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We invited our children to create vibrant 3-D art inspired by Alma Woodsey Thomas —an American artist and educator known for her joyful, colorful paintings influenced by pointillism and abstract expressionism. At age 80, she became the first African-American woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art . After reading A Blaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas and Alma's Art , and exploring printed images of her artwork, we set out a large 3-D canvas to...

During Black History Month, learning about Katherine Johnson, an extraordinary mathematician whose love of numbers helped change history & send astronauts safely into space at NASA during a time when both women & Black Americans faced unfair barriers in science & education; her courage, determination, & brilliant thinking remind children that they can dream big & make a difference, & the book Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 brings her inspiring journey to life by...

Can you think of a more thrilling duo than dinosaurs and glow-in-the-dark magic? Gloplay sent us their stick-and-peel dinosaur stickers , designed to be applied, removed, and re-applied for endless adventures. Whether on walls, bathtubs, or tuff trays, these versatile stickers open up limitless opportunities for imaginative play. For this small world play setup, a mini dinosaur landscape was recreated, with stickers thoughtfully arranged to enhance the sensory experience. "Volcano" cones , a...

During Lunar New Year , lanterns provide illumination, are believed to bring good luck, and symbolize wishes for a bright future. Celebrated across many Asian countries, this special time is filled with traditions, joyful gatherings, festive customs, and delicious feasts, welcoming the arrival of spring and a fresh new year. To begin our exploration, we read Amy Wu and the Lantern Festival and Playing with Lanterns . After learning about the meaning of lanterns and observing real images...

After reading books about the significance of the dragon during Lunar New Year, exploring photographs, and learning about the costumes and puppets used in parades, we extended the literacy experience by inviting the children to create collaborative dragons in two different ways. These creations will be featured in our upcoming Annual Lunar New Year Parade. 1. Symmetry Dragons: To create their dragons, the children folded their paper in half, squeezed paint drops and designs onto one side,...

Drew a Heart by @gilliansze (author) and @naokostoop (illustrator) is the perfect story to share during both Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day. This lyrical and heartfelt book celebrates creativity, love, and a beautifully diverse, multigenerational family as a young boy spends the day drawing hearts inspired by his favorite people, moments, and memories. After reading the story together, we invited the children to create their own magical rubbing-alcohol watercolor hearts. This engaging ...

When children are given the opportunity to freely explore light and reflection, they instantly become intrigued by the many possibilities within the materials. From infancy through early childhood, playing with light and reflection invites children to form theories, experiment, and deepen their understanding of the world, while supporting many areas of development. They are often fascinated and deeply engaged by the interplay of shapes, patterns, shadows, spacing, imagery, light, size, and...

The beauty of process art is that anything can become a painting tool,even a slinky! To get into the spirit of all things love, we invited the children to explore painting with heart-shaped slinkys, tempera paint, and construction paper. The children dipped their slinkys into paint and joyfully pressed, dragged, bounced, and rolled them across the paper, creating playful heart prints and unexpected patterns. Beyond the excitement of using an “out-of-the-norm” tool, introducing a new material...

Andy Warhol’s Four Hearts (1993) is a vibrant offset lithograph, often featuring four bright pink hearts set against a bold, contrasting background. Today, the children were invited to recreate this iconic artwork in their very own way. We began by providing construction paper and inviting the children to cover the entire page using liquid watercolors, choosing their own colors and designs. Next came some exciting action spin art hearts! Heart shapes were placed into a salad spinner, bright...

We have been exploring the life & work of Dutch Post-Impressionist artist #VincentvanGogh—reading stories about him, studying his paintings, & observing his bold, expressive use of color. Introducing children to diverse artistic styles and techniques from around the world nurtures appreciation, cultural awareness, & a deeper connection to the arts. 1. Invitation to Paint Roses: In May 1890, just before leaving the asylum in Saint-Rémy, he created a remarkable series of 4 floral still...

Winter is the perfect season to explore art and science through ice! For this invitation, we provided trays filled with ice blocks in a variety of shapes and sizes, each embedded with winter foliage. Alongside the ice, children were offered Colorations Liquid Watercolors , pipettes, and paintbrushes as their creative tools. They were invited to create, observe, and explore the fascinating relationship between ice, color, and nature. Painting on an unconventional surface like ice offers a...

Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman (Author) and Liza Woodruff (Illustrator) is a delightful counting story about animals who are having so much fun speeding down a hill on a sled. As the sled goes faster and faster, the animals tumble off one by one, then leap back on again. This book is a wonderful counting resource that can be used in different ways depending on each child’s understanding of numbers. For children who are just beginning to count, counting books help introduce the counting word...

Before inviting the children to create snowflakes, we began by asking them what they already knew about snowflakes. Through discussion, the children shared that snowflakes come from the sky during winter. To build on their prior knowledge, we introduced them to Wilson Bentley, the first known photographer of snowflakes over 100 years ago. To integrate literacy and deepen their understanding of snow, we read Snowflake Bentley , Curious About Snow , and The Story of Snow . These stories...

The Lights That Dance in the Night by Yuval Zommer provided a beautiful starting point for exploring the magic of the Northern Lights during the winter season. The story takes children on a journey from space to Earth, highlighting how this natural phenomenon brings wonder to the animals and people who live in frozen lands. After reading the story, we extended the learning by sharing images and videos of the Northern Lights. We discussed how they are also known as auroral displays and can...

We rang in the New Year with three exciting, hands-on invitations that encouraged creativity, exploration, and learning. Each setup invited children to engage their senses while building important developmental skills—all with a festive NYE twist! 1. STEM Disco Ball Building on the Mood Light Table- Children explored engineering and design as they built dazzling disco ball creations on our mood light table . Using iridescent linking discs, disco balls in a variety of sizes, iridescent...