Home | Your Account | Sign In | View Cart | Help

Better Business Bureau Accredited Business

Home > Gifts > Gifts by Price > $21.00-$50.00 > Hands-on >

Creativity Express

Top quality animated art instruction

New lower price! $25.00

Ages: 7+
Grade Levels: 2nd+

Availability: Usually Ships in 24 Hours
Product Code: 197-196

Timberdoodle's review

Video

Learn more

See a demo lesson here

Creativity Express Home Edition

Prepare to be dazzled. What a thrill to be able to offer you this absolutely remarkable, ingenious, world-class animated art instruction. It is geared for children ages seven to 14, but I have learned so much that I would not hesitate to recommend it for your entire family.

The extraordinary Creativity Express curriculum is an innovative combination of technology and art resulting in a revolutionary approach to teaching art history, art appreciation, and digital art. The program owes its success to the team of former Disney animators who bring to life three affable characters, a polar bear named Furnace and penguin sisters Tickles and Ruby. These engaging characters, using a blend of humor and storytelling, provide the narrative for the sixteen lessons of Creativity Express. The first section of each lesson explores art principles using both amusing animated lessons and examples of historical paintings. As it is designed for independent study, children can go back and forth within a lesson to enhance their understanding of the concepts taught.

In the second section of each lesson your child will learn more about art history. This includes a timeline of historical art pieces and interactive challenges to review what was just learned. If you, like us, live in a rural area, this may be one of the best ways for your children to see traditional masterpieces from around the world. And if you, like us, are concerned about the nudity in some masterpieces, you will be pleased to learn that in nearly every case, graphic nudity has been either blurred or humorously covered. There are a handful of times that I wish more discretion had been used, but in nearly all cases, that particular piece of art was just a blip in a sequence. In addition to great works of art, your child will also learn about concepts like the Fibonacci sequence and the golden ratio.

The Creativity Builder segment of each lesson has hands-on activities, plus an art gallery and a personal portfolio where users can store their creations. Creativity Express comes bundled with ArtRage, a free digital painting application that offers a variety of art media including digital chalks, watercolors, oils, markers, and pencils. Children will not only enjoy the wide variety of creative options available within this software, but they will also be relieved to know that, regardless of talent, the program is positive and encouraging.

Honored with the "Media of the Year" award from Creative Child Magazine, Creativity Express is truly an anytime, anywhere learning experience.

Creativity Express provides a year's worth of art instruction that meets national and state standards for art education established by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations and also meets the guidelines outlined in the National Technology Plan.

Are there any negatives to Creativity Express? When you are as fussy as we are, you're going to find stuff to pick at. Because Creativity Express is produced by a secular business, there are scenes in it that we would not have included, had they asked. A princess kissing a frog, a mom practicing yoga, a reference to Peter Pan and Harry Potter; if this were a book, I would be editing these out. When it is a computer program, there are not many options. Ultimately, even as conservative as our family is, if this program had been available for our children 10 years ago we would have used it, though not without having an occasional discussion about contemporary dress, acceptable humor, and motivating worldview. A curriculum that provides a natural platform for discussing those necessary topics doubles in value!

Please note that because Creativity Express adjusts to each particular user's learning speed and style, if multiple users access the program with the same username the learning experience will be compromised. Up to four children may use each Creativity Express CD-ROM without that being an issue.

Features
�16 lessons, created by former Disney animators that teach the principles and history of art.
�Animated characters lead kids through interactive exploration, and take them step by step through amazing art projects.
�Test your knowledge! Challenges and interactive games build problem solving skills and creative ability.
�Over 30 hands-on activities, and a digital portfolio where kids can store and share artwork.
�Awarded Media of the Year by Creative Child Magazine
�Rated E for everyone
�Includes ArtRage 2.5 Starter Edition CD-ROM with all the painting and drawing tools young artists need for the computer FREE!

Publisher's Information
Format: CD-ROM
Copyright: 2008
Publisher: Madcap Logic
Made In: USA

Edition: Home Edition Windows Requirements
Windows Microsoft Windows XP or Vista
Pentium 4 1GHz or faster processor
CD-Rom Drive
512 MB of RAM
mouse or tablet
16-bit color display
Windows-Compatible Sound card
speakers or headphones
1024 x 768 or greater monitor resolution
minimum 500 MB hard-disk space available.

Macintosh Requirements
Mac OS X (version 10.2.8 or higher)
Power Macintosh G4 1 GHz or faster processor
CD-ROM Drive
512 MB RAM
Minimum 500 MB hard disk space available
16-bit color
mouse or tablet
1024 x 768 or greater monitor resolution

Average Customer Review: Based on 6 Reviews. Write a review.

More Products...

PrismaColor Watercolor Pencils

Our Price: $39.50
Add

Wedgits 20-Piece Tote

Our Price: $41.00
Add

Oball Family Bundle

Our Price: $29.95
Add

K'nex Intro to Simple Machines: Levers and Pulleys

Our Price: $30.50
Add

Sprig Dino Adventure Rig PLUS Glider Patrol Set

Sale Price: $29.95
Add

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

A terrific surprise!	April 20, 2009
Reviewer: Chelle�Barnaby from Cumberland,�WI�

I'm not sure I exactly knew what I was buying when I chose this for an 11 year old for Christmas. It sat unopened for a couple of months, and one dreary winter day I encouraged the youngest 4 children to pull it out. They were enthralled for hours, and I could barely pull them away! My 5, 6, 10, and 12 year old regularly "play" with this program, and I'm so impressed with their level of learning, interest, and comprehension. Fabulous!

Was this review helpful to you?

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

My boys didn't want to stop!	November 5, 2008
Reviewer: Kate W. from Damascus, Oregon

GeeArt (previous version of Creativity Express) is an online program that I purchased through Timberdoodle. It covered some art history, different artists, techniques such as light source, balancing a picture's contents. All of this was taught using animated animals that would talk about the subject and there were interactive screens. My boys ages 7 and 11 didn't want to stop! I enjoyed it myself and felt that it covered a lot of material.

Was this review helpful to you?

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Totally boring...	November 5, 2008
Reviewer: Patty K. from Earlville, IL

My children and I found this product to be totally boring. It is a program of a listening kind of instruction, not doing. There is no interaction for the student to try something.

Was this review helpful to you?

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

Use it again and again!	October 24, 2008
Reviewer: Allison S. from Birmingham, Al

Creativity Express (formerly Gee Art) is wonderful! Fun, thorough, engaging, and so well done our kids wanted to use it again and again! It's a great product that makes a sometimes "forced" subject one of our favorites.

Was this review helpful to you?

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

I plan to enjoy it myself!	October 23, 2008
Reviewer: Karen S. from Waterford, WI

I think this product is a great and fun choice for creativity! However, I have not been able to convince my son of the same. I think my timing may have been off in that he views it as kid's stuff (because of the cute animated characters and is unwilling to give it a fair shake. I bought it when he was 11 - guess I should have probed a little more with him. He's a great artist (drawing) and loves computer games, so I thought this was a no-brainer, but I guess he's decided he's too old for this (in spite of the '7 to 97' on the label. Well, I plan to enjoy it myself AND if he can fit it in I'll get my seventeen yr. old son to spend some time with it - he's not plagued by the "I'm too old for kid stuff" syndrome. After we've gotten our use out of it, I plan to pass it along to friends whose kids will be more open to it as well!

Was this review helpful to you?

View All Customer Reviews

Customer Service | About Us | Sitemap | Gift Certificates