All-School Thematic Learning at Friends’ Central Lower School

Friends’ Central Lower School brings students together through all-school thematic learning that sparks creativity, collaboration, and joyful discovery

January 29, 2026

A group of little children on a classroom carpet in the Friends' Central Lower School

Each fall, Friends’ Central Lower School in Wynnewood, PA brings its entire community together through a shared, school-wide learning theme. This collaborative approach encourages connections across grade levels, deep exploration, and joyful creativity for both students and teachers. This year’s Lower School Fall Project theme, Journeys, invited students to travel across oceans, through stories, and into their own imaginations.

A Shared Theme That Connects Learning Across Grades

Throughout the fall, classrooms buzzed with activity. Students explored the many meanings of “journeys” through science, literature, art, history, and human experience. In Nature Nursery, children studied the monarch butterfly’s life cycle while singing songs in both English and Spanish, celebrating movement, connection, and growth.

Pre-K students explored friendship and adventure through Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories. This culminated in a performance that brought the characters’ journeys to life. Kindergarten A students embarked on an imaginative trip to the Galápagos Islands, researching wildlife, habitats, and geography. Their learning came together in a playful “Tours and Excursions” booth complete with tickets, sunglasses, and a working cash register, seamlessly integrating math, art, and storytelling.

In Kindergarten B, students studied My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, sculpting a three-dimensional clay map of Wild Island and designing routes to guide their own dragon rescue mission.

Lower School children in a thematic learning classroom project at Friends' Central.

Deepening Understanding Through Project-Based Learning

As students progressed through the grades, the theme of Journeys took on new depth and complexity. First graders explored the World Cup, connecting geography, culture, and teamwork. Their collaborative project—featuring animal mascots representing participating countries—earned recognition in the Philadelphia Zoo’s annual tree competition.

Second graders reflected on personal growth and change through Kate DiCamillo’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Third graders designed and operated a fully functioning postal system within the school, complete with classroom mailboxes and daily deliveries of postcards expressing gratitude and friendship. Fourth graders imagined and designed their “Best Place on Earth,” while fifth graders examined human journeys through social movements, artistic expression, and innovation, including a study of Pablo Picasso’s evolving artistic style.

Lower School Hallways Bring the Theme to Life

Beyond the classrooms, the Lower School hallways transformed into vibrant galleries celebrating the fall theme. Student artwork traced migration routes and animal journeys, while colorful hot air balloons, submarines, airplanes, and bridges filled the space. In one display, each child answered the question, “What journey do you want to take?”—their illustrated responses displayed alongside their photos, highlighting the individuality of every student’s path.

The faculty performs their annual play at Friends' Central Lower School.

A Beloved Tradition: The Annual Faculty Play

The thematic study concluded with one of Friends’ Central Lower School’s most cherished traditions: the annual faculty play. This year’s production followed the two Lower School principals on a camping trip, encountering explorers, scientists, and storytellers inspired by the students’ studies. The performance joyfully tied together the work of every classroom and brought the theme full circle.

“This year’s fall theme brought out the very best in our students and teachers,” shared Lower School Principal Rowena Lesher. “Journeys reminded us that learning isn’t about the destination—it’s about all the paths we travel together.”