"Grow" Creative Curriculum Guide

Our theme this month is GROW and we encourage you to take some time to reflect on your family or classroom community’s growth during this year. Your child will notice growth, too, in the changes happening in their natural environment. Ask your child, what tiny sprouts are growing in the yard or on the block? What signs of Spring can you see, smell, hear, taste or touch? There is a strong focus this month on discovery and scientific inquiry. From digging up wriggling worms to watching your handmade paper sprout (yes, you read that correctly), from squishing snail slime to stuffing your own caterpillar softie, your child will be observing, describing, making predictions, categorizing, sorting, identifying and so much more. We also celebrate Earth Day and the marvels and resilience of nature and all its living things.

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