(New York, NY — April 17, 2020) — Today, TIME for Kids, the school-based publication that has provided quality, trusted journalism to millions of students in elementary classrooms for 25 years, and Adobe, maker of world-leading creative applications giving everyone the tools to discover and express their creativity, launch a new weekly interactive video series, “Draw with Drew (and Rosie!),” to provide free art instruction and inspire creativity for children who are adjusting to school closures during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Draw with Drew (and Rosie!)” is hosted by TIME for Kids creative director Drew Willis, who will be joined each week by Rosie, the ten year-old daughter of TIME for Kids editor in chief Andrea Delbanco. Drew and Rosie, who have been exchanging drawings for years, will work together for a virtual art lesson. While Drew creates elaborate drawings with Fresco and Photoshop using his graphic tablet, Rosie responds just as creatively using physical media like pen and paper, crayons and pencils. Over the course of 8 weeks, viewers are encouraged to draw along with Drew and Rosie and to share their completed drawings with TIME for Kids for the opportunity to be named a TIME for Kids Art Director of the Week, and to be considered for inclusion in a special issue of TIME for Kids, available for free in the TIME for Kids free digital library.
“In addition to bringing trusted journalism and news literacy instruction to all teachers, families and students during this unprecedented time, we see creative expression as an essential part of distance learning,” said Delbanco. “This new series will offer kids a way to experience the joy of expressing themselves through art they may be missing while learning from home.”
As the Creativity Partner for TIME for Kids’ “Draw with Drew (and Rosie!),” Adobe will provide inspiration on creative ways to use Adobe Spark for free and create a digital art portfolio to enable kids to showcase their drawings and easily share it with their friends and family. Additionally, the new 8-part drawing series will be featured on the Adobe Distance Learning Hub (young learners’ section) which provides activities, lessons, and advice for teachers and parents supporting young learners at home.
“At Adobe, we believe that everyone has a story to tell, and our mission is to enable creativity for all,” said Mala Sharma, VP & General Manager, Creative Cloud Product Marketing. “Even though going to school has taken on a whole new meaning right now, it does not mean that creativity needs to stop for students. Our partnership with TIME for Kids is providing children with inspiration and a much-needed outlet for creative expression, which I hope will allow them to approach problem-solving in new ways, discover new thought processes and dream bigger than ever before.”
“Draw with Drew (and Rosie!)” is the latest free and global offering from TIME for Kids to support teachers, families and students during this period of school closures. Last month, TIME for Kids brought the in-classroom publication to homes for the first time with the launch of the TIME for Kids free digital library. The TIME for Kids digital library, which has over 251,000 sign ups, provides access to new issues of TIME for Kids and Your $, the financial literacy magazine for kids, each week, along with a complete library of previously published editions from 2020 and additional educational resources and activities.
The first episode of “Draw with Drew (and Rosie!)” is out this Friday, April 17, and new episodes of the 8-week series will be available each Thursday on TIME and TIME for Kids’ digital and social platforms and on the Adobe Distance Learning Hub. Each episode will feature a new drawing assignment and viewers will be able to vote on the new assignment.
For more details and to view the first episode of “Draw with Drew (and Rosie!),” visit: time.com/drawwithdrew
For updates on TIME for Kids and to access other resources, including the TIME for Kids free digital library, visit: https://time.com/tfk-free/
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About TIME For Kids
Since 1995, TIME for Kids has delivered current events from TIME news bureaus around the world to millions of students in elementary and middle school classrooms across the U.S. Each week, TIME for Kids presents news in a format that teaches young readers to become critical thinkers and informed citizens. As an educational publication, the mission of TIME for Kids is to help teachers engage students with the world around them and inspire kids to join the conversation about current events.
About Adobe
Adobe is changing the world through digital experiences. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.
