their imagination and play together!"
- Linda Scauzillo

Congratulations Linda Edwards!

2005-04-10T19:35:00.000-06:00

Linda Edwards recognized the portrait behind Lisa in the Land's End catalog photo...

The name of the painting is "Brita and I" and it's a self-portrait of Swedish painter/illustrator Carl Larsson (1853-1919).

Incidentally, many of Carl Larsson's watercolors look like they were made specifically to be ArtHouse decorations. (See samples by clicking here.)

Wouldn't Carl's and Karin's kids have loved ArtHouse? (All eight of them!)

Purchase prints of Carl Larsson's paintings at www.scandinaviantreasures.com.

Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC

2005-04-07T12:50:00.000-06:00

In an earlier post we rejoiced because we were headed to Washington DC just in time to enjoy the cherry blossoms... and we did! But the peak of this year's blossoms arrived a week after our visit. Our dear friend Mason Miller sent us some great photos of what we missed.

This particular photo made us laugh - because we immediately recognized that Mason found "Fimbrethil".

Fimbrethil is the name author J.R.R. Tolkein gave to the wife of his more-famous "Lord of the Rings" character "Treebeard". They're actually Ents, not trees. Tolkein imagined Ents to be wise, powerful, walking, tree-like creatures that guard forests from harm and keep them from mischief. Anyway, Fimbrethil has been missing for several thousand years, but apparently she's turned up in Washington DC, where she is looking over our nation's prized Japanese cherry trees.

Learn more here about Japanese Cherry Trees.

Learn more here about Sitewelder, a terrific tool for displaying collections of photography on the web.

Our Unsung Hero... Ms. Lisa Kerans!

2005-03-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Lands' End has named our very own Lisa Kerans an unsung hero:

KIND-HEARTED LISA HOSTS JUNIOR TOYMAKERS
It was Colorado's "Take Your Child To Work Day" and Lisa Kerans, Creative Director for Storyboard Toys! llc took in six fifth-graders whose parents couldn't oblige. The youngsters had fun thinking up new toy inventions, creating and testing prototypes, (aka: playing with food) and designing packaging and websites for their creations. The kids and staff enjoyed it so much they plan to do it again this year! -- Lands' End Business Outfitters catalog, April 2005

Trivia Question: Can you identify the famous illustrator / painter whose self-portrait appears on the wall behind Lisa?
Hints: That's one of his daughters perched on his head... and he's certainly not Norman Rockwell.
We'll post the answer here next week, unless someone guesses sooner!

Good Things: NCEA Conference, Orders, and Cherry Blossoms!

2005-03-26T10:20:00.000-07:00

What a busy week! We've been getting ready for this year's National Catholic Education Association conference (March 30 - April 1 in Philadelphia). On account of the conference, orders received between Tuesday and Friday will be slightly delayed... but we'll catch up on Monday April 3rd.

This week our web orders have gone through the roof! Apparently Google indexed our new doll families and art supplies. Latino dollhouse dolls, black dollhouse dolls, and Lyra beeswax crayons have been especially hot sellers!

Lucky us! After the NCEA conference we'll travel quickly down to Washington DC to see the first of this year's cherry blossoms. I hold this truth to be self-evident: when the cherry blossoms are in bloom Washington DC is positively the most stunningly BEAUTIFUL city on the planet. You should plan a trip to DC and see for yourself!

Karen thoughtfully added a note about the "Traditional Japanese Home" kit

2005-03-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

In January we sent customer surveys to all our institutional customers. Today we received a survey from Karen Johnson, who uses ArtHouse at Lakeview Preschool in Oakland California. Karen enjoys using our décor kits to teach young students about diversity and world cultures. She added a very kind note at the end of her survey:
"I love watching children learn about other cultures while actively engaging in fantasy play using the Traditional Japanese Home décor kit."
Are you familiar with our Traditional Japanese Home dollhouse décor kit?

Since mistakes sometimes happen...

2005-03-20T15:54:00.000-07:00

Did you know we occasionally discount serviceable but imperfect ArtHouses as "factory seconds"? A purely cosmetic paint flaw on the wooden roof would be a typical example - you might even decide the flaw "adds character". If you're in a budgetary bind, please call or e-mail us, and we'll check to see what's available. Whatever the special situation, we do our best to make every customer happy!

"Tout About Toys" brings ArtHouse to California

2005-03-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

When "Camp CalSAC" (the annual conference of the California School Age Care Association) opens today, ArtHouse will be prominently displayed by one of the after-school childcare industry's top suppliers.

