Angela Kinsey may play a conservative, buttoned-up character on the hit NBC show The Office, but in real life, she’s a bubbly, refreshing mom who just wants the best for her daughter, Isabel, 2 with (ex-husband, Warren Lieberstein). We caught up with the actress at a Post-It event to promote arts in schools to dish about channeling farm animals, having four moms, and why a chaotic house makes her the happiest.

Why do you think it’s so important to keep arts in the schools?

It’s what helps kids think out of the box and it helps kids cope. Maybe they’re inspired by where they live or where they go to school or what’s around them, but if they have art as an outlet, then their dreams become a reality — whether it’s on paper or through performance. [Arts] are a great way to inspire our kids to dream bigger than what they started with.

How do you instill this value in your daughter, Isabel?

I love playing with her; that’s a big part of our day. We imagine and we pretend. My parents have a farm, so she’s really into the whole farm thing right now. We bought a little barn by Fisher Price and we have all the animals. Now, Isabel’s taking it to another level saying, “Okay Mommy, you be a horse, I’ll be a cow.” So I walk on the floor in my house neighing and mooing, and we act out the farm. I love to see that next step in her imagination. She’s not just playing with these toys; she’s pretending to be these animals. Playtime is so important as parents, to be really involved and respond to whatever it is your kids are into at that moment.

Read more: Angela Kinsey — My Life as a Mom