Paper Moon Playschool

Making clay vessels. The power of play and the power of clay 💥
Clay offers a rich, tactile experience that invites pressing, rolling, squeezing, and shaping. These actions send valuable sensory information to the brain and encourage deep engagement. Clay play feels grounding and absorbing.

The benefits of clay play are extensive:

- 🧘 Emotional Regulation: Working with clay helps children settle their bodies and regulate stress through repetitive hand movements.
- 🧠 Mindfulness: As children manipulate clay, they naturally focus on the present moment, supporting emotional balance and calm.
- 🌿 A Space to Recharge: Clay provides a quiet, focused environment for children to reset.
- 💡 Cognitive Growth: Clay invites children to test ideas, solve small problems, and make decisions through touch.
- ✨ Confidence & Curiosity: When children explore freely, they build confidence in their thinking without pressure.

Because clay responds immediately to their actions, it reinforces cause-and-effect understanding while supporting natural curiosity and persistence.

Spring invites us to play in her beauty, sun, rain, and invigorating energy.

Weekend 💪🏼🪚🪛💧💦⛲️

Pressed Flowers 🌸 from our garden and our nature walk. Preparing for our cyanotype print silk scarves.

Playing with bleeding tissue paper



@ Portland, Oregon

Rainbow Sculptures



@ Portland, Oregon

Rock Sculpture

Over the years I always return to this project making rock sculptures. it’s a two part process using three dimensional objects to paint and then adding the fine motor skills component of beading. The focus the kiddos bring to their beading is something to behold. The finished pieces are so whimsical and fun.

Air dry clay sculptures. Using dehydrated flowers from our mud kitchen earlier in the week we formed them into sculptures with a little air dry clay. I love watching the kiddos selecting what they will use and how they put their pieces together.

Rooster Rock State Park