Steam Engines Learning Co.

S.T.E.A.M. based art classes for 2.5 to 5-year-olds

Philadelphia, PA

When and where?
Why art? And why Tr. Erica?

Steam Engines Learning Company teaches enriching classes for toddlers up to five years old. These classes require guardian attendance and varying levels of participation. Lesson plans are designed to be fun and developmentally appropriate. These laid-back classes celebrate all the mess, noise, and silliness that comes with having little ones around. Expect the difficulty level to change with each project and each class. Some classes might need a grown-up’s suggestion or extra hands to work on their child’s project, while others might just need you to watch and encourage your child’s creativity!

Past Projects

See some examples of projects I’ve done with previous classes and learn the “why” behind them. Click the arrows on the far edges or swipe to scroll through the gallery.

  • Three rows of mountains on yellow construction paper. The top/ back row is light blue, the middle row is brighter blue, and the closest/ front row is the brightest shade of blue. The mountaintops have felt triangles to represent snow.
    This mountain craft was a great way to practice comparative language such as lighter, lightest, darker, darkest, farther and closer. This helps children learn to think like a scientist when they observe the world around them.
  • Torn pieces of brown paper make up a volcano shape. Red paint is dripped and splattered around the page to represent lava. Torn bits of cotton look like smoke billowing from the volcano.
  • A white sheet of construction paper is the background for this representation of what plants look like, both above and below the ground. A brown sheet of construction paper backs the bottom half of the project, which is made of up a bean in the center of the page and yarn to represent the roots. A green pipe cleaner extends from the bean toward the top of the page, to make up the stem. Leaves of the plant are made from cutouts of green construction paper
    This project helped up learn about the life cycle of plants. A bean drops from a plant and into the ground, grows roots, and sprouts a stem and leaves. Then, one day, that plant will grow up to drop a bean of its own!
  • A dragon whose body is made of cupcake liners in alternating colors. Feathers make the dragons wings, and a red feather comes out of it's mouth to represent fire. The dragon's face is made of a simple black outline on printer paper.
    Patterns are one of the first math concepts that children learn. With patterns, we made dragons! Then, we read a book called “Max’s Dragon,” by Kate Banks.
  • A sheet of orange construction paper makes the background for a caterpillar craft. The caterpillar's body is made of alternating blue and green circles, with a face drawn on and antennas made from pipe cleaners.
    This pattern craft was paired with our Bean Plant Craft, and the story “Caterpillar and Bean” by Martin Jenkins and Hannah Tolson.
  • Four tree trunks made of brown construction paper, with pieces of tissue paper to represent leaves and flowers. The first tree is made with green construction paper, the second with yellow, the third is left with only branches and no leaves or flowers, and the last tree trunk has pink tissue paper.
    We practiced sorting our tissue paper to make trees that represent each of the four seasons. Sorting/ categorizing are, at their core, skills that help children explore the world in a scientific way.
  • Basic dormant tree and house shape on a black background. Blue and white paint dripping throughout, which resemble icicles.
    We used gravity and scientist tools (eyedroppers) to make a winter icicle scene. Then, we read a story called “Little Owl’s Snow,” and our second project of the day was recreating all four seasons that Little Owl experienced in the story.
  • Craft of a simple vehicle made of basic shapes cut from construction paper. Rectangular body, triangular windows, and circles for wheels. Plus some clouds drawn into the background and green Easter grass on the foreground.
    Understanding the basic parts that come together to create an object is crucial in both art and engineering. For toddlers, that usually looks like making something out of simple shapes.
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