"Roots & Branches" Creative Curriculum Guide

This month, in honor of Earth Day, we explore ways to notice, love, and protect our planet by starting with what is immediately in front of us: the natural resources that are right outside and recycled materials that are abundantly available every day. In our Roots & Branches guide, we offer so many opportunities to rethink what we consider art or play material, and to really see and notice the world around us. Old credit cards and gift cards become paint scrapers, used bottle caps become transient loose parts, Easter grass becomes a soft and cozy nest for a sensory bin, and sticks become wands or sculptures. Collect materials on a nature walk or save from the trash and you will find that there are endless possibilities for creating and playing with a budget of zero and a reduced impact on the environment. Enjoy tinkering with trash, rethinking the recycling bin, and going on nature walks as we help to grow the next generation of Earth protectors.

Our curriculum is inclusive and honors each child’s individuality and way of thinking and working. Consider each guide like a beautiful magazine where creativity meets education. They are more than a collection of art ideas, they are the KEY to a cohesive, child-centered, manageable creative practice for your family at home, or to integrate with your homeschool or classroom curriculum.

Our Whole Child Guide is our original 26-page guide and includes:

• An introduction to the month's theme, or “Big Idea”

• 20 invitations (one for each weekday of the month), 10 art and 10 play, that can be cut into cards and kept in a box as a resource to build upon

• A master supply list that leans heavily on recycled and natural materials and easy-to-find, inexpensive art supplies

• 4 daily weekly rituals for mindfulness, connection, and physical and emotional development to help frame the weeks

• A rich, teacher-approved picture book list with an emphasis on diversity, inclusion, earth stewardship, and kindness

• 8 creative snack ideas that complement the theme

• 4 ways to extend the big idea through project-based learning skills such as research, reflection, documentation, and connecting with others

• A list of life skills learned through the month’s creative invitations

• Curricular connections within the guide’s creative offerings in math, literacy, science and social studies

• An artist spotlight featuring living and working artists

• 2 more in-depth projects for weekends or longer term classroom projects

• A master one-page calendar of the month ahead that you can print and post on the art room wall for easy reference