artBeast! Studio

In the quest for toddler approved outings, I found out about artBEAST Studio in midtown Sacramento. It is a converted house that was created to offer a space for kids (primarily those under 6 years old) to explore different kinds of art projects. Most of the time, when you enroll in an art course or class, you will only be exposed to a specific medium (ie. paint, ballet, clay, etc.) This studio aims to offer multiple mediums at a minimal price so that young minds can be exposed to all sorts of practices. Additionally, all the proceeds go to Tubman House which is a residential program that offers housing and support for homeless families, youth and children.

The house is divided into three levels and an outdoor space.The first level is composed of stations for easel painting, wall painting, clay work, recycled materials crafts, and a room housing an indoor tree house that also doubles as "doggy doctor headquarters". The second level has areas for younger babies and also a space that can be used for artful birthday parties. The basement houses their "make believe" section, complete with spaceship, camping house, boat, and a stage with many costumes to try on!

The outside space has a picnic table and chairs to take a break from all the painting and singing. They also had a water pump, but it wasn't working when we visited. Also outside was the old sink/stove section where kids can pretend to cook with sand, but it seemed to me that this was the only area that could use some repairs. However, baby O had a blast making me mud cupcakes and birthday cakes. But my favorite part was the private concert I experienced:

If you live in the area and have young kids, I highly recommend visiting this art studio! We went on a Saturday mid-morning and although busy, we still felt like we were able to play with all the stations without having to wait. All the cleanup and guidance is done by the parents and I was pleasantly surprised to see that all the other parents were very mindful of this. We were lucky to find street parking very easily and on the weekends it is free. And since it is located in midtown, you have some great nearby restaurants to choose from for that fuel you will need after such a fun day!