An immersive wraparound mural designed for emotional growth and imaginative play
Darlene Morris Family Shelter
As part of HopePHL, the Darlene Morris Family Shelter mural features an interactive wraparound Playful Learning mural designed for a relaxed family room environment. The immersive artwork surrounds children and caregivers with vibrant imagery, creating a calm yet engaging space for shared exploration.
The mural encourages families to look closely, name emotions, imagine stories, and reflect on what characters might be feeling or doing. These guided interactions support social-emotional learning by helping children build empathy, self-awareness, and emotional vocabulary. At the same time, open-ended challenges spark creative innovation, inviting children to invent narratives, solve playful challenges, and engage in imaginative thinking alongside caregivers. Together, the installation transforms everyday moments into opportunities for connection, confidence, and joyful discovery.
The Learning Goals
The Darlene Morris Family Shelter mural fosters communication by encouraging children and caregivers to discuss what they see, describe emotions, and share stories inspired by the I-Spy elements and prompts embedded throughout the space.
It also supports creative innovation by inviting families to imagine new narratives, invent characters, and explore multiple possibilities within the wraparound scenes, turning observation into imaginative thinking.
The Team
The Darlene Morris Family Shelter mural was created through a collaboration between Playful Learning Landscapes, HopePHL, Noelle Burgess, and Lubow Design LLC.
Supporters
The Darlene Morris Family Shelter Playful Learning mural was generously supported by the William Penn Foundation.
