As an early childhood educator, and also a museum educator, two organizations I admire are the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center and Opal School at Portland Children's Museum.  Both of these schools reside in museums and make great use of the ideas and objects available in those venues

More Than a Playground SymposiumThese were wish flags, dyed by children, then symposium attendees added words. More Than a Playground SymposiumMore flags More Than a Playground SymposiumThe children in one class made friends with some trees. They brought them gifts and studied them throughout the year. More Than a Playground SymposiumThe children in one class made friends with some trees. They brought them gifts and studied them throughout the year.

I first learned of the SEEC at a symposium put on by the Nevada Museum of Art and the University of Nevada, Reno.  The "More Than a Playground" symposium brought together ideas from museum education, Reggio Emilia style early childhood programs and a university children's school.  It was an amazing weekend where we were immersed in hands-on activities, fantastic displays put on by the children and great speakers, including Carla Rinaldi (of Reggio fame) and Betsy Bowers (from the SEEC).  I now regularly read the blog written by teachers at the SEEC for inspiration.  Here's a link to the blog, if you'd like to be inspired, too: https://seecstories.com/?page_id=380

Opal School Summer Symposium Opal School Summer Symposium Opal School Summer Symposium
A couple of years ago, I attended another symposium at the Opal School.  The highlight of the symposium was visiting the classrooms and seeing the amazing work the children had done during the year.  The teachers at Opal create wonderful, inviting environments and encourage the children to explore the world around them.  These children are given the time and tools they need to immerse themselves in inquiry and relationships.  They also have a lovely blog, full of the children's own words about their studies: https://opalschool.org/blog/