Category Archives: Character Development

These kids were just a smidgen of the 549 students who attended  24 classes I gave in one week! At the end of the lessons, each was given a flip book I printed and bound myself, plus a blank one … Continue reading →

What are you doing, Wednesday, March 20, 2019?  If you’re free and near San Bernardino, CA, come on down to Ruth’s Art Workshop at the Library – learn some drawing tips – AND get a FREE FLIP BOOK, too!  Which … Continue reading →

SETTLING ARGUMENTS – FOR GOOD! When children are taught to calmly express themselves in a ‘safe’ environment, and to listen patiently as they give others the same courtesy, it will go a long way to growing them into more thoughtful … Continue reading →

Lovely song, “In My Paper World” by Jas Hilsdon, singing with his daughter, Mavis! 5 Essential Creative Skills Your Child Can Learn in 2019 Art sharpens the brain, but if you thought that all artists were born that way, think … Continue reading →

This is a true story! One Christmas night many years ago, I was driving our old station wagon in the pouring rain. Among my seven kids in the car, 10 yr old daughter Lisa was very excited. For years she had begged us … Continue reading →

We find character in ALL kinds of places, especially in KIDS!  Students are expressing character and loving kindness through the many classes given by EDU DESIGNS volunteers. They are learning to respect life while they are learning to sketch, analyze draw and animate birds. Ever since then, … Continue reading →

In Fontana, these kids are “for the birds” – in a very positive sense. They are enjoying the combination of science and art enrichment thanks to Lisa Elliott who received a grant from the Community Foundation and the EEC, allowing students to learn about birds … Continue reading →

Childhood trauma can lead to adult addiction. It’s scary, but true. This article gives a great view of the facts in a nutshell. “As the twig is bent, so grows the tree” Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events, such … Continue reading →

Embrace the challenge Children bring – and you will gain skills you need in every part of life!  KIDS TEACH YOU — 1- To Observe They teach you to PAY ATTENTION to another. And if you don’t watch them they’ll do something … Continue reading →

Can Comics teach character? Of course they can! It’s all about the STORY! At my art presentations to kids, whenever I ask the question, “Does anyone here like cartoons?” I get a howling “YES!” from everyone! The overwhelming popularity of … Continue reading →

All Volunteer Board of Directors: Our Board of Directors generously volunteers their time and energy to create an organization that inspires children to be constructive members of society. That means 100% of your contribution will go to programs that help … Continue reading →

THESE LITTLE FLIP BOOKS INSPIRE KIDS! When I saw my first flip book at 8 years old I became excited to do animation myself!  I went on to create my own flip books, not realizing that one day I would go … Continue reading →

Words are powerful things. My mom used to tell me, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” I thought sadly to myself, “Yeah. They only hurt your FEELINGS”. And somehow concluded that meant that … Continue reading →

We rescued a fledgling baby bird a couple of weeks ago, and are new parents again at 69 years old!  Here’s a photo of when we first saw her, sitting stunned, on a walkway.  We put some water in front … Continue reading →

As the Keynote speaker to a large group of students recently at a college and career event, various educational organizations offered their options for study in many fields, including Business and Industry, Medical, Veterinary schools, the Navy, and the Arts.  I asked them this question: What … Continue reading →

Ruth Elliott’s ART assemblies promote positive attitudes, better behavior & academic achievement, as well as spatial awareness, which has been shown to raise math scores. The Arts can increase math scores by up to 15%! Ruth wrote the first art textbook … Continue reading →

LIFE TAKES UP MOST OF YOUR TIME, doesn’t it? And when we turn around, it’s the steady plodding forward, that gets us anywhere.  You can’t change the waves, but you can adjust your sails. When we look at successful people, … Continue reading →

Do you ever find yourself running out of ‘love juice’? When my kids were little, even if I started with a full pitcher of love in the morning, sometimes by the end of the day the pitcher would be dry.   There was a … Continue reading →