At The Exploratory, we believe that a child’s curiosity and inquiry is at the hub of the learning wheel. From that center,   STEAM subjects( Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math ) are artfully woven with Making and Tinkering opportunities as provocations to the child’s development of innovation and creative thinking skills.

Develop Passion for Making and Tinkering: We believe that Making and Tinkering are key to sustaining the curiosity and inquisitive nature of young children. Rather than have the natural curious mind sucked out of children in their elementary years only to be re-introduced in middle and high school and then again as executives in a corporation, that becoming Making and Tinkering as a way of life will empower them in a fast changing, global economy.

Bring Making and Tinkering to ALL Children: Our non-profit arm brings our MakeMobile to low income neighborhoods and schools, local community churches and fairs to make STEAM projects accessible to children,  parents and educators. We are passionate about creating makershops in as many schools as we can to enable educators to integrate Making and Tinkering into their curriculum. We publish documentation and case studies that show examples of the possibilities to encourage educators.

Our Explorakits will provide parents and schools with introductory opportunities to engage with children at home or in clubs.

The Exploratory Center will be a research lab that works to create programs that can be licensed to schools, pre-K programs, camps and other organizations that work with children.

Sustain Joy of Exploration and Discovery: We see children as competent, strong, resilient and curious.  The Exploratory Makeshops provide opportunities to develop habits of slowing down, looking deeply with intention, wondering, making mistakes and learning from them,  they learn the joy and power that comes from constructing their own learning.

Provide Opportunities to Practice GRIT : Research has shown that GRIT is a more reliable predictor of success than IQ alone. The Exploratory provides learners with the chance to explore open questions with flexibility, to practice taking risks, celebrate mistakes, and develop Deliberate Practice.

Celebrate Uniqueness: By making children’s inquiries as the hub of all Makeshops, we encourage children  to find a language in materials and projects that empower them to bring forth their individual uniqueness while successfully interacting with other people. Not every child is creative through drawing. Some children need blocks and building. For others, its cardboard, wood, metal, power tools. Others find themselves when they reverse engineer something by taking things apart.

Strengthen Social Emotional Connections: Provide opportunities in every Makeshop that reveal the value of relationships, collaboration, peer to peer teaching, perspective taking, communication, empathy and cooperation.

Research Based Facilitation : The adults in our workshops are facilitators and researchers. They work side by side with the children encouraging them, scaffolding as necessary, listening to what really keep them passionate about learning, celebrating failures and joining them on the path of discovery. Research into the latest neuroscience findings on how children learn and educator studies is fundamental to our philosophy. We also bring in experts and show children what Passionate Work looks like – How it makes a difference.

Create A Community of Advocates:   To create a virtual and physical space where educators, parents and experts in many fields can share information on how children can be empowered through Making, creative play, Tinkering, project and inquiry based learning. To help teachers supplement curriculum with Making and Tinkering opportunities to enhance learning. To provide parents with Makeshop opportunities because research shows that parents that Make and Tinker raise children than Make and Tinker