Environments and Materials

We’ve curated a collection of resources from our Teaching Preschools, Opal School and other curious minds for you to explore. Use these images, stories, tools, videos and articles as a spark — we hope you’ll find inspiration. This collection is intended to invite you to think alongside us about what happens when materials are used for tools for thinking within classroom environments.

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Starting with Loose Parts

Starting with Loose Parts

Loose Parts: Images for Inspiration

Loose Parts: Images for Inspiration

What Can This Material Do?

What Can This Material Do?

FROM THE OPAL ARCHIVE: This tool comes from the Inspiring Inventiveness collection of Principles, Practices, and Tools developed by Opal School teacher…Read More.
Clay: Images for Inspiration

Clay: Images for Inspiration

Environments to Support Playful Inquiry

Environments to Support Playful Inquiry

FROM THE OPAL ARCHIVE: This video includes a variety of images from Opal School classroom environments.Read More.
First Experience with Tempera Paint

First Experience with Tempera Paint

First Experience with Tempera Paint (excerpt from The Field Guide, Chp. 3) written by Melinda Hayward, former Prescott Teaching Preschool…Read More.
Suggested Classroom Materials List

Suggested Classroom Materials List

We often go into schools and conduct workshops where people ask us where we get all of the interesting art…Read More.