Our family has been involved with Tessera for six years now, and during that time it has been a…read morecornerstone for our life in so many ways. We tried five different preschools before discovering the magic of this place. I'll always be grateful for the memories and foundation Tessera has given our children and for the connections we've made with other families through this preschool. When you enter Tessera, you might just see a typical preschool--DON'T BE FOOLED! ;-) Tessera is anything but typical! If you look more carefully, you'll notice the culture of the school is present in every nook and cranny of the place. The owner, Linda, provides an enriching environment with specially curated art projects, decor, sensory materials, books, costumes, puzzles, and toys that usually follow a theme. The kids have freedom to explore. She allows ample activity time during the day as well, so more active children can run around, climb, and play more physical games to their liking. I am in love with the process-oriented focus of the art projects she makes available to the kids. You won't find the kids producing uniform preschool art. The art that comes out of this place is meant to strengthen and develop a child's confidence and enjoyment in the process of creation. What does that look like? It completely varies according to the child! The enrichment programs Linda offers have varied over the years including music, dance, sewing, ceramics, ASL, and nature programs. They are run by visitors who are professionals in their fields. My kids have enjoyed all of them immensely. Linda's background is in early childhood development and education, but she's also a parent, so she understands the realities of family life and has a great perspective. She is flexible to the needs of a family. I believe her greatest strengths are her intuitive ability to tune in with the kids, her kind and gentleness in her interactions with them, and her belief in their natural abilities. She is not an adult who gets in the way of a child. She is, however, a great coach to the kids when conflict arises. I knew Tessera was the right place for us when I saw how she addressed conflict. She does not punish (no time-outs, no withdrawal of privileges, no unkind voices or words), but rather has the kids talk to each other. She usually focuses on the child who is upset or hurt, asking them to tell the other child how they feel or helping them stand up for her/himself. She never forces "sorry" out of the other child, but instead focuses on cultivating their empathy. When that fails, because at a certain age and for certain kids it is unrealistic to expect certain behavior, she is particularly adept in anticipating situations before they arise. I could go on and on about how enriching Tessera has been for our lives. I look forward to many more years of my kids' involvement with Tessera. (I'm so happy she offers programs serving kids up to age 10!)

I've had three kids at Tessera and all of them are treated and loves as individuals, with their…read moreparticular artistic interests and needs being thoughtfully addressed. I've learned a lot from about patience and communication with kids from the owner and head teacher, Linda. She is one of the most level headed, calm people I have ever met. The community is great too.

With many years of experience, skillful technique, and an eye for color, Janet's teaching abilities…read morecompare to none other. As one of her former grade school students, I've had the privilege of experiencing art with her in both childhood, and as a young adult. One of her many strengths as a teacher is to instruct technique without doing any of the work. Her patient guidance allows her students to explore their own creativity and expression through their projects. Whether you're looking for help with a special piece, or for an outlet for creative exploration, Janet will help your vision come to life. You can join her for lessons in person, or work from the comfort of your own home with one of her online classes. AWE truly is for anyone and everyone.​

My lessons are my favorite part of my week! I started…read moretaking lessons a year and half ago as a beginner. I thought I had no talent or ability. I've found that I do have a lot of talent and ability. Janet has worked with me to help pull it out. She knows how to work with me to expand my ability and grow my confidence. She's always encouraging. I've learned so much about my creative abilities and I have so much fun in my lessons with her. We try something new all the time and it keeps me engaged and always learning and having fun. She's able to see when I need a challenging project and when I need something easier to just warm me up. I go every week and don't see myself stopping anytime soon. It truly is my favorite part of my week!

Seattle ReCreative is a cool place to browse for odds and ends that you need for your latest…read morecrafting venture. Need a few Scrabble tiles? This is the place. Want just enough Modge Podge to finish that decoupage project? Go here. Need some rubber stamps to make homemade cards or gift tags? Definitely go here! They have a big selection. The place is rather messy and hodgepodge and had an odd smell when I was there. If you're someone who likes their shopping experience to be clean, well-lit, and orderly, this ain't your joint. But it's fun to go through the shop to inspire yourself and see if any treasures call out to you. Some things were a great buy and some were not, so shop wisely. Staff were welcoming and friendly, and I support the reuse and upcycle mission of Seattle ReCreative, so I'll be back.

I love this place! It's like a thrift store for your crafting needs. Yarn, fabric, art supplies,…read morestickers, papers, embroidery, needlepoint, used stamps, vintage photos, international paper money, etc. They also have used books/magazines for crafts and plastic containers. I found some themed collage packs - valentines and Disney themed and a plastic container to store my washi tape! Everything is super affordable too.

