Watercoloring, Schooling for Autism, Family Trips, Music Industry Changes, National Parks Band, Back to School Party

Watercolor Like the Pros (0:00:00) Watercolor is an incredible art form. With its vibrant hues and dreamy nature, it can turn a simple field into a wistful wonderland of color. Despite being such a popular art form, it’s far from the easiest –even the most experienced artists have a difficult time picking up the medium. So how do you go from being simply a fridge-approved artist to mastering pro water coloring technique? Today we are joined by professional watercolor artist Mary Whyte. She is here to discuss her experience with water coloring and how to improve your painting skills. Schooling for those with Autism during COVID-19 (0:19:36) School is beginning to start for all ages across the country. For many children, school is looking much different this year with the continuation of online classes and blended programs. Parents are finding themselves overbooked as they’ve recently added teacher, principal, and hall monitor to their resumes during the pandemic. But, that feeling is made ten times more overwhelming for parents of children with autism, affecting 1 in 54 children nationwide. Here to help us navigate the world of teaching your autistic child at home is Jennifer “Jay” Palumbo, CEO of Wonder Woman Writer and proud mother of an autistic child. Family National Park Trips (0:34:54) When I think of my dream vacation, it’s something outside and is usually warm, sunny, and sandy. However, recent travel restrictions have forced many of us to rethink summer plans including hammocks, coconuts, and Bahama beaches. But lucky for us, we don’t have to look any further than outside our own state for beautiful, outdoor vistas. With 419 national parks to choose from, our options are endless. Here to talk us through these options and how to plan a family trip to one of our beautiful national parks is friend of the show, Carrie Ann Rhodes. Music Industry Changes (0:52:45) From vinyl to CDs to streaming--we’ll take our music anywhere we can get it. Over the past few years, we’ve noticed that music has been moving more and more online. And now, as COVID has left nothing unchanged, everything has to be online. So, we’re wondering, what does this mean for the parts of the music industry that weren’t online? How will the music industry adapt to these changes? Here to tell us about what he’s observed is music producer and composer Charles Newman. National Parks Band (1:11:36) As you know we love the national parks. But what do we love more? The national parks and music. And what do you get when you put the two together? You get Brady and Megan Parks, Sydney Macfarlane, and Cam Brannelly of The National Parks band. This indie pop group started their musical career in Provo, Utah, which is where we broadcast the show from, but have since attracted a huge fan base and travelled across the country playing their music. They recently came out with their 4thalbum called Wildflower. We’ve invited them on the show to talk about this latest release, their Campfire Tour, and more. Back to School Party (1:29:28) With school just around the corner, it’s time to gear up for one last hoorah! Back to school parties are a popular way of celebrating the end of an awesome summer and getting excited for school. But, because of the pandemic, these get-togethers are going to look a little different this year. After all, no one wants to be sick on the first day of school. So how can we celebrate while staying safe and healthy? Well today, we’ve invited event expert and CEO of The Party Goddess, Marley Majcher, on the show to give us ideas on how we can throw COVID style back-to-school parties.