Creating in Clay It started with a box of air-dry clay. The kids loved it. They made all manner of things--from doughnuts to turtles, to colorfully-painted beads. They had such a good time working with the clay that we knew we had to go deeper. Fortunately, right across the street from PIC is the...

Discovery on the Nature Playground Breaking news! A group of Dragontails made an amazing scientific discovery in the mud kitchen this week. Amongst the amateur archeologists, two members of the PIC newspaper club combined their writing talents to record their findings. Read all about it in the...

Along with families and staff, many, many alumni families and former PIC staff came out to congratulate Charlotte Barnes on her retirement. The Stucco building was filled with love as we celebrated her 30 years of dedication to PIC children and families. Charlotte sat as the guest of honor among all...

Varied and Unusual Clubs A recent series of clubs gave the Startlights some interesting hands-on opportunities for learning. During a club devoted to Egypt, we looked at timelines of interesting events and studied maps. We brainstormed a list of words pertaining to Egypt and talked about their...

For the fifth year in a row, the Mott Campus Clowns have come to PIC to put on a show. This year, they entertained the children in our After School Center with sing-along songs, classic clown skits and comedy magic-- all with an anti-bully message. But, these are no ordinary clowns! These clowns...

Staff Specialists Build Bridges One of the ways the PIC's After School Center (ASC) attracts high-quality, highly-motivated, talented teachers is by sharing a precious handful of them with the Early Learning program. This January, ASC welcomes Rachel Kolber, a veteran early-learning teacher formerly...

On a recent afternoon, when the after schoolers arrived, they immediately noticed that there was something new in the Stucco Building. Next to the computers sat a large cube shaped piece of equipment that none of the children recognized. Conversations started flowing about what it could possibly be...

After School Engineers Engineering projects of all kinds are a popular pastime in the After School Center. From bridge-building with Legos and K-nex to constructing large sculptures and edifices with cardboard and reused (nontoxic) construction items, from tunnel digging with sticks and bricks to...

Bugs, Slugs, and a thirst for knowledge Since starting in the summer, the Dragontails have cultivated a healthy interest in science. To be more specific, they have been extremely curious about biology, and the many amazing living things that surround us. With the fascinating new tool of a microscope...

After School Families, Last week we held two focus groups to receive feedback about our After School Center and Summer Camp programs. We know that it is often difficult for families to attend events such as these and we want to give families an opportunity to respond via email. In giving any...