'What's the Big Idea?' with Kim Ratliff
August 12, 2026 - May 31, 2027 | Five in-person sessions (50 minutes each)
Program cost: $500 per classroom. Full scholarships and discounts available.
Grades K-2
Unlock the creative potential in your classroom! Each session will guide students to explore their own imaginative process.
This residency will begin with a dive into children’s literature focused on the concept of “THE BIG IDEA.” Students will blend interactive storytelling with creative dramatics and hands-on activities designed to spark their imagination while also building their creative confidence. Each session will incorporate reading, social emotional learning, creative dramatics, and multi-sensory learning (drawing, movement, building, verbal storytelling). As a final project, classes will curate their own IDEA gallery.
Kim Ratliff has a unique background in both the arts and in education. Her educational background includes two bachelor’s degrees (in English Literature and Elementary Education) and a master’s degree in education. In addition to her teaching career, Ratliff has led professional development training in arts integration from California to Indiana. Starting her teaching career in Pasadena, California, and continuing in the Shawnee Mission School District allowed Kim to see the diverse needs that can be found within every class.
In her three decades as a classroom teacher, Ratliff embraced an arts integration approach. Incorporating visual arts, music, creative movement, and dramatic arts in her classroom experiences daily helped her young students learn to be creative thinkers and collaborate from a very early age.
Ratliff’s performance background includes training at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and improvisational comedy at the Groundling Theater. She has also worked as a Teaching Artist for Kansas City Young Audiences for 20 years and in 2024 won the Lighton Prize for Teaching Artist Excellence.