Thank you to Billings for letting me be myself for three years. This will always be my favorite…read moreschool I went to. The teachers are so kind and everyone is just a weirdo as we all are during middle school. I wish they had a high school because most high schools are terrible places.

Billings is a very special place where middle schoolers are seen and respected for their unique…read morepersonalities. My child loves going to school every day and loves her teachers and classmates.

We love Wedgwood Coop! Fantastic teachers and play based curriculum. I really like the parent…read moreeducation component from North Seattle College. I'm a much better parent now because of that guidance. Our family found a great community thanks to Wedgwood. You really get to know the other families because of the coop model, and we're still friends with many families who have already graduated and moved to other schools.

We are enjoying our first class at Creative Dance Center, where Anna is taking the children and…read moretheir caregivers on a lively, fun, and wonderfully pleasant brain development journey using music and dance to spark their creativity, imagination and coordination.

What a thrill to see my child dancing today in the school show "An afternoon of dance." This was…read moreher first time performing on a stage and now she can't wait to do it again. At beginning of the show, we were told that we would not be seeing expensive costumes that we'd had to buy, and we not be seeing very precise dances that had been drilled into the dancers for months. What we did see was a burst of colorful costumes that clearly each dancer had picked out for themselves at home, that expressed each personality wonderfully. And more importantly, we saw a ton of creativity, joy, and teamwork on the part of the kids, gently guided by the dance instructors. It was amazing to see how skilled the older dancers were at both dancing and choreography. My daughter and I started out in the parent/toddler class, then took the parent/child class, and she has taken the creative dance and creative ballet classes. And we really enjoy the intergenerational interplay classes which happen once a month on Friday nights. Whenever I tell my daughter that it is time for dance class, she immediately stops whatever she is doing, gets dressed, and goes out to the car at a speed usually reserved for birthday parties and trips to the candy store. As long as that is the case I will keep signing her up.

I wish I had more stars to give. We love this community. The teacher, parent educator, kids and…read moreparents make this such an amazing place to bring your child. We've attended for two years now and watching my daughter's growth has been such a blessing. Thank you teacher Aria, parent educator Helen and all the parents at Victory Heights co-op!

I have had two children attend this co-op preschool and would recommend anyone with little children…read moreto look into joining a co-op preschool. The school provides a parent education piece that was/is extremely valuable. The connections I've made with other families and my community I will always cherish. The teachers are amazing and my children have always loved attending the classes there.

This place is AMAZING. I've always wanted to paint and Dabble made it so easy to get started. I…read morebrought my own gessobords, but other than that, I didn't need to buy any other tools or supplies. I'm now obsessed and have painted every day since I joined, with three finished paintings that I'm really happy with. Dave, the owner, is so warm, welcoming, knowledgable, and supportive--he'll leave you alone if you want to just do your own thing, or he'll chat with you about your art if you want feedback. The space is set up incredibly well, ready for any kind of visual art you might want to do. The classes are fantastic too. I'm so happy that Dabble exists!

This is a super well laid out, super well lit super cool art studio available to the public!!…read more I was shipping art prints at the renowned Greenwood post office and happened upon this on my way back - the owner was available and was gracious enough to give me a tour of the space! They have TONS of professional tools!! Including silk press, vinyl cut, a station to assemble prints/zines etc, a station with a hood to do spray paints!! Looked like they had all kinds of paint brushes one might try, LOTs of professional sinks in their clean up area, even a fridge, small lockers, cubbies and a microwave if you need to put in an extra long session. All set up in the most organized and functional fashion, it's SO COOL!! They also offer classes to learn new techniques! The studio rate looks to be $10 an hour for individuals and $20 for a family unit, ( it's gotta be Guardians and kids who live under the same roof, it's not necessarily a group rate) I was shocked to see so much cool stuff at once so this list isn't complete and I've yet to get everyone together for a visit, but upon first glance this looks like an incredible community asset!!

Beautiful work and very kind people - I brought in an oil painting done in 1975 by my…read moregreat-grandma. She had written "Hannah's Cinderella Castle 1994" on the back of the canvas -- when the dust jacket was added, they wrote that on the back, preserving the note (wasn't something I thought to ask for when I was there, so this just shows the thought that goes in behind the work). The framing is excellent and very well done. Note that it's a wait to get pieces back, but it's worth it.

Excellent work, lovely people to work with. They are my go to source for framing and if I'm looking…read morefor a unique gift.