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11359 W Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA, 90066

Branches Atelier is committed to creating high-quality, creative, dynamic, educational programs for children, families and educators. We are a social constructivist program, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education.

Based on our fundamental belief that children learn best when their work is meaningful and in a social context, we integrate all areas of curriculum though short-term explorations and long-term project . Children are viewed as protagonists in their learning and are encouraged to work in collaboration with their peers to co-construct new theories and ideas.

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The Atelier

-~- THE ATELIER -~-

The atelier is the heart of the school

A place abundant with materials and media

Tools for the mind and imagination

Clay to mold, shape and pound

Wire to bend, connect and twist

Blocks to design, build and balance

Light, shadow, transparency

Layer upon layer

Of poetry, song and story

And paint in all colors, hues and shades

A world revealed in the sweep of paintbrush

The atelier is the heart of the school

A place rich with textures

Of paper, wood and fabric

Fiber, clay and metal

Pastel, chalk and paint

Of feathers, seeds and bark

Stone, petals, and shells

Of sticks, leaves and driftwood

Each with a story to tell

A place to represent our world in many different ways

Through line and stroke

Number and balance

Rhythm and story

Color and Poetry

Shadow and dance

The atelier is the heart of the school

A studio to explore ideas and theories

To communicate and collaborate

To relate, connect and co-construct

A place for creativity, imagination and exploration

Of joy and laughter

Of provocations and challenges

Of tenacity and problem solving

A place of rich discussions and thoughtful reflections

A place to create relationships with

Materials

Ideas

Each other

A place to branch up and out into the world

The atelier is the heart of the school

A gallery for inspiration and innovation

From artists and scientists

Architects and poets

Naturalists and writers

We learn to look over the fence into our future

We celebrate and dance color and shape with Matisse

See the world fresh through the eyes of Georgia O’Keefe

Discovering the complexity in the simplest of things

like Andy Goldsworthy

Shape words and play with rhythm along side

Maya Angelou and Pablo Neruda and Mary Oliver

We reconnect with nature with Richard Louv

And see beauty and wonder in the world fresh and new with Rachael Carson

A place we see beyond ourselves

A place we can inspire others

The atelier is the heart of the school

A place for one

A place for two

A place for all

— Patricia Hunter-McGrath