Safety First! Special Safety Notice to Legal Guardians: 

Please help ensure that your youngster’s electronic equipment (such as computers, phones, chargers, and electrical gear (such as table lamps, wires, etc.) is physically and operationally safe. 

• A COMPUTER and ONLINE CONNECTION

Your youngster will need a computer with Webcam capabilities, and that supports video conferencing software, namely Zoom. Many students are already using this program for school, so it is likely already on their computers. But if they have not, you will need to download the application on the computer your youngster will be 

using. Also, be sure to test the software to make sure that the computer camera and audio are operational. 

Work Space Requirements

Please help ensure that your youngster’s workspace is physically and operationally safe, comfortable, and quiet. 

A SAFE WORKSPACE 

• Your youngster’s workstation will need to be a quiet space, away from noises and distractions.
• Kindly ensure that your youngster has access to a clean, smooth workspace. Keep no food or liquids in the immediate vicinity. Be sure to first wipe down the area to remove any residues, and then dry thoroughly. Any moisture or gunk can easily damage or ruin artwork.
• Your youngster will need ample working surface to place their computer and phone, working surface, model, and materials. Consider a minimum of four feet long and three feet deep.
• Your youngster will need to work with controlled, direct lighting. Overhead lighting in a room might not suit our needs for seeing and studying our models. It’s best to use a table-top directional lamp that can be placed nearby, but slightly to the side of their work station. If possible, the table-top directional lamp should be to the left of the artist if they are right-handed, and to the right of the artist if they are left-handed. This will keep their arms or hands from casting shadows over their work. Please set-up the lamp for your youngster, supervise the youngster, and clarify your house rules for handling electrical appliances.
• Your youngster will need to sit higher at the workspace than when sitting at a table to eat. This will mean either using a lower table or a higher chair. If needed, use cushions or pillows to adjust their height in their seats. However, a child should not sit so high as to risk being top-heavy, and taking a tumble. If their feet do not reach the floor in this scenario, they also will need support such, as a footstool, to rest their feet, and for both comfort and safety.
• Once the workstation is set up, your youngster will need to position their computer at an angle and distance that allows us to see both the practitioner and the workstation. Please see the photo of Instructor Aaron, below, for an example scenario. 

GEAR STORAGE 

Your youngster will need a place to safely store their materials between use. Their paper pads will be especially fragile and require extreme care. Kindly help your youngster secure this space near their studio workspace. 

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, SUPERVISION 

Studio work is process work. We will work online with our trained Teaching Staff on active watch, keeping a close eye on safety while our online classes unfold. We kindly ask that, at home, your youngster receive competent adult support and supervision during class prep, during the actual class, and during class take-down, as we can not exercise online the same, intense supervision that live studio allows us.