“Look! My leaf looks like a person—just like in the book!” Five-year-old Talia beams, pointing proudly to her leafy creation. Around her, small hands sort, stack, and arrange leaves, acorns, and twigs. The outdoor classroom hums with excitement as children transform their collections into people, animals, and mini leaf worlds. This spark came from Lois […]

“I can’t get my sandcastle to stay up," moans four-year-old Juan to his older friend Rokia. "I fill the bucket all the way to the top and I pat it down just like you did yesterday. But when I flip the bucket over, the sand just pours out! Can you help me make a sandcastle […]

"I found an empty nest! Can we keep it?" Owen's joyful discovery captures everyone's attention. Three-year-old Daniela comes running. "Are there eggs?" she asks her older and wiser five-year-old friend. "Can I see it?” "No eggs, just an old nest," Owen tells Daniela before looking up at me imploringly. "Can we please keep it?" He handles the […]

"Come and look, come and look!" screams four-year-old Maggie. She is waving frantically, summoning us over with such joy that we know it must be something special. Our gang of early learners rushes over to see Maggie's discovery. Almost in unison, as they behold her "found treasure," they come to a complete standstill—literally frozen in […]

"Fatima, look how many numbers big I am!" Harry exclaims. "How many? How many?" asks Fatima. "I don't know," Harry counters, "but it's a lot!" "A lot more than me," admits Fatima. "You are bigger than me!" There's nothing like a tool in the hands of young friends to get the juices flowing and the […]

"Hey guys! Look over here!" Harrison calls out to his friend. "My magnet sticks to the trike!" On this warm morning, our magnetic wands are sparking a new wave of STEM exploration in our outdoor classroom. I’m encouraging the children to let their curiosity and creativity lead the way as they engage in their own […]

"Do you have any of those . . . connector things?" asks Petey. "I need some for my robot." "What kind of connectors do you need?" I ask.  "I want to make the robot's leg connect to his stomach," he answers. "Do you need tape?" I inquire. Petey shakes his head vigorously. "Will glue work?" "Nope," […]

“I’ve got some acorns and some water!" announces five-year-old Gabriela, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Who wants to make potions with me?” “What’s a potion?” asks Amara as she jumps off of her swing and heads over to see what Gabriela has in mind. “You mix things up, like a recipe,” Gabriela explains. “Sometimes the […]

"Wow! How did you make that whole family?" Maura asks her friend, Maya, as she joins her at the clay table. Maya giggles. "I started off with one person in a boat, but then I just kept adding to it. Sometimes the heads were too heavy and I had to make the bodies thicker, so […]

“Will you read this first?” Rowan pleads as she moves The Most Magnificent Maker's A to Z to the top of the pile of books that the children have chosen for their morning story time session. "It's my favorite." I love that book," agrees Josephine. "Her dog always helps her." “She reminds me of us,” […]