The Beautiful Stuff Project was at the Trust Center for Early Learning in Brookline, MA, leading a professional development session on using our Treasure Boxes.
Treasure Boxes are collections of loose parts—small, everyday materials like buttons, fabric, shells, and shiny odds and ends—that invite children to imagine, invent, and tell stories in a hundred different ways.
With the incredible educators at the Trust Center, we explored how loose parts can:
🔹 Spark creativity and storytelling
🔹 Support children’s natural play schemas—like lining up, wrapping, or stacking
🔹 Provide an inclusive and culturally responsive way for children to express themselves
What stood out most was how quickly teachers connected their own sense of wonder with the possibilities these materials hold for their students.
💡 When we give children materials that don’t come with instructions, we open the door to exploration, agency, and deep learning.
We’re grateful to the Trust Center for welcoming us into their community of educators, and we can’t wait to see how Treasure Boxes take root in their classrooms!
👉 Contact us if you’d like to bring this work to your learning spaces and experience the magic of play, creative reuse, and loose parts.
