In ChildFriendly Pro's April 2026 ECE Learning Lab, child care operator Krystal Churcher showed three low-cost setups (a Water Works Lab, a Collage and Construct Studio and a Tape Rescue Mission) adapted for 12 to 18 months, 19 to 36 months and 3 to 4 years by changing the materials, the level of challenge and the educator's language rather than the activity.
What the session covered
The Learning Lab framework used in ChildFriendly Pro's free ECE workshops organizes classroom planning around three types of experience: Explore, where children investigate and test; Create, where children express, design and make choices; and Build, where children strengthen skills and solve problems. Host Krystal Churcher presented the framework as a way to simplify planning while increasing the quality of learning, replacing the question of which lesson to teach with which environment to create. Churcher explained why hands-on play matters across three areas: thinking and investigating, such as cause and effect and prediction at a water table; motor development, where squeezing glue or peeling tape builds the hand strength that connects to writing; and language and regulation, since engaged children talk more and focus longer. Each invitation is written for three developmental levels, and the materials are intended to be items most centers already have, so that play-based planning does not add cost or workload for educators.
How should educators set up a water play or collage invitation so children keep exploring?
Churcher said setup is where many educators either succeed or struggle: a setup that is too complicated overwhelms children, and one that is too controlled stops exploration. For the Water Works Lab, she advised preparing the space so the educator is comfortable with mess, because worry about mess leads to interrupting learning; starting with a few materials; modeling once; then stepping back and observing, since silence is acceptable. Materials progress from large cups, scoops, a floating toy and a small bin of water for 12 to 18 months, to added funnels and containers for 19 to 36 months, to measuring cups, tubing, varied test objects and food coloring for 3 to 4 year olds. For the Collage and Construct Studio, Churcher recommended covering the table, offering two to three collage materials, keeping glue or tape accessible, and modeling the process but not the outcome, because children copy a finished example and copying stops the thinking process. Materials move from large paper and contact paper to foam shapes and glue sticks, then optional scissors, cardboard shapes and yarn.
Why does the Tape Rescue Mission use vertical surfaces, and how is it adapted by age?
The Tape Rescue Mission asks children to free objects taped to a surface, which Churcher described as combining physical strength and problem solving. She stressed that vertical surfaces matter because they build shoulder strength, which is critical for writing, and suggested a table edge, wall or window within easy reach. Items are lightly taped with painter's tape, which she called one of the cheapest and most versatile classroom resources because children can grab the ends and it does not remove paint; tape length can be adjusted to change difficulty. For 12 to 18 months, large tape tabs and easy objects such as balls and small figures support pulling and cause and effect, with words like pull, more and you did it. For 19 to 36 months, tape at varied heights and lengths, small toys or pictures, a baking tin and optional tongs or tweezers build persistence and grip, with prompts such as what happens if you pull fast. For 3 to 4 year olds, rescue tools, trays and storytelling prompts like what is your plan target strategy and executive functioning.
What should educators observe and document during explore, create and build play?
Churcher said setting up activities is not enough: educators should observe and document what they see, because documentation connects play to learning and professionalizes the educator's role. The observation focus she gave covers persistence, two-handed coordination, problem-solving strategies, language expansion, regulation and sustained engagement, and planning and sequencing. She offered a sample observation from the water activity: a child carefully poured water between containers, adjusted his hands when it spilled, and demonstrated problem solving and refined coordination. Churcher recommended preparing key phrases in advance so that end-of-day parent communication and shared photos explain the skills children built through play. In the question period, an educator asked how to support a child who is chronologically 19 to 36 months but working at the 12 to 18 month level on grip strength and bilateral coordination. Churcher suggested using the 12 to 18 month version of an activity, simplifying it by one step, and offering different forms of the same setup so a mixed group can engage at different levels.
Explore, Create, Build setup and observation guide from the session
| Time | Key point | What centers should do |
|---|---|---|
| 02:18 | Churcher: the framework shifts planning from which lesson to teach to which environment to create, across Explore, Create and Build. | Plan one strong experience that supports several skills instead of five separate activities. |
| 03:36 | Churcher: hands-on play builds thinking and investigating, motor strength linked to writing, and language and regulation. | Include squeezing, peeling and pouring tasks in weekly planning. |
| 05:25 | Churcher: a 12-month-old and a 4-year-old cannot engage the same way. | Keep the activity and change the materials, the level of challenge and the language. |
| 06:36 | Churcher: setups that are too complicated overwhelm children; setups that are too controlled stop exploration. | Start with a few materials, model once, then step back and observe. |
| 08:05 | Churcher: for 12 to 18 months, repetition is learning; label actions rather than asking questions. | Use large cups and scoops and words such as pour, full and empty. |
| 10:38 | Churcher: 3 to 4 year olds can predict, explain and reflect. | Add measuring cups, tubing and test objects, and ask what do you think will happen and why. |
| 12:42 | Churcher: showing a finished example leads children to copy, which stops the thinking process. | Model the process, not the outcome, and offer two to three collage materials. |
| 17:51 | Churcher: vertical surfaces build shoulder strength, which is critical for writing. | Tape items to a wall, window or table edge with painter's tape and vary tape length for difficulty. |
| 24:45 | Churcher: observe coordination, persistence, language, problem solving, regulation and sequencing. | Write observations naming the skill, such as problem solving and refined coordination while pouring. |
| 31:38 | Churcher: a child may be older chronologically but working at a younger developmental level. | Use the younger age version of the activity and simplify it by one step. |
How ChildFriendly Pro automates this
The session recommended preparing skill-based observation phrases in advance and writing them up for families at the end of the day. ChildFriendly Pro's classroom and learning tools hold framework-linked observations, portfolios and lesson plans, and its AI features draft learning stories from those observations; no software demo was shown in this session.
Next steps
- Register for the next free ECE Learning Lab workshop with certificate
- Classroom and learning tools for observations, portfolios and lesson plans
- Free Educator Prompt Cards for Explore, Create and Build play
- Book a demo of ChildFriendly Pro for child care centers
