International Mud Day is celebrated by thousands of children in dozens of countries worldwide to highlight the importance of nature play. On Monday, we connected with the rich earth in this most squishy, tactile way. These pictures say it all...

Mud Day is one of my favorite days of the year! It brings together two elements of early learning that PIC is committed to provide —play-based learning and meaningful experiences with nature. PIC's Magic Circle nature playground offers (especially on Mud Day) unstructured, nature play with endless...

We are excited to announce that PIC will partner with Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse to open an Urban Nature Preschool at Smith! You may know Smith Playground as a beloved and historic (over 100 years old!) Philadelphia institution, and as a wonderful place for young children to play at no...

The Benefits of Outdoor Play I’m certain that most will agree that it has been a LONG winter. While I look forward to spring for so many reasons, one of the biggest is how much I love seeing the children have opportunities for long periods of daily outdoor play. Be it digging in the sand and dirt...

written by Lead Teacher Nicole Williams Mushy, gritty, oozing mud! Mud Day 2017 was everything I knew it would be and more! This year, I was prepared. I made sure to wear water shoes, a short sleeve shirt, and pants that I could roll up to my knees. I was ready to get down and dirty. As we entered...

April Showers When we think of the month of April, we tend to think of rain showers and having indoor fun. However, the rain is no reason to stay inside! Rainy weather offers lots of new experiences for young children and endless possibilities of play. Certainly, to get the maximum enjoyment of...

written by Kharma Hicks, Infant and Toddler Program Coordinator As educators who teach and care for infants and toddlers, we are passionate about bringing nature into the classroom and ensuring that the youngest child is in touch with nature. To extend upon what we do in the classroom, we take daily...

One of the advantages of being open after the first big snow of this winter season was seeing the children outside making snow angels, building snow people, igloos, and animal creatures, climbing mountains of snow, and of course sledding! We are so lucky to have large spaces for children to play all...

On Thursday, October 9, PIC recognized and thanked the many supporters who helped us create the Magic Circle Nature Playground. In honor of these important families, alumni and friends of PIC, three metal butterfly sculptures have been mounted upon wooden posts and are "flying" over the children as...

PIC is thrilled to announce that the recently completed Magic Circle Nature Playground has earned national certification as a Nature Explore classroom from the Dimensions Educational Research Foundation and the Arbor Day Foundation. With this recognition PIC joins a network of organizations that...