Programs
Fun & Creativity
Art
Art activities stimulate children’s imagination and creativity, helping with physical and mental
development. We provide a variety of visual art activities including coloring, cutting, pasting, painting,
play dough and modeling clay, and a wide variety of craft activities.
As children draw, paint and make
collages, they are learning about their world (colors, shapes, and sizes of objects). When they use
paints, glue and markers, children are planning, trying out new things and solving problems.
Music
Music and the arts to be a basic part of every child's education. Researchers agree that spatial intelligence (the ability to perceive the visual world accurately, to form mental images of physical objects, and to recognize variations of objects)
increases dramatically when children participate in music programs. Our music program offers an introduction to a variety of instruments including rhythm sticks, handbells, hand drums, and
the piano.
Singing is a great way to aid and improve reading ability. It increases memory and enhances language,
pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary skills. Children will use their own voices as their first
instrument. Visual, physical and aural experiences aid in exploring musical concepts such as in-tune
singing, beat, rhythm, melody, dynamics, tempo and timbre. Children experience a profound sense of
personal pride when they can sing a song all on their own.
Movement
Physical activity enhances fitness, fosters growth and development, and helps teach children about
themselves and the world around them. Children learn as they move throughout their environment.
Movement is a critical means of communication, expression and learning. The National Association for
Sport and Physical Education states that all children from birth to age 5 should engage daily in physical
activity that promotes movement, skillfulness, and foundations of health-related fitness. Activities
include structured and unstructured experiences both indoors and outdoors, including tumbling, yoga,
skipping, hopscotch, hoola hoops, balls, bowling, parachute games, obstacle course, and various circle
and tag games. Children can also enjoy playing in the our Fitness Room where they can move in the ball
pit, ride the stationary bike, lift small weights and other movement activities.
Language
Language activities play an important role in the development of a child’s vocabulary, listening skills, and
communication skills. Language is made up of socially shared rules including the meaning of words, how
to put words together, and what word combinations are best in what situations. Language activities
encourage children to echo text that is read, re-tell a story, make up silly words and stories, take turns
talking and listening, and so on. This is accomplished through Nursery Rhymes, fingerplays, and simple
repetitive stories.
Reading
Reading aloud to children is one of the best ways to help them discover the joy of listening. Children
benefit from watching and listening to adults read aloud. They learn how to hold a book properly, that
text progresses left to right and top to bottom, and that text holds meaning. A variety of books and
other forms of print media will help to foster a lifelong love of reading.
Phonics is a reading method where children learn to associate letters with the speech sounds they
represent. Preschool children will learn to recite the alphabet, to recognize the letters of the alphabet,
and to match letters with the correct sound.
Outside Play
Large motor play is very important to young children. All the children will go
outside every day throughout the year (weather permitting). We have two playgrounds to accommodate the needs of our
littlest children who are separated from our busier, older children. Activities include playing with balls,
hula hoops and other playground toys, riding a wide variety of playground bikes, trikes and other toys
with wheels, playing in a large sandbox or little cottage, playing on the large play structure with slides
and forts, shooting basketball or playing tetherball and a host of other sporting activities.
Math & Science
The teaching of math concepts will directly correspond to the emergent needs of individual children with the goal of 3 year-olds learning to count and recognize numbers 1-10, and 4 & 5 year-olds learning to count and recognize numbers 1-20 and beyond. Pre-counting skills include:
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Shapes and colors
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Patterns and sequencing
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Measurement
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Sorting and classifying
Young children are naturally curious and constantly exploring the world around them. Science exploration in early childhood is science inquiry—exploring materials/events, asking questions, investigating, recording/representing their work, reflecting on what they have done and what it means.
All of this allows children to create new theories or ideas about how the world works. School-Age children will explore and learn in our STEAM Center and Study Hall.
Dance
Dancing is a particularly enjoyable way to play. Dance encourages creativity and communication. It
builds motor control, body relationships and a sense of direction. Dance helps develop self-confidence
as children learn to gain control over their bodies. Creative movement develops coordination and
concentration. It develops muscle strength and increases energy levels.
Drama
Children will be encouraged to expand their imaginations by expressing themselves through voice and dramatic movement. These skills enhance self-esteem, make it easier to step into new situations, help
children to problem solve, strengthen listening skills, and encourage cooperation. Through age-
appropriate games, activities and onstage practice, children will participate in a variety of dramatic
experiences aimed at bringing out the performer in each of them.