All Children Great and Small

Our classroom is designed so that children can learn through active involvement in a variety of experiences. Stepping into our school you will see children busy at play. It is our belief that children learn best through doing. We emphasize hands on learning where ones intellectual social and emotional self is engaged. We seek to create a balanced environment that stimulates curiosity develops imagination and encourages self-knowledge through interactive play. The skills practiced in our daily routine set children on the path to become lifelong learners.
At the core of our program is the belief that children are individuals and therefore the process by which each child develops is unique. Healthy emotional growth requires expression of feelings. Social growth requires building self-esteem. Our curriculum seeks to give children an awareness of their own feelings and the right to express those feelings. Individual curiosity needs and feelings will determine how each child explores and creates. Social interaction requires practice. Through play children can nurture their curiosity and imagination as they interact with those around them.

In order to achieve a rich learning environment we structure our program so that all parts of the developing child are considered equal in value: the intellectual emotional and physical. Our day is sided into indoor and outdoor activities. Most of the activities are child led and reflect the developmental needs of each child. The teachers provide guidance and structure within a flexible framework. There are large group play areas small group play areas as well as three activity tables each designed to stimulate different skills relating to a curricular theme. If the theme is autumn one table may be measuring the ingredients to make pumpkin muffins. One table may be busy creating sculptures out of clean mud. One table may be alive with childrens voices as they dictate stories to match their leaf prints.

Music body movement cooking animal care and dramatic play are all important components to practicing pre-math and pre-reading skills. If a child chooses to construct her home out of blocks she must first consider how many blocks she needs which blocks are best for holding up the roof and finally whether to incorporate the advice of her classmate who would like to join her in her project.

At All Children Great and Small classes are composed of mixed age groups consistent with the philosophy that children will be involved at their own level of development. Older children are encouraged to model for their younger peers. Younger children often seem to absorb and learn from their older friends. Our goal is to provide an enriched classroom comprised of diverse ages experiences needs and abilities. Within this framework children can create their own learning with their curiosity their inner needs their feelings their bodies and their minds as they take their first steps on a lifelong path of discovery.