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Megan Graham

@aroundthebirchtree

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Toronto mom | Child & Youth Care student | Play advocate | Growing wonder, belonging, and childhood magic through play

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Community care can begin in childhood, through the experiences children share with one another.

Risky play offers children opportunities to notice when someone needs support, make space for different comfort levels, share knowledge, and consider how their choices affect others.

As children navigate challenges together, they practise looking out for one another while respecting that everyone brings different strengths, abilities, and ideas to an experience.

These moments help children develop a sense of shared responsibility: the understanding that we can take care of ourselves while also contributing to the well-being of the people around us.

Risky play isn't just about what an individual child can accomplish. It can also create opportunities to practise the cooperation, consideration, and community care that help us build a world where everyone belongs.

#riskyplay #communitycare #childdevelopment #outdoorplay #childledplay by @aroundthebirchtree

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11 hours ago

The way we see children shapes the way we show up for them.

In the Reggio Emilia approach, The Image of the Child invites us to see children as capable, curious, resourceful, and full of potential.

But our image of the child isn't fixed. It shifts with our experiences, relationships, environments, and circumstances.

As parents and professionals, it's worth making time to check in with ourselves:

How am I seeing children right now? Has my perspective changed? How does it influence the way I listen, respond, set boundaries, and share power?

Regular reflection helps us stay present and notice when we're responding on autopilot. It can also reveal when we're approaching burnout, accepting the status quo without question, or holding onto practices that no longer align with our values.

These realizations aren't reasons for shame. They're invitations to pause, ask deeper questions, seek support, and grow.

Children deserve adults who remain curious about them and willing to learn alongside them. We deserve the space and support to keep growing, too.

Revisiting our image of the child is an ongoing practice of care, connection, and possibility.

How is your image of the child evolving?

#imageofthechild #reggioemilia #reflectivepractice #childhood #earlylearning by @aroundthebirchtree

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2 days ago

What would it look like if we chose municipal leaders with children in mind?

With municipal elections approaching, it’s worth looking beyond campaign slogans and asking how candidates plan to support the children who live in our communities.

Municipal governments make decisions every day that shape childhood, including:

- Parks and playgrounds: Are public spaces accessible, welcoming, well-maintained, and designed for children of different ages and abilities?
- Libraries and recreation: Will families have access to affordable programs, free activities, community spaces, and opportunities to connect?
- Public transit and walkability: Can children and caregivers get where they need to go safely and affordably, whether they have access to a vehicle or not?
- Housing and homelessness: What are their plans to address housing insecurity and ensure families have stable places to live?
- Accessibility and inclusion: Are they committed to building a community where children with disabilities and families facing systemic barriers can participate fully?
- Community safety and belonging: Will they invest in the social services, public spaces, and community supports that help people feel connected and cared for?
- Children’s voices: Do they have meaningful ways to listen to young people and include their perspectives in decisions that affect them?

Why should this matter to everyone, even those without children?

Because children don't grow up in isolation. They grow up in the communities we build together.

When children have safe places to play, opportunities to participate, supportive relationships, stable housing, and access to community resources, the benefits reach far beyond childhood. Stronger social connections, more inclusive public spaces, healthier communities, and greater opportunities for people to contribute to society are things we all share.

Children are also future neighbours, caregivers, workers, artists, voters, and community leaders. The conditions we create for them today help shape the society we will all live in tomorrow.

Children cannot vote in elections. We can use our votes to make sure their needs are still represented.

#communitymatters by @aroundthebirchtree

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3 days ago

What if building community meant getting to know the people around us, rather than searching for the people most like us?

There are so many reasons we choose the spaces we do. We want our children to feel safe, to find friends, to explore their interests and to spend time with people who share our values. Those are meaningful things to seek out.

And yet, I keep coming back to the value of the spaces we share with our wider community.

In a city where neighbours can have vastly different incomes, experiences and circumstances, accessible community programs offer opportunities to connect beyond our usual circles. We might meet someone whose parenting journey looks nothing like ours, discover unexpected common ground, or build a friendship we wouldn't have found if we'd only gone looking for it.

Our children, too, benefit from growing up alongside people with different perspectives and experiences. They learn that community is bigger than a friendship group, a particular interest or a carefully chosen activity. It's the people we share our neighbourhoods with.

What if we thought of community not only as something we create, but as something we nuture? Something that grows when we show up, get curious about one another and make connections with the people already around us?

#communitycare #childandyouthcare #earlyyearseducation #learningthroughplay #momlife by @aroundthebirchtree

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4 days ago

This World Mental Health Day, let’s make room for play.

Children don’t always have the words to explain what they’re feeling. Sometimes, they need space to play it out.

Through play, children can explore big feelings, work through confusing experiences, experiment with different outcomes, and make sense of a world that can sometimes feel overwhelming. A difficult experience might find its way into an imaginary story. A worry might become part of a game. A child might practise courage, work through frustration, or discover a sense of control in a world of their own making.

Play also creates opportunities for connection. Shared laughter, collaboration, playful exchanges, and the experience of being truly seen and understood can all contribute to a child’s sense of belonging and emotional well-being.

And sometimes, supporting a child’s mental health looks like giving them the time, freedom, materials, and trusted relationships they need to play without pressure or a predetermined outcome.

Play isn’t a cure for every struggle, and children sometimes need additional support. But it is a meaningful part of creating environments where children can feel safe, connected, capable, and free to be themselves.

This World Mental Health Day, let’s remember that children deserve more than support when things go wrong. They deserve everyday opportunities to experience joy, connection, agency, and the freedom to explore who they are.

Protecting childhood means protecting space for play.

