The Seed Atelier

17/08/2026

A previous workshop attendee inspired me. Even though she has an incredibly stressful job, she found the time to go abroad with a travel group. A travel group with people she didn't know. That's bravery.

When she told me about this, I couldn't help but feel inspired. For much of my adult life, I've been saying I'm too old for things, but this could not be further from the truth.

When did we stop enjoying the little things? We look at a slide and no longer imagine ourselves drifting down a treacherous and exciting river. We don't look at our shoes and imagine they can make us the fastest people on earth.

As we grew up, we lost a lot of the fun in our lives.

At The 3rd Lane, we're hoping to bring it back.
What childhood memory do you wish to relive in your adult years? Perhaps we can help bring that to life.

Inspiration: Viraji Amarajeewa
Thank you 💚

16/08/2026

A glimpse into the experiences . Connect to learn more!

15/08/2026

Thank you for joining us at the workshop ‘Possibilities with Loose Parts'! Your open-minded, willing spirit and positive energy at the workshop helped us explore a range of ideas, perspectives, beliefs, and values about teaching and learning. I hope you have been inspired to ‘see’ the possibilities of loose parts. Thank you for being with us The Seed Atelier, The 3rd Lane, and we hope you join us for the next workshop!

14/08/2026

We are excited to host the workshop Possibilities with 'Loose Parts' at The Seed Atelier, The 3rd Lane TOMORROW!!

Please reach out if you would like more details about the session.

09/08/2026

If you are an educator or parent who wants to reimagine learning materials, this workshop is for YOU!

The workshop possibilities with loose parts is an exploration into the world of natural and synthetic materials that could be used in early childhood settings. These materials help children explore concepts linked to the early childhood curriculum. The workshop will focus on the why, to explore the purpose of loose parts, and how they could be used as provocations and invitations in literacy, numeracy and inquiry-based activities. Many different examples of how these materials can be sourced, organised, presented and used will be shared with participants. Join me to explore the possibilities and magic of loose parts!

This workshop will focus on exploring:
- The purpose of 'loose parts'
- Collections of 'loose' parts'
- Examples of how loose parts are used in provocations and invitations

Audience: Early Childhood/ Kindergarten Educators/Parents with young children
Date: Saturday, 15 August, 2026
Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Place: The 3'd Lane and SEED Atelier, Depanama, Pannipitiya.
Fee: 7500 **No refunds or exchanges**

Click the link to register or WhatsApp 0777484715 for more details.

Thank you for your interest in the Professional Development session 'Possibilities with 'Loose Parts'. Your feedback and information will help me with my preparation. This workshop will focus on exploring: - The purpose of 'loose parts' - Collections of 'loose' parts' - Examples of how loose parts a...

08/08/2026

One of the questions we've been asked the most is why we chose Pannipitiya.
It's a fair question.

Most creative spaces seem to find their way into neighbourhoods in Colombo, and there's nothing wrong with that. Those places have built incredible communities.

But every time we imagined The 3rd Lane, we pictured something a little closer to home. Ironically, The house known as The 3rd Lane was my home for three quarters of my life.

When envisioning The 3rd Lane, we kept thinking about the person who mostly works in Colombo and cannot imagine going back into Colombo over their weekend to do something different and to unwind.

Someone who wants to do something, but doesn't want to spend an hour in traffic just to get there already tired...
Or the family who's curious about trying a weekend workshop together without making it an all-day trip.
Or the neighbour who joins the next workshop because they heard quiet conversations two weekends before and wondered what was happening.

Community has to start somewhere.

It doesn't appear because a space has beautiful interiors or a good social media page. It grows because people keep showing up. They recognise familiar faces. They stop for conversations. They feel comfortable enough to come back.

That's the kind of place we're hoping to build.

We're proud that it's beginning in Pannipitiya.

If The 3rd Lane does what we hope it will, it won't be because of the location.
It'll be because of the people who choose to make it feel like theirs.

06/08/2026

"The richness of an environment depends on the opportunity it allows for people to interact with it and make connections" Simon Nicholson

How does your environment speak to you?

Learn more about the hands-on workshop 'Possibilities with Loose Parts' at The Seed Atelier https://forms.gle/hio6W7y1NF8qax3F8

04/08/2026

For the longest time, this idea existed as a question.
Not a business idea. Not a fully formed plan. Just something we kept coming back to whenever we thought about the way we live now.

Why does it feel like we have so little space to simply be?

Most of our days are already spoken for:
Work. Responsibilities. Errands. Messages we need to reply to. Things we need to remember. Plans we need to make.

And when we finally get a little time to ourselves, we’re often too tired to do the things we actually enjoy...
The book we bought months ago stays unopened.
The hobby we were excited about slowly gets forgotten.
The idea we had to make something, learn something, or try something new gets pushed to a quieter week that never seems to arrive.

I don't think it's because we've stopped being curious.
I think we've just become very good at putting curiosity last.
Somewhere along the way, everything started needing a reason.

"A new skill should improve your career."
"A hobby should become a side hustle."
"Time should be productive."

Even rest feels like something we need to optimise.

But there are some things that don't need to lead anywhere.
Sometimes you can learn something just because you've never tried it before.
Sometimes you can spend an evening making something with your hands without needing it to be perfect.
Sometimes you can meet people without there being an agenda behind it.

That's the idea behind The 3rd Lane.

A space built around curiosity, creativity and connection.

A place where you can step away from the usual pace of life for a little while and make room for the parts of yourself that often get pushed aside.

We don't know exactly what this space will fully become yet.
But we know why we wanted to create it.

Because we think everyone needs a place between the things they have to do and the things they want to do.

A place to explore, create, and simply be.
Welcome to The 3rd Lane.

28/07/2026

A Recipe for Friendship

"Learning with others generates pleasure in the group and makes the group become the place of learning." – Loris Malaguzzi

We have been collaborating and creating a thoughtful working group over the last few weeks. Listening to and creating stories, making books, and engaging in shared learning experiences have brought us together as a community. To celebrate the end of this 10-week workshop, we decided to offer the children an opportunity to make a special treat.

Read our learning story at The Seed Atelier https://shemo.edublogs.org/2026/07/28/a-recipe-for-friendship/

25/07/2026

Workshop Focus: To develop reading and writing skills through the world of books and storytelling.

The ‘Story Workshop’, is a literacy experience where we:
- explore strategies to develop strong comprehension skills.
- explore the connection between letters and sounds.
- dive into picture books to learn about reading and writing.

This workshop will help young children develop their identities as readers and writers. Through a deep dive into the world of books, they will learn strategies and techniques that foster strong reading and writing skills.

Register:

I appreciate your interest in the Reading & Writing Workshop for your child. Your feedback and information will help me plan the workshop sessions. Workshop Focus: To develop reading and writing skills through the world of books and storytelling. The ‘Story Workshop’, is a literacy experience wh...