On Keeping the Studio Sacred
Keeping the Studio Sacred
A while back we started exploring an important lesson. I had seen it coming for a while in the messes left behind and in the way those messes have been building and growing. One of our core guide rails at this school is to keep our studios sacred. But what does that even mean?
If we ask the learners, even without prompting, they almost always compile a simple list.
Clean up after yourselves.
Take care of the tools, toys, and supplies.
Simple lists, however, are often the hardest to follow.
There is a reason adults are hesitant to allow free rein with things like art supplies. We know exactly where that path leads. As any parent that's given a toddler free reign with a pack of stickers can tell you, it ends in chaos. That is what we have been discovering in our studios. But here is the catch. My natural reaction in the past would have been to lock everything down, throw away all the half-finished projects, and rage-clean the whole room myself out of frustration.
We chose a different approach.
One morning I put police crime scene tape over each space that had not been kept sacred. Every area that had not been cleaned, cared for, or treated with respect was taped off and closed. The learners understood immediately.
We asked them a few questions.
What did we agree to for guide rails?
Are you following them?
The point was not punishment. The point was awareness. The studio is theirs. The tools are theirs. The responsibility is theirs. Our job is to hold up a mirror. Their job is to look closely and choose how they want their learning home to feel.
This moment only worked because the groundwork was already in place. We have had the conversations that set the expectation, the purpose behind it, and the natural consequences and rewards tied to keeping our agreements. Without that shared foundation, simple questions like, “What did we agree to?” and “Are you following it?” would fall flat. With it, those questions become an invitation for learners to step back into responsibility rather than a demand for compliance.
Bringing This Principle Into Your Home
Parents often ask how this idea translates beyond the studio. The heart of it is simple. Families can choose to be intentional about their spaces too. Sacred does not mean perfect. It means cared for, agreed upon, and owned by everyone who lives there.
Start with a Conversation About Intention
What do we want this space to feel like?
How do we want to use it?
What makes a space feel respected or disrespected?
Why does it matter that we take care of the places we share?
These questions help children understand the purpose behind the expectations instead of feeling targeted by them.
Get Family Buy In and Create Agreements Together
Choose one or two spaces to start with. Define together what keeping that space cared for actually looks like. Let your children help design the systems. When everyone contributes to the agreement, everyone feels more ownership in keeping it.
Your agreement might include where items live, what happens to unfinished projects, and what a quick reset looks like. The goal is clarity and shared commitment.
Questions to Ask When Expectations Are Not Being Met
Instead of correcting or lecturing, ask:
What was our agreement for this space?
Does this look like what we said we wanted?
What needs to happen before you move on?
How would you leave this if someone else were about to use it?
These questions guide children back to responsibility without power struggles.
Keeping spaces sacred at home works for the same reason it works at school. You take the time to define the intention, create agreements together, and use simple questions to hold up a mirror. Over time, these habits shape the way a family cares for each other and the spaces they share.