The Ankeny Rose Early Learning Center

04/21/2026

V is for Vincent Van Gogh! Sunflower still life paintings.
🌻🎨🖼️

01/08/2026

Our art concept for the letter Jj was juxtaposition. We defined juxtaposition as taking two opposing themes and putting them together to make an interesting piece of art. We illustrated this by taking photographs of the children and putting them in unusual settings. And of course, we had to add cats.!

12/06/2025

Dino week! Explore our prehistoric sensory table, create fossil imprints with dinosaur skeletons and playdough, conduct a baking soda and vinegar volcano experiment (which worked best—white vinegar or apple cider vinegar?), and engage in a geological dig sensory bin.

11/20/2025

The Ankeny Rose is celebrating autumn abundance with a harvest-themed sensory table. We are also offering a multi-sensory play dough station, complete with coarse salt for added texture and brewed coffee to achieve a rich brown color.

11/02/2025

Friday's Halloween party was a fun-filled and fantastic celebration! In addition to the activities captured in the photos, a family costume parade was held, generating smiles, waves, and honks from enthusiastic community members.

10/23/2025

10/14/2025

In recognition of Indigenous Peoples Day, our class explored the traditions and daily practices of the Pacific Northwest Indigenous Tribes. We discovered the significance of salmon and created Haida-inspired salmon artwork using paint dobbers. The students were captivated by a stunning painting of a traditional longhouse crafted by a Pacific Northwest Indigenous artist.

10/10/2025

Here is our frightfully fun October sensory table!

10/10/2025

This week we have been learning about diurnal and nocturnal animals. Today during science class, we dissected owl pellets, the regurgitated prey of one of our favorite nocturnal animals! 🦉🦴🐀

10/10/2025

The Ankeny Rose welcomes the autumn months with an immersive learning experience. We explored the phenomenon of leaves losing their green color due to reduced sunlight, resulting in the emergence of fall's characteristic colors. Our activities included a leaf hunt and water painting activity, enabling students to express their creativity through autumn-inspired art. The kids enjoyed creating Play-Doh leaves and practicing drawing leaf shapes on specially designed laminated tree printouts.

09/18/2025

Letter Bb is dedicated to Jean-Michel Basquiat! We explored his life and the origins of his art, which began as an unknown graffiti artist in New York City. Basquiat is renowned for his layered collages, utilizing diverse art mediums to create powerful pieces. The kids created their own Basquiat inspired art pieces, using paper cutouts, oil pastels, crayons, and colored pencils. Each week, we discover a new artist, art concept, or color study that coincides with the letter or color of the week.