What's That, Mom?

Engage your children with the world around them by using public art to nurture their innate creativity -- without being an artist yourself.

As a parent, you’ve almost certainly seen at least one study that says creating art can boost your children’s language development.  Or perhaps you’ve heard a story on the radio talking about how engaging with art is critical for your child’s success.  And you’ve thought, “How am I going to do that? I’m not an artist!”  What’s That, Mom? provides 15 accessible, practical strategies for how parents can use public art to engage their children ages 3-10 with the world around them -- no artistic talent required.

Author Shala Howell’s parenting blog, Caterpickles, has had more than 100,000 visitors over the past five years.  Now, for the first time, she turns these insights into a book written to help parents foster their children's’ creativity and engagement with the world around them.  This book, the first in the Caterpickles Parenting Series, uses the proven case-study format to help parents get their children outside and asking questions that promote curiosity. Written for real-world parenting, this book is short and sweet, designed to be read and used as a field guide with tips that parents can put into action immediately.