Raindrops:

Three bundled up children are facing each other and giggling at nature school in Lynnwood, Everett, and Mill Creek

Where curiosity, play, and joy drive learning and innovation

The Raindrops Mission:

A line of four preschool children walk along a fallen tree trunk in McCollum Park at their forest preschool in Mill Creek, Lynnwood, and Everett. Another child is attempting to climb up. A teacher looks on to support.

To change the future by reframing education through the lens of play, connection to nature, and connection to each other.

Our mission here at Raindrops is to transform the teaching/learning paradigm. Too often children are entering into adulthood afraid to fail, afraid to take risks, thinking inside the prescribed box and having too small a comfort zone. By reframing the way we look at play, our connection to nature, the parent-teacher, parent-child, teacher-child, and child- child dynamic, we can begin to imagine a world that is relationship centric and uniquely transformed to address today’s and tomorrow’s problems.

Six children sit on the grass, working in their nature journals at their nature forest preschool in Everett, Lynnwood, and Mill Creek

By identifying, recognizing and engaging inner vulnerabilities, by celebrating failure as part of the cycle of inquiry and learning, by becoming problem seekers not just problem solvers, by emphasizing the importance of sharing ideas and collaborating, and by accepting that adults in this world do not have the answers to everything but we DO have the responsibility to more mindfully guide children to discover what we have yet to.

We advocate for mindful language that facilitates children’s personal reflection and growth. We advocate for uninterrupted and uninhibited play. Play is our origin tool for engagement, experimentation, and innovation. We advocate for the realigning of parents and teachers as co-constructors and partners in the path to reimagining education. We advocate for the celebration of the messy, the problems, and the mistakes that emerge from our humanity- because here is where creativity lies and is awakened!

How Do We Implement Our Mission?

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Meet the Team

Blanche Lonsbury

Founder & Director

I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University and have been teaching in forward-thinking schools for 17 years. I am passionate about the developing mind; more specifically - sensory integration, creativity, resiliency, problem solving and problem seeking. My career has been focused on facilitating relationships with nature and rediscovering play as a vehicle for teaching and learning.

I have led the development of frameworks that place individual and collective values as the base for learning, and have witnessed the beautiful learning culture this type of relationship-centric focus facilitates. I believe that play and mindfulness in education transforms the teaching/learning paradigm. My intention is to create a learning culture that ignites children to think differently about what learning means and for teachers and parents to see each other as allies and partners in the teaching-learning relationship.

Joyce Oliveira Liu

Atelierista

I have a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of History, I’m Brazilian, passionate about reading, writing, listening to stories. I grew up around parents that loved embroidery and woodworking so art, painting, crafts, dance and theater are part of me.

I first came at Raindrops as a mom and fell in love with the methodology, the affection, the school's respect for the child. Adding Nature to my family’s life made me see how much it regulates our bodies and minds.

It has been an honor to help guide and see how each child connects with the world and to have the opportunity to work towards a healthier and happier child development.

What Our Families Say:

Raindrops has really expanded my perspective on education in the best ways. Both of my kids have gained so much confidence since starting here. I love how connected they’ve become to nature and how supported they feel by their teachers. It’s such a thoughtful, heart-centered community.

Kim, Parent
It is an amazing privilege to have someone as insightful and communicative as Blanche teaching and caring for our son. You have helped us to see him in new ways and modeled helpful ways to interact and play. We are truly learning from you, too.

Rachel, Parent
One of the biggest strengths of Raindrops is that the teachers see kids for who they are, get curious about their behaviors, and work with the families to help everyone grow. I know my kids feel seen by you and the team, and even in hard moments, I know they’re not internalizing that they’re “bad” because of XYZ.

Karin, Parent