Children have a natural affinity for animals of all types, especially sea creatures found in the many waterways of South Carolina and the ocean nearby. These mysterious animals engage and excite a child's imagination and can provide teachers and parents with a special learning tool to teach everyday lessons.

Daniel Island Academy, one of the area's leading preschools and kindergarten, makes the most of colorful animal designs throughout the school and classrooms to enhance learning. The school's symbol, a playful sea turtle, is featured in its logo and as the name of its Kindergarten Class. In fact, each of the 17 classrooms is identified by a special sea creature from sea squirts, starfish and flounders to manatees, rainbow fish and stingrays. Throughout the year the children learn about their sea creature and its role in the environment, understanding that each is important, no matter the size.

Recently, Daniel Island Academy teamed up with Avani Concepts, a company with offices based locally in Mount Pleasant, and in Long Island, New York. Together with Chantel Renee, creative designs, and Jerry Hunt, craftsman and business manager, the school now has a multitude of sea creatures flowing across the playground concrete walkways and up the side of pillars. Now the space is alive with these mysterious creatures that the children have studied in the classroom.

'We love the look of our playground with the addition of Avani Concept's artistic concrete murals,' stated Kerry Nowosielski, School Director. 'The sea creature designs inspire the children to interact as they play together in measuring their height to a dolphin and exploring the sea habitats displayed.'  The designs serve an important function too. Colorful fish are numbered in a row on the concrete walkway near the playground doors. Forming lines is fun as teachers use them to smoothly transition children between outdoor play and their indoor classrooms. Each child enjoys finding their numbered fish, so it provides another way to learn their numbers and how to cooperate within a group. In other words, a helpful tool for the teacher is a fun and engaging learning experience for the students.

'Daniel Island Academy was a special client for us since it was the school we selected for our children on our move from New York,' stated Chantel, owner of Avani Concepts. 'We were pleased to find a preschool of this high standard that offered foreign language and music classes,   and thrilled to provide our design services to further enhance their facility for all the students to enjoy.'

Avani Concepts specializes in sustainable building solutions and artistry in concrete. Owner Chantel Renee is an award winning designer specializing in the planning and design of sustainable commercial spaces. She has decorated thousands of square feet of walls and floors both inside and out of homes, restaurants, retail shops, and offices. Her unique designs have shown up on New York runways, TV shows and movie sets. Her business partner, Jerry Hunt comes from a long line of craftsman. He has worked on 18th century home restoration and large-scale construction projects such as airports and building complexes. Jerry has received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accreditation (LEED AP) from the US Green Building Council. The company's web site is www.avaniconcepts.com.

Daniel Island Academy is a NAEYC-accredited preschool academy serving children ages one year through kindergarten. Full day, half day and mother's morning out programs are available weekdays from 6:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. For more information, please visit their web site at www.danielislandacademy.com or call 971.5961.