Explore n' Play

Explore n' Play Rachel Pope is an Early Childhood Educator, Artist and Author. This page promotes creative exploration & art.

Fun Easter fine motor weaving.
04/04/2026

Fun Easter fine motor weaving.



03/01/2026

Playful art for toddlers, preschool, and school age offers rich sensory experiences, creating opportunities where children can focus on the exploration of the materials over creating a finished product.

The children make connections with the materials as they develop their fine motor skills, along with increasing their own self-confidence.

For example, a simple activity of exploring the properties of paper can strengthen hands and fingers as they pull, srunch, and rip the paper, along with sensory feedback through sounds and tactile experiences.This activity can be expanded by varying the types of paper provided or discovering what happens when water or white glue is offered with the paper.

Suspending paper from the ceiling, creating opportunities for balance, whole body movement and strengthening.

Want to explore playful art more?
This book explores, real activities and experiences from a early years classroom, with observations and reflections.

Created and written by an Early Childhood Educator and Artist.🎨

AVAILABLE on Amazon - Playful Art

Creating with boxes, this started as boxes piled up to make a tree. The children were knocking the tree over over and ov...
01/03/2026

Creating with boxes, this started as boxes piled up to make a tree. The children were knocking the tree over over and over and then rebuilding.
But after playing outside in the snow their idea changed and it became our indoor snowman.
Then of house he needed a hat, many were tried, including yellow construction ones, a red beret, finally the choice was made.




Frozen paint exploration. Sensory mark making invitation for children who prefer to not get their hands covered in pain...
12/06/2025

Frozen paint exploration.
Sensory mark making invitation for children who prefer to not get their hands covered in paint. Allowing them to observe the ice melting, and experience the coldness, as they create marks by maneuvering the frozen paint balls around under the plastic.




"Playful Art"
11/30/2025

"Playful Art"

Exploring muddy puddles after the rain, leading to muddy foot prints, muddy animals, washing toy animals dipped in mud, ...
11/19/2025

Exploring muddy puddles after the rain, leading to muddy foot prints, muddy animals, washing toy animals dipped in mud, and ultimately painting a pig playing in mud!

Need a perfect gift 🌲🎁 for an educator or teacher? Want something to inspire exploration of materials, and mediums, crit...
11/16/2025

Need a perfect gift 🌲🎁 for an educator or teacher?
Want something to inspire exploration of materials, and mediums, critical thinking, problem solving, and more through art? 🎨
Not sure where to start?🤷‍♀️
This book📖 "Playful Art" contains beautiful examples and colour photos of children's own work using inquiry and play, and process art.
Written by an educator for educators, and teachers from their own experience.

11/16/2025

Exploring colour and being inspired by Kandinsky "concentric Circles"
An introdution to colour therory, and shapes.



Autumn/pumpkin creative provocation. Painting pumpkins, leaves, bark and sticks.😁🪾🍂
10/26/2025

Autumn/pumpkin creative provocation.
Painting pumpkins, leaves, bark and sticks.😁🪾🍂



First fall inspired painting this year.Tempra paint invitation with pine cones and dried fall leaves, an a simple pink t...
09/27/2025

First fall inspired painting this year.
Tempra paint invitation with pine cones and dried fall leaves, an a simple pink tree image painted on paper.


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Halifax, NS

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