#worldmentalhealthday #playmatters #childrensmentalhealth #playbasedlearning #childdevelopment by @aroundthebirchtree

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6 days ago

Our Caregiver & Tot program is in full swing! Sign up for this wonderful experience to bond with your little one, connect with other caregivers, and enjoy hands-on sensory play, art, and creative exploration.
Program Details:
• When: Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• How to Register: Email artifulgallery@gmail.com to reserve your spot! taken in Birch Cliff by @aroundthebirchtree

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6 days ago

A little mess can make room for a whole lot of learning!

When children squish, smear, pour, mix, dig and explore, they’re building skills that reach far beyond the materials in front of them.

Sensory development: Exploring different textures, temperatures, weights and consistencies helps children process sensory information and learn about the world around them.

Fine motor skills: Squeezing, pinching, stirring and manipulating materials strengthen the small muscles and coordination children use in countless everyday tasks.

Problem-solving and critical thinking: Noticing what happens when materials combine, change or behave unexpectedly invites children to experiment, make predictions and adapt their ideas.

Creativity and imagination: Without a predetermined outcome, children have room to explore possibilities, follow their curiosity and develop their own ideas.

Emotional regulation: Repetitive, hands-on sensory experiences can offer opportunities for children to slow down, focus and find a rhythm that feels good to them.

Confidence and autonomy: Making choices, taking manageable risks and discovering things independently helps children develop trust in their own abilities.

There is value in the freedom to explore without needing to produce something beautiful, get the answer right or follow a set of instructions.

Messy play gives children space to experiment, wonder, discover and learn on their own terms.

Sometimes, the most meaningful part of an experience is everything that happens along the way, even when it ends with messy hands, splattered paint and a little extra laundry!

#messyplay #playbasedlearning #childdevelopment #playmatters #childledplay by @aroundthebirchtree

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7 days ago

Over the past two years, so many wonderful creatives, children, and caregivers have walked through our doors. We are endlessly grateful for your open-mindedness, your generosity in sharing your artistry, and the inspiring contributions you make to Artiful Gallery and our broader community.
Every messy paint tray, late-night workshop, and shared idea has helped shape this space into a vibrant creative home. Thank you for making these first two years so unforgettable—we can’t wait to keep creating alongside you! taken in Toronto, Ontario by @aroundthebirchtree

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8 days ago

Loose parts give children something that finished toys often can't: possibility.

Without one predetermined purpose, loose parts invite children to decide what happens next. They create space for imagination, problem-solving, collaboration, experimentation and the kind of thinking that grows when there isn't a single right answer.

And there is something especially valuable about when those loose parts come from our everyday lives.

Cardboard and Styrofoam from deliveries. Leftover materials from home improvement projects. Pieces that no longer have a purpose for us, but still have possibilities for someone else.

Instead of moving directly from useful to waste, these materials become part of a shared pool of resources for children's play.

That creates opportunities to build a different relationship with the materials around us: one where things can have multiple lives, where creativity doesn't require something new, and where what one person no longer needs might become meaningful to someone else.

This is where loose parts play becomes bigger than individual play.

It can be a small practice of community care; sharing resources, reducing waste, noticing what is already around us, and creating spaces where children have access to abundant possibilities.

Sometimes the best resource for children's play is something we already have.

#earlylearning #loosepartsplay #communitycare #childdevelopment #learningthroughplay by @aroundthebirchtree

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8 days ago

Hello everyone,
If you are working on a DIY Halloween costume for yourself, your kids, or a family project, we would love for you to join our Halloween Costume Makers Club on October 20 at 7:00 PM! Bring your ideas and creativity while we provide a welcoming studio space, basic tools, and materials like scissors, glue, cardboard, and fabric scraps. Socialize with fellow makers, share ideas and tips, and enjoy creating your costume together. by @aroundthebirchtree

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10 days ago

Early experiences lay the foundation for human development.

From our earliest years through kindergarten and the primary grades, children are developing a sense of self and belonging, empathy, critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity and the confidence to navigate the world around them.

These aren't secondary skills. They are foundational.

And yet, as children move through school, there can be increasing pressure to prioritize academic outcomes, measurable achievement and preparation for the next stage.

I think we need to make room for something bigger: meaningful, play-based experiences.

Play gives children opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, negotiate, experiment, take different perspectives, test ideas and experience themselves as capable.

These experiences build the qualities children will need as they grow.

Because growing up means encountering moments when the crowd is moving in one direction, when something doesn't feel right, when there isn't an obvious answer, or when someone else needs us to notice what they are experiencing.

Children need more than the ability to perform well on a test.

They need to know themselves. They need to know they belong. They need to think critically, empathize with others, solve unfamiliar problems and have the confidence to question what they're being told.

These capacities help children become people who can think outside the box, resist harmful norms, advocate for themselves and others, and participate safely and meaningfully in their communities.

This doesn't mean academics don't matter.

It means we need to stop treating academic achievement as the primary measure of whether we are preparing children well.

A child can learn to read while developing empathy. They can learn mathematics while solving problems through play. They can build knowledge while learning how to think, question, collaborate and care.

We don't have to choose between learning and play.

We need to recognize that play is learning and that it is one of the ways children develop into the people who will eventually use everything they learn.

What role can you play in making that shift? by @aroundthebirchtree

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12 days ago

Safe space + total creative freedom = where the magic happens.
Our fall offerings give kids space to paint, sculpt, build, and imagine without limits:
• Art Drop-Ins — Flexible, open studio time for pure creative exploration
• Before & After Care — A creative, supportive start or end to the school day
• L’art en Français — Hands-on art making integrated with French language learning
• Birthday Parties — Custom, memorable studio celebrations where every guest creates a unique piece
Give your young artist a safe place to explore their creative voice this fall! by @aroundthebirchtree

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13 days ago