Transforming Early Learning
Bringing children back to the center, and reshaping the field through play.
Welcome to
You have now entered a place for childhood
Here, it’s real, messy, curious, and full of wonder. At the Play Lab, we honor the innate genius every child carries and make space — intentionally and unapologetically — for their full humanity. This work exists because of people like you; click below to donate and help children’s joy and creativity flourish.
September at the Play Lab
In fall, nature does the teaching
This season turns nature into a science lab — our young explorers are testing, sorting, and transforming acorns, pinecones, and more as they investigate the wonders of fall
September's Focus:
Identity
who am I?
Week 1
We explored facial features, body appreciation, and recognition, celebrating what makes each child unique.
how do I see myself?
Week 2
Children reflected on feelings, strengths, and personal interests.
what am i interested in?
Week 3
Next week, We’ll be looking at roles, relationships, and the individual genius (spark) that makes every crew member invaluable.
how do I fit in to the community?
Week 4
Next week, We’ll be looking at roles, relationships, and the individual genius (spark) that makes every crew member invaluable.
Becoming Together
Around the tables, paint, laughter, and imagination spilled over in every direction. With Ms. Danie beside them, the crew explored color, texture, and togetherness. In the act of creating, we found connection—between ideas, between hands, between hearts.
picture of the month
Our little Ranger beams with joy as she becomes a newly minted library card holder during Play Lab's curriculum night
October's focus
Magic, Memory, & Me
Big Body Magic
Week 1
We’re prioritizing big body play—jumping, climbing, spinning, and moving with power and purpose. Through movement, children are exploring their strength, confidence, and connection to each other.
Nature in Motion
Week 2
Using flowers, leaves, pinecones, and other natural treasures, we’re discovering how materials shift, change, and come alive in new forms. It’s all about seeing possibility and beauty in transformation.
Illuminated Play
Week 3
This week, we explored the glow and color that light brings into our world. From battery-operated candles to fairy lights and Halloween strands, the Play Lab was filled with warmth and shimmer. On our light board, we experimented with new translucent materials—generously gifted to us—and watched as colors danced, blended, and transformed before our eyes. Each flicker invited curiosity, collaboration, and quiet moments of awe.
Play Lab pot luck
Week 4
Last week, many of our friends (myself included) were down with the ick. We’ll use this extra week in the month to slow down, catch up, and tend to all the little things that got set aside in the shuffle.
We've got spirit, how 'bout you?
Week 5
We’ll wrap up the month with Spirit Week—I can’t wait to see the magic unfold and swap this Trunk or Treat placeholder for a brand-new memory!
PIcture of the month
Stay tuned!
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A Look Inside the Lab
Making identity visible
At the Play Lab, we select books that help children see themselves reflected in the world. When children recognize their own identities in the stories they read, they feel seen, heard, valued, and celebrated — a vital first step in honoring their full humanity.
We need humanizing pedagogies that center the genius, justice, love, and humanity in our children.
Ghouldy Muhammad
what our Liberated learners our up to
Big Adventures in small hands
Big Adventures in small hands
Big Adventures in small hands
One of our older explorers rides a balance bike down a hill of mulch, wind in their hair and focus in every muscle. Risks, challenges, and discovery happen naturally here — led by curiosity, not schedules. Every hill climbed, every stick lifted, every turn taken is a chance for the children to learn on their own terms.
Messy, joyful learning
Big Adventures in small hands
Big Adventures in small hands
Candid shots from a summer color party. There’s no script required — just bodies moving freely, ideas taking shape in real time, and joy that refuses to be contained. The mess is proof that the learning is theirs, not ours to control.
belonging in action
Big Adventures in small hands
belonging in action
A younger explorer kneels in a lawn of tiny blue crocuses, fingers brushing petals as curiosity leads the way. Here, belonging isn’t taught — it’s lived. Every child is seen, valued, and free to engage with the world at their own pace, knowing they are an essential part of our community.
Our Motto:
If it's a risk, we're gonna take it!
If it's an outdated rule that doesn't serve us...well, we're gonna break it!
If it's a relationship, we're gonna make it!
We run, climb, jump, roll, splash, and challenge ourselves — always with care and intention. Risk looks different at every stage: toddlers test their balance and reach, preschoolers tackle taller climbs and bigger jumps, and older children push their thinking, coordination, and problem-solving in more complex ways.
At the Play Lab, childre
We run, climb, jump, roll, splash, and challenge ourselves — always with care and intention. Risk looks different at every stage: toddlers test their balance and reach, preschoolers tackle taller climbs and bigger jumps, and older children push their thinking, coordination, and problem-solving in more complex ways.
At the Play Lab, children gain the education that can’t be taught from a book: the lessons that come from experience, trial, and discovery. Through these risks, they learn not just what their bodies can do, but who they are, how they move in the world, and how to navigate challenges with confidence and curiosity.
If it's a relationship, we're gonna make it!
If it's an outdated rule that doesn't serve us...well, we're gonna break it!
If it's a relationship, we're gonna make it!
Becoming for children means showing up in ways that help them grow into capable, curious, and connected humans. It’s about building relationships, stretching frustration tolerance, learning to negotiate, and practicing how to be in relationship with others.
Much of early childhood culture focuses on “stranger danger,” which may come from a
Becoming for children means showing up in ways that help them grow into capable, curious, and connected humans. It’s about building relationships, stretching frustration tolerance, learning to negotiate, and practicing how to be in relationship with others.
Much of early childhood culture focuses on “stranger danger,” which may come from a place of safety — but often it reflects adult fears more than children’s needs. At the Play Lab, children meet the helpers in our Village, develop familiarity and trust, and discover that most people in the world are here to assist rather than harm. Through these experiences, they learn not just who to trust, but how to show up in relationships themselves — confident, thoughtful, and connected.
If it's an outdated rule that doesn't serve us...well, we're gonna break it!
If it's an outdated rule that doesn't serve us...well, we're gonna break it!
If it's an outdated rule that doesn't serve us...well, we're gonna break it!
Being child-affirming means creating spaces where every child — differently abled, neurodivergent, brilliant, or from queer families — is seen, valued, and celebrated for exactly who they are. It means questioning rules and routines that limit curiosity, expression, or agency, and replacing them with practices that honor individuality and
Being child-affirming means creating spaces where every child — differently abled, neurodivergent, brilliant, or from queer families — is seen, valued, and celebrated for exactly who they are. It means questioning rules and routines that limit curiosity, expression, or agency, and replacing them with practices that honor individuality and choice.
In these spaces, children learn to trust themselves, explore their strengths, and experiment with new ways of being. Their learning is guided by their interests, ideas, and identities, not by rigid expectations. Here, rules exist to support growth, not to confine it, and every child experiences the freedom to show up fully, authentically, and brilliantly.
