Clare Willis began Clare's Coloring Cottage in 1998, when she had three children, Thomas,8 Cary, 5 and James 3, just over a year later Catherine came along (1999). The business began as a result of their homeschooling methods and experiences.

Clare and Steve decided to homeschool before Thomas would have officially entered kindergarten. Had he started Kindergarten with our local school system, his kindergarten year would have been at one school, but the next year they changed the school boundaries and First grade would  have been at another school, and finally the next year required another school boundary change and his Second grade would have been at yet another school.   From what we know the school system left that boundary in place. Clare's family is full of educators and strong believers in the public school system, so it took quite awhile for them to accept Steve and Clare's decision.

Clare has never regretted the decision to homeschool the children, it has created a delightful environment to raise the children. It has also provided plenty of opportunities/freedoms which otherwise would not have occurred nor been an option in a standard schooling situation.

As any homeschooling mom knows there is more pressure to 'succeed' in the early years of homeschooling than at any other time in the next 12 years. So during that time with the little ones Clare schooled Thomas when the other two napped and our mornings were spent baking or playing or taking a trip to the local museums. What she discovered though,  was an astonishing selection of cool coloring books at each of the gift shops, this got her thinking..." How come I can only find these coloring books at these little museums?" As their homeschooling subjects diversified she began to look for more coloring books. The straw that broke the camel's back was a search for a Pirate coloring book for Thomas. It did not take long to determine that land - locked Arizona did not have any coloring books about Pirates.

When a visit to Pilgrims Tower in Provincetown MA yielded a plethora of Pirate memorabilia the determination to start the business began. This philosophy of museum trips and not too much book work has held through, some years have more strict curriculums, but others have had very little.  Every year Clare writes out a calender and curriculum plan, it helps her to feel like everything is in order, and she has a guideline to follow.

Clare Willis grew up in Massachusetts, she and her husband moved to Arizona in 1986 where they have lived ever since, raising their 4 children. Clare graduated from good old Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater Massachusetts with a degree in Mathematics, along with a minor in secondary education. She spent her early working years in the pension field, then decided to return to teaching.  After two years of teaching, along came baby #2 and she decided to stay home. It was a delightful time, and the idea of homeschooling the children had begun.