Lakeshore Learning Materials Launches SEL, STEAM Kit in Partnership with Coy Bowles

Leading provider of educational products teams up with author and member of Zac Brown Band to launch product bundle for educators 

CARSON, Calif., Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lakeshore Learning Materials, a leading developer and retailer of educational materials for teachers, children and families, is thrilled to partner once again with Coy Bowles, author and member of the Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band. Through this partnership, Lakeshore and Bowles are launching a new all-in-one SEL and STEAM kit for educators and their students – Behind the Little Red Door: Can You Touch a Color? SEL and STEAM Kit.

This SEL and STEAM kit is inspired by Bowles' new children's book Behind the Little Red Door: Can You Touch a Color? which encourages curiosity, communication and collaboration as it follows three friends on a rainy-day journey through an intriguing red door.

"Our team is so excited to partner with Coy Bowles again," said Sue Gaon, VP of Custom Solutions at Lakeshore. "We're very proud of this new kit because it provides a truly comprehensive, creative ecosystem for the whole child. We can't wait to provide these resources to educators across the nation!"

The set of products is designed to promote social-emotional learning and understanding of STEAM concepts through storytelling, music, play, creativity, imagination and appreciation of colors and culture. It includes hands-on materials such as a vibrant floor puzzle with character pieces to navigate students' color journey, the complete Celebrating Diversity book set, sensory science materials to help children calm their bodies, and more.

Plus, the kit also includes Coy Bowles' latest CD, Up and Up, featuring fun, catchy, upbeat, original songs suited for daily routines like arriving at school, bathroom breaks, mealtime, cleaning up, brain breaks and going home, as well as songs about SEL concepts like perseverance and positivity.

"I was pumped when I found out Lakeshore wanted to launch a second kit together; it was such a natural fit," said Bowles, who is an educator and advocate as well as a musician and author. "The Lakeshore team and I both have a real passion for giving back to teachers and providing kids with a better understanding of confidence and creativity."

The kit is available for educators to shop on Lakeshore's website here, and includes the following items:

• Behind the Little Red Door: Can You Touch a Color? Hardcover Book
• Little Red Door Character Puppet
• 48-Piece Floor Puzzle, plus 10 Chipboard Characters with Plastic Stands and an Illustrated Poster
• Up and Up CD
• 6 Celebrating Diversity Books
• 24 Feelings & Emotions Dough Mats
• 25 Scavenger Hunt Cards
• 2 Super-Safe Prisms 
• 12 Sets of Color Paddles
• 24 People Colors® Crayons
• 172 Crystal Climbers
• 21 Activity Cards & Guide

This kit marks the second product partnership between Lakeshore and Coy Bowles. The first kit, Behind the Little Red Door Social-Emotional Activity Kit, launched in 2020.

About Lakeshore—Designed by Teachers, Loved by Kids®
Lakeshore Learning Materials is a leading developer and retailer of top-quality materials for early childhood education programs, elementary schools and homes nationwide. Since 1954, Lakeshore has offered innovative learning materials distinguished by their quality, educational merit and safety. To learn more, visit LakeshoreLearning.com.

About Coy Bowles
Best known as a guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter for the Zac Brown Band since 2007, Coy Bowles has proved himself to be a talented creator. He's won three Grammy Awards and co-written the country hits "Knee Deep," "Colder Weather" and "Sweet Annie." In 2020, the Georgia native released his first children's album, Music for Tiny Humans, to high praise, with a follow-up album, Up and Up, to be released later this year. Bowles looked to his prior book, 2020's Behind the Little Red Door, to bring his upcoming sixth children's book I've Got Feelings to the page. The series' most colorful character is none other than the Little Red Door itself, tagging along as young readers are introduced to emotions ranging from jealousy to joy. Bowles is also a proud advocate for early education and eager to share his experiences through public speaking engagements. It's in his "Connect to Your Calling" keynote for educators that he likens the power of music to the immeasurable impact teachers have on children. Having arrived at a place where his whole person is getting used, Bowles is now using every creative skill he's learned to support kids, teachers and parents on his journey to spread an understanding of feelings, which for him starts by opening and looking through a little red door. For more information, visit CoyBowles.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Colleen Beaupre, [email protected]

SOURCE Lakeshore Learning