- April 15, 2025
Mote Ranch's Liam Bryne, a World of Wonder Academy student, paints a police station using mud.
Kiajia Claxton, a World of Wonder Academy leader, reads to students before they move onto other activities.
Lakewood Ranch's Beverly Hill, Jessica Hill and Jim Hill listen to Kali Hill, a World of Wonder Academy student, explain the fairy garden she created.
Lakewood Ranch's Kareem Claxton holds onto his daughter Kristina Claxton while she talks about her art projects.
Shenicka Claxton, a World of Wonder Academy leader, shows students Kristina Claxton and Hope Fisher the artwork they did on Valentine's Day.
East County's Craig Fisher and his wife, Shannon Keever, admire the artwork from their daughter, Hope Fisher, and other World of Wonder Academy students. "We just love WoW school," Keever says.
Liam Byrne, Kristina Claxton, Hope Fisher and Jeremy Gilkey are proud of the flower pot they painted together one week to go along with the theme of teamwork.
Mote Ranch's Liam Byrne and Lakewood Ranch's Kali Hill work on making their own mud pies. Heather Manley, a leader of World of Wonder Academy, says Hill loves to mix things.
Kristina Claxton jumps out of the mud bin and onto a piece of cardboard to make art. "I'm painting with mud," Claxton says.
Jeremy Gilkey makes a mud pie. Gilkey added grass and leaves to his mud pie as well.
Lakewood Ranch's Kali Hill smiled as she showed her family the fairy garden she created during a session at World of Wonder Academy.
The family went on to look at the six other art projects Hill, who is 4 years old, worked on during World of Wonder Academy's art show April 25 culminating the eight weeks the students spent together in class.
"It was so cute," said Jessica Hill, Kali Hill's mother. "I love how they themed (the art projects) with a book."
Each week, the class reads a book about a theme, such as kindness to the Earth, teamwork, first responders and Valentine's Day. After reading the book, they would work on an art project related to the theme. For example, they made their own hearts for Valentine's Day and painted a flower pot together to show teamwork.
East County's Shannon Keever said it was fun seeing the projects her daughter, Hope Fisher, created.
"We just love WOW school," Keever said. "It was a great experience, and Hope was so proud to show us her artwork."
After viewing their works of art, the students gathered for one last activity: making mud pies.