I teach kiddos
HOW TO MAKE COOL STUFF
(with their actual hands - no screens required!)
CAPITOL HILL, DC
Let me paint you a picture:
You hand a kid some supplies—yarn, paint, clay, beads, whatever. They look skeptical. "I'm not good at art," they say.
WRONG. This isn't art. This is ENGINEERING. It's MATH. It's a PUZZLE made of cardboard.
Something clicks. They stop bouncing. They get quiet. They FOCUS.
Fifteen minutes later, that same kid is completely silent—tongue sticking out in concentration—carefully threading yarn over and under, over and under. They're in the ZONE.
Another hour later? They're holding something they made with their own hands and their face does this thing. You know the thing. The "WAIT. I MADE THIS??" thing.
That's why I do this.
Also because yarn is delightful and I may have a problem. But mostly the face thing.
Hi, I’m Kali!
LET'S GET THE IMPORTANT STUFF OUT OF THE WAY:
Full disclosure: I went to art school. I have a BFA and everything. I thought I'd be a Serious Artist™ but emerged with an insatiable need to just make cool things with my hands. I've dabbled in every medium—ceramics, painting, graphics, printmaking, fiber arts—and I love them ALL.
But here's what I love MORE: teaching kids how to make things.
I spend my days looking like a craft store exploded on me (paint, clay, yarn, glitter—you name it, it's on me somewhere) showing kids that their hands are basically magic wands capable of making awesome stuff.
It keeps pulling me back like some kind of crafting siren song. Maybe it’s the look on their face when they finish a project. Maybe it's the yarn hoarding opportunities.
Either way, here we are.
Fine Arts Major
—
Craft Enthusiast
—
Professional Yarn Wrangler
Kids show up. Some bouncing off walls. Some shy. Some announcing they "already know how to do this" (they usually don't).
I give them supplies and show them a technique—maybe it's weaving, maybe it's painting, maybe we're making clay creatures or beaded jewelry. Whatever it is, we're MAKING something real.
Then comes my favorite part: watching them make it their own. Rainbow color choices. Unexpected patterns. Creative problem-solving I never taught them.
They create. They experiment. They surprise themselves.
Watching a kid who swore they "weren't creative" make something genuinely cool?
THAT'S MAGIC.
What Actually Happens
at a Craft Workshop:
WHY CRAFTS?
✳ YOU MAKE ACTUAL STUFF.
Not a video about a thing. Real objects you can touch and use and hang on your wall!
✳ NO WIFI REQUIRED.
Just hands, material, and focus. Revolutionary, I know.
✳ EVERYONE CAN DO IT.
You don't need to be "artistic." You just need to have fun!
✳ IT MAKES YOUR BRAIN HAPPY.
Hand-eye coordination. Problem-solving. Patience. Focus.
All disguised as fun.
WANT IN?
I teach at libraries, schools, community centers, birthday parties,
and basically anywhere kids want to make cool stuff.