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This week, we read How to Catch a Monster by Adam Wallace — a fun, heartwarming story about a brave young ninja who decides to face the monster hiding in his closet. What begins as a tale of fear transforms into one of courage and discovery, reminding us all that things aren’t always as scary as they seem. To extend this story beyond the pages, we invited the children to design their very own monsters using play-dough and loose parts. Our tinker trays were filled with an array of creative...

Every year, my son’s elementary school puts on the most epic fundraiser — Creepy Hollow. This beloved event transforms the campus into a Halloween wonderland filled with games, a haunted house, a cake walk, bake sale, face painting, inflatables, raffles, and so much more! It’s an incredible community effort that not only raises funds for our public school programs but also creates lasting memories for students and families. This year, I was thrilled to join the planning team alongside an...

It’s that spooktacular time of year again when we bring out one of our favorite annual traditions a Haunted Mansion made out of cardboard! Set up near our Outdoor Interactive Painting Gallery & Art Studio, this collaborative creation invites our little architects to dive into a world of imagination, creativity, and exploration. One of the most magical things about cardboard and process art is that  anything  can become a canvas. Cardboard’s versatility — with its many sizes, textures, and...

There’s no denying the excitement that comes with Halloween! This season offers the perfect opportunity to build upon children’s natural curiosity—especially when they show a strong interest in something spooktacular like skeletons and bones. When we design invitations that follow their interests, we honor their learning process by allowing them to become active collaborators in their own discoveries. To spark curiosity and deepen understanding, we’ve been reading Give Me Back My Bones! , ...

We invited the children to dive into some spooky, squishy fun with a classic sensory favorite — oobleck! Using scoops, baskets , @openplaytoys cones , and measuring cups, the children explored the fascinating world of this gooey mixture by scooping, squeezing, and squishing it through their fingers. What made this experience truly magical was watching their eyes light up as they noticed how oobleck behaves — sometimes like a solid, sometimes like a liquid. When they squeezed it tightly, it...

Pumpkin season is here — and with it comes endless opportunities for creativity, exploration, and hands-on learning! These four invitations blend process art, STEAM discovery, imaginative water play, and fine motor development, making pumpkins the perfect seasonal learning tool. 1. Drip Paint Pumpkin Art: Pumpkin art meets process exploration in this vibrant invitation! To set up, gather real pumpkins and place them flat or slightly elevated inside a sensory bin. Dilute your paint with a bit...

Storytime is such a powerful way to spark imagination and build meaningful literacy skills. Today, our classroom took flight with  Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler  — a beloved story filled with friendship, teamwork, and just a touch of magic. In the story, a kind witch and her cat soar happily through the sky on their broomstick — until one by one, her hat, bow, and wand go tumbling down to the ground! Luckily, three helpful animals come to the rescue, returning each...

Spooky season is here, and today we invited the children to dive into some spirited fun with our Floating Ghosts & Witch Hats Action Art experience! This festive invitation combined creativity, movement, and exploration for a truly BOO-tiful process art adventure. To set up the invitation, we prepared @discountschoolsupply paint cups filled with vibrant @colorations.artoflearning Fluorescent Paints. Our floating ghosts were crafted from  balloons wrapped in white paper tablecloths  and tied...

International Dot Day is a worldwide celebration of creativity, courage, & collaboration inspired by Peter H. Reynolds’ beloved book  The...

Our favorite  Steam Train, Dream Train  is pulling back into bookstores this fall—just in time to deliver double the joy for the...

Wassily Kandinsky, a Russian painter & art theorist, is often called the pioneer of abstract art. Instead of painting objects to look...

As fall arrives, the children have been noticing the beautiful changes in nature—especially the leaves shifting from green to brilliant...

This month, we are exploring the work of Piet Mondrian, a Dutch painter best known for his bold use of geometric shapes & primary colors....

Lisa Murphy , founder and CEO of Ooey Gooey, Inc. , has over 30 years of experience in early childhood education. She’s a globally...

This month, our Artist of the Month is none other than Pablo Picasso—the Spanish artist who forever changed the world of art. We’ve been...