We sorta fell into this acorn unit. There was nothing on my calendar that said "acorn unit". It was one of those things that grew...

For the past few weeks, every visit to the mountains for Nature School is accompanied by acorn rain. Some trees seem to be shedding their...

Natural dyeing is a traditional art I've been eager to introduce to my kids. From start to finish, the process touches on things like...

Getting little fingers strong enough to tackle writing (or skilled drawing and painting!) takes a lot of work. Throughout the day, I...

Not far from where we live, The Huntington Museum has two Blue Boy's hanging in their Portrait Gallery; one by Thomas Gainsborough, and...

Every time I introduce a new artist to the kids, I try to picture what type of artwork we can make inspired by the technique, materials,...

Raising a Museum Lover: 10 Tips for Helping Your Child Fall in Love With Museums

Interactive Storytime for Toddlers: The Clothespin Fence

From the time Rémy could play outside, we’ve spent a large chunk of our day in the yard. At this point, he spends more time digging in...

It was a short Winter here in Los Angeles. Too short. We will likely pay the price for this fact later on down the road. But right now it...

As a former art teacher, I’ve developed very strong opinions on art materials. By and large, I believe in providing the very best...

To me, there are two distinct categories of sensory bins. I am here for them both. I call the first category of bins, “easy bins” because...

I’m always searching for the right time to introduce concepts to Rémy, keeping an eye out for any hints he might be throwing my way. A...

At some point, it feels like a decision was made making it vitally important for a child to be reading by the time they graduate...

When picking a book or an activity for Rémy, my number one rule is to lean into ideas that he has shown interest in already. Then I take...

I believe that the first time that you encounter a piece of art has a huge bearing on how you understand it for the rest of your life....

The two sisters growing up in the Newlin household found nary a block in sight. There were also no Legos, or tinker toys. At that point...

There are a million ways to skin a cat, or so the saying goes. Which, by the way, who are these people skinning cats? Is it such a...

A couple years ago, when I sat pregnant and plotting, I made a mental list of my parenting priorities. There were many. Which in turn...

From the start, one of Rémy’s favorite books was the classic, Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, by Al Perkins. This likely has everything to do...