Summer break is just around the corner. This is a perfect time for road trips, camp, and family expeditions.  June 1 we will be launching our Explorer Journal! These are designed as an open ended opportunity for your kids to power down, get outside and explore nature! Sixty blank pages are just waiting to be filled with experiments, observations, ideas and doodles:)

Written by contributing blogger, Christine Martin.I came across this room when meandering through European kids' design website, Haciendo el Indio. Full of very cute wall art and illustrations, their decals liven up spaces beautifully. Don't you agree?

Written by contributing blogger, Christine Martin.If you haven't had the experience of hearing one of Ken Robinson's talks, you're in for a treat. In this recent TED talk, he eloquently deconstructs the American education system while offering light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, and he's super funny, too. My favorite part is this (I'm paraphrasing): Education is not a mechanical sysyem; it's a human system and there are conditions in which people thrive. This has to do with the culture of the school and culture is organic. With organic systems, if conditions are right, life is inevitable. You take an area, a school, a district, you change the conditions: give people a different sense of possibility, a broader...

Written by contributing blogger, Christine Martin. There are some years where a Mother's Day gift finds me. Effortless and crystal clear, I just know what to get my mom to show her I love her. Other years, it's not so evident. A scarf? No, got her one two years ago. Flowers? How cliche. Gift certificates have been a recent favorite since I've been away from home a number of years now. But, these are not so personal. I am not a mom myself, but I imagine that there are billions of drawers out there filled with home-made or store bought Mom's Day cards. If I were a mom, I'd have one too. I'd keep everything my kid gave me; every...

Written by contributing blogger, Christine Martin.Spring is an invigorating season where colors, smells and activity breathe in new life. A simple way to celebrate this time is to take a closer look at butterflies. For children, the life cycle process brings awareness around transformation, growth, and beauty. A life science lesson, math lesson in symmetry, or an art project around color and contrast, this theme is full of educational moments.Oh, and then there's just the fun of looking at them on your wall.