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 engaging, evidence-backed S.T.E.A.M.-based art classes, so you can feel confident in your little one’s future. These classes require guardian attendance and participation which helps strengthen the bonds between children and their grown-ups. 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 on the arrows on either end or swipe to see more images.

  • 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 taught us 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!
  • 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.
  • 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.

“We have been following Ms. Erica to different locations because she provides a unique and very valuable art & science based lesson and the young children love it- great method to get parents & their kids working together in a fun & supportive environment. Teacher Erica comes well prepared so that the lessons flow nicely. Highly recommended by Cormac & Gigi”

June 16, 2025