Clover Exploration

06/11/2026

SCARED OF BUGS?!?!!

Not our budding Entomologists!!

Today we got to take our Entomology Lab to Benson Village Schools K-2 classes, and had the BEST TIME!

🔎Invented a New Insect 💭
With a sprawl of craft materials to night their creativity, the students were encouraged to create a brand new insect! Keep in mind, insects have 6 legs! (Arachnids like scorpions and spiders have eight!) 

✨ Imagination Station: Entomology Lab 🐛 🥼
With an invitation of many sized containers to catch and keep bugs in, tweezers and tools to capture bugs, and magnifying glasses and a microscope to really observe them closely; students were SO BRAVE and they all were so interactive! I saw kids go from nervous and cautious to lighting up with joy as they were able to confidently catch and release bugs on their own! (This makes my Miss Jessie heart sooooo happy 🥹)

🏠 Giant Magnetic Tiles 🧱
And of course, our giant magnetic tiles were such a hit as these kids worked together to build and design structures! What a magnificent thing to be able to walk through a fort YOU build!

Clover Exploration can bring programs like these to YOUR school, camp, or organization! Our Imagination Stations generally feature 3 stations for kids to cycle between to keep the programming immersive, engaging, enriching, and filled with hands on learning through PLAY!

Contact us: [email protected]

06/07/2026

🦄 Unicorn Birthday! 💖

06/07/2026

We have a tie-dye themed birthday party today, and for a while I was stuck on WHAT dramatic play set up to create 🤔

Introducing our ‘Color Research Lab!’
With many more improvements to come through time, it currently offers our color scientists space to:

💡 Explore color, shapes, & design on the light table.
🖐️Strengthening those fine motor skills through pouring, sorting, scooping, and transferring specimens - (a HUGE foundational skill for children under 10 that supports everything from writing and cutting to self-care tasks and independence!!)
🧪 Manufacture some potion recipes & concoctions of their own
📖 Read & follow recipe cards to create potions.
🔺Understanding patterns through potion recipes & themes.
✨Exploring aesthetics, patterns, and visual design.
🗣️Learning to express their ideas through imaginative play & communication.
🤝 Collaborating with other scientists to negotiate roles and ideas.

I’m always thrilled to have new theme ideas to work with, and this one will be sooo fun for both wet and dry materials! I can’t wait to turn this into one of our “Imagination Stations” for our mobile learning programs!!

06/06/2026

Clover Exploration got to go to Benson Village School last week to have some engineering & structural design fun!

🍃 We went on a walk and noticed the incredible designs found in nature from waxy waterproof leaves, all the way to strong and flexible branches! Engineers, use ideas found in nature all the time for their structural and design work in architecture!

🧱 There were TWO Lego story stations where the students had to follow the challenges step-by-step and evolve their builds as the story progressed!

🏠 They worked in groups to build homes and structures using our GIANT magnetic tiles! This required so much communication, collaboration, and ongoing problem-solving to enhance and structurally support their builds! It’s always my favorite watching the groups work 🥰

I love going into schools and adding some hands on exploration & play to the concepts they’re already learning! Thank you for letting Clover be part of the learning, BVS!

06/06/2026

Clover Exploration doing what we do best - facilitating hands-on, messy play that’s fun, engaging, and enriching for all ages! 🌋

Today, our young scientists explored baking soda and vinegar volcanoes while building fine motor skills, problem-solving abilities, and an understanding of the scientific method.

Some questions naturally investigated through this child-led activity:

🔍 What happens when you mix with a spoon versus sq**rt from a bottle?
🔍 What changes when you sq**rt slowly versus quickly?
🔍 What if you add the vinegar first and then the baking soda- or vice versa?
🔍 Can you create another reaction by adding fresh vinegar to used baking soda?
🔍 Does the amount of baking soda affect the eruption?
🔍 What happens if you change the size of the container?
🔍 Which combination creates the biggest reaction?
🔍 How can we make a prediction and then test if we’re right?
🔍 What clues tell us a chemical reaction is happening?

Thank you to everyone who came to explore through play today! Rain & shine 🌧️ ☀️

06/06/2026

Have a child who LOVES DINOS? 🦕

Join Clover Exploration and a bunch of other wonderful people & organizations for Rutland Free Library Kids Summer Reading Program event today 11am-1pm!

Under our Clover tent we’re:

🌋 Exploring simple chemical reactions with baking soda & vinegar volcanos!

🦖 Developing our fine motor skills to free the Dino’s!!

06/02/2026

It’s fresh greens season! If you’re visiting us at Clover throughout the summer, feel free to bring some fresh greens for us to wash and give to our bunnies! 😍

05/30/2026

Oh my goodness, look at these adorable & happy kids! 🥰 I had so much fun! Thanks for letting Clover be part of the play 🌼 🪏
And thank you for taking such good care of my own babies!

05/30/2026

05/29/2026

This week at RIS Tapestry, we’ve been foraging for dandelions and making dandelion tea!

Last week, we explored survival basics and talked about what we’d need to pack in a real survival situation. I shocked everyone when I explained that preserved proteins and carbohydrates would be more important to bring than fruits and vegetables.

Why?

Because many of the nutrients we get from fruits and vegetables can actually be foraged from the natural world around us; with the proper knowledge, guidance, and safety precautions, of course!

As we tasted our dandelion tea, some of us noticed that it didn’t taste amazing…which led to a really interesting discussion. Our bodies are so accustomed to processed sugars and intensely sweet foods that it can be difficult to recognize and appreciate the subtle natural sweetness found in flowers and plants.

It’s been a wonderful hands-on way to connect survival skills, nature education, and conversations about the foods we eat every day.