I’ve written a bunch about the exorbitant amount of money that Pre-School costs. Recently, I’ve been seeking out low cost classes as an alternative to Pre-School. A friend of mine, who also has two kids similar ages to Ari and Samara, recommended art classes at a place near us called Barking Cat Studio. She said the classes were affordable and it was an all around great time.
I decided to check it out.

I went to their site and gave the number a call.

Within an hour, Karen (the founder of Barking Cat Studio) called me back. Karen had a vibrant voice and a great energy. I immediately got a good vibe over the phone. She said they had a class on Friday where the kids were making “dinosaur art.”
“Perfect!” I said “Ari loves dinosaurs.”
I asked how much this class would be.
“Normally classes are $25, but since it’s your first class, we’ll give you $10 off.”
“Thanks so much!” I said getting excited already.
Friday arrived, my mom watched Samara and off we went to Barking Cat Studio.

What a great time it was!



One of the great things about Barking Cat Studio, is that you get to take all your art work home. They call it “Make it & Take it Arts & Crafts.” Here’s what Ari made today:


Karen Merbaum, Barking Cat’s Founder, has worked in graphic design for over 20 years. Barking Cat Studio used to be her graphic design office. One day, she had an epiphany. She no longer wanted to practice graphic design, she wanted to use her artistic background to work with children.

A year and half ago she transformed her space into what is now Barking Cat Studio. She is an incredibly talented artist. In fact, she made this desk:

We had a wonderful time at Barking Cat Studio, and I’m sure we’ll be back!

For more information on classes at Barking Cat Studio, click on the Make it and Take it Bag below!