All aboard the Spin Bus

Standing beside a paint-splattered minibus, a long line of children patiently wait to use a spin art machine. Kids take turns dropping paint onto a spinning canvas, watching the machine rotate wildly. As the paint lands on the canvas, a colorful design is created.

It’s a scene that took place last September in Brentwood with Legis. Samuel Gonzalez (D-Brentwood), thanks to nonprofit Children 4 Children. The group, housed on Main Street in Islip, aims to empower, educate and entertain kids and teens in Islip Town.

Proudly labeled the “Spin Bus,” the colorful minibus serves as a spin art studio on wheels. Islip Town residents can book the Spin Bus to stop by any location and host spin art parties.

The studio is the brainchild of 75-year-old Bay Shore resident Richard Kayatt, former publisher and founder of Children 4 Children.

After over 50 years working in publishing and several years in the food truck business, Kayatt said he shifted gears: Last May, he purchased the minibus to house the mobile spin art business.

“This is my life now,” Kayatt declared.

In March, Children 4 Children published a kid-oriented coloring book which focuses on endangered animals. A portion of coloring book sales will be directed toward the Endangered Species Coalition Activist Network.

“Young children should know about endangered animals to be better people and make changes in their lives for future generations,” Kayatt said.

Kayatt, who grew up in Merrick, said he was raised to be environmentally friendly. His mother was very conscious of her health and what she purchased, he said.

“I didn’t really know it then, but I realized when I put the dots together that my mother did a lot of things environmentally,” he said.

The first coloring book includes an educational article about the declining monarch butterfly population, with information on how residents can help save endangered animals.

Kayatt has plans to turn the locally produced coloring books into a monthly subscription series.

For more information about the mobile art studio and the coloring books, go online and visit: http://children4childreninc.com/paint-parties/.