Tout About Toys is a leading school supply and specialty toy store with a strong online and catalog presence. Owner and founder Linda Kahrs is well known for discovering new products and offering them first. She's expressed great faith in ArtHouse: in addition to proudly presenting ArtHouse at the conference, she's published a special brochure to promote its use.

Call or e-mail Linda to order ArtHouse, or request the brochure and order form. Information: www.toutabouttoys.com

ArtHouse Gains Endorsement for Use in Play-Therapy

2005-03-16T14:05:00.000-07:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to welcome our newest retailer: childtherapytoys.com

A spin-off from his successful practice, well-known child psychologist Gary Yorke Ph.D. created childtherapytoys.com to help other mental health professionals find innovative new products that better help children overcome emotional difficulties.

Doctor Yorke personally recommends ArtHouse: "This unique dollhouse provides an open-ended environment for every client. Now your clients can truly create their own space. The transparent walls display the unique environment created by the child, and can be quickly changed from one session to the next, or even within the same session. Using standard sized paper, the child draws the background, people, and objects they want and then slides the picture into the walls. The dollhouse assembles in less then two minutes... The therapist can save artwork from one session to the next, or have the child recreate the environment from one session the next. This is a great way to monitor progress and the current emotional state of the child. The walls can even be changed within a session as the child explores his or her feelings.

Check out childtherapytoys.com by clicking here:
http://secure.childtherapytoys.com/store/buyProduct.jsp?ProductId=15043&category=9080

Brevard County Public Schools Purchases 55 ArtHouses!

2005-03-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

Breaking news - our biggest order yet!

Today we received an order from Brevard County Public Schools (Florida) for 55 ArtHouses! Our unique "make it your own" dollhouse will be used in the after school programs at every single elementary school in their system, plus there'll be a few extra for rotation. This is Brevard's second ArtHouse order. When we met Program Development Coordinator Marilyn Simon last February at the National School Age Care Association (NSACA) conference she purchased three ArtHouses for evaluation. After one full year of heavy use, ArtHouse has proven exceptionally popular, versatile, and durable. (Not one broken part!)

Report: the Center for Jewish Education 2005 annual conference!

2005-03-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday ArtHouse was presented at the Center for Jewish Education conference in Baltimore. This show was exciting for several reasons - not least among them that we welcomed a new staff member. Our niece Ellie Milich volunteered to present ArtHouse, and did an absolutely fantastic job! Ellie was assisted by two of the usual suspects: Bill and Betty Jacobson.

What a wonderful response! ArtHouse was introduced to about 400 people, including school teachers and administrators from Jewish private schools, and people who teach in Shabbat schools, Hebrew language education programs, and at Jewish community centers. (ArtHouse is especially perfect for JCC after school programs.) The office phone has been ringing off the hook ever since.

Apparently everyone loved the example ArtHouse decorations created for this show by our dear young friend Sam. Sam chose to storyboard his recent Bar Mitzvah. Check out Sam's artwork here: http://www.storyboardtoys.com/gallery/Sam.pdf (140KB PDF)

New to Our Gallery...

2005-03-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to announce two additions to our Children's Art Gallery!

Inspired by Swiss expressionist painter Paul Klee, Rebecca's class learned about color and line, and created spectacular "broken window" watercolor paintings.

(one of two pieces on display)

Sam created an elaborate design project and presentation on Bar Mitzvah Traditions.

(one of ten pieces on display)

Our warmest thanks to Rebecca and Sam!

"Blissful Family" Introduces ArtHouse to Waldorf Community

2005-03-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Storyboard Toys is pleased to welcome our newest retailer: "Blissful Family"

Anyone who's familiar with the Waldorf School movement knows that hands-on art projects and storytelling are absolutely fundamental to instruction throughout the curriculum - and will realize ArtHouse is a natural fit.

Blissful Family is a charming new store specifically opened to serve Waldorf schools, teachers and families in the Boulder and Denver area. The store carries an exceptional selection of European-made wooden and natural-fiber toys alongside wonderful top-quality art supplies. The store provides in-store classes in diverse subjects such as wet-on-wet watercolor techniques, "eurythmy" dancing, and native flute playing. Upon taking delivery of their first order, Blissful Family placed ArtHouse on display in their front window - and made an immediate sale to a passing businessman!

Want to accessorize your ArtHouse with hard-to-find art supplies such as Filia (Danish) oil crayons, Stockmar watercolors, or Lyra beeswax crayons? Contact Blissful Family at 303-682-0016 or on the web at www.blissfulfamily.net.