The classroom is organized into different learning centers. Each learning center is filled with engaging materials and necessary tools for children to experiment with new ideas and apply skills they have already mastered. Children explore the concepts in curriculum through planned activities in learning centers that incorporate literacy, language, writing, art, collage, woodworking, sculpture, construction, drama, science, sensory, cooking, math, cultural studies, music, dance, computers, puzzles and games. The learning centers in the preschool and pre-kindergarten classroom support the curriculum and introduce children to skills that encourage learning and build understanding.

The Library

Books, puppets, music, poems, pictures, books on tape and flannel boards; the Library offers children a variety of materials support language and literacy development. Puppet play between friends helps children develop language and communication skills essential for life-long learning. Independent reading time allows children to practice holding books and following the story through pictures as they begin to develop word recognition. Songs and music help children develop important memorization skills that will promote early reading. Flannel boards and flannel pieces encourage children to use their imagination and create their own stories. All of these activities found in the Library help foster a love for books and reading!

The Writing Center

The Writing Center allows children a place to work on the small muscles in the hands that strengthen the fine motor skills needed in learning to write. Materials such as lacing beads, sewing cards, stencils, and play dough encourage children to practice fine motor skills. As children develop the ability to hold crayons and pencils, materials that encourage writing are introduced. Materials such as pencils, clipboards, and picture dictionaries offer inspiration and imagination takes over as children use paper and envelopes to create "cards" for a family member. By adding pictures of food and some glue sticks, children are motivated to create restaurant menus for the dramatic play area. By integrating the Writing Center into the entire classroom, children learn to write by doing things they love to do such as making games, labeling their sculpture in the gallery, or copying a favorite cookie recipe to take home. Learning to write becomes part of the fun!

The Studio

Like any artist, children too need a studio. The Studio is made up of a variety of learning centers including, art, collage, woodworking, and sculpture, all stocked with materials to inspire the artist in any child! The Studio provides children a place to express themselves in many different mediums. By manipulating clay, they can create bowls or cups for the baby dolls in the dramatic play area. Woodworking helps develop their sense of space and process, and often yields a rather unusual birdhouse! The young painter is inspired to create a masterpiece on fabric, wood, paper, or cardboard. The imaginative inventor uses recycled paper towel tubes and foam pieces to create a meaningful sculpture. Every child is an artist in The Studio!

The Construction Site

The Construction Site is made up of two types of building; large building and small building. Building with large wooden unit blocks, plastic cylinders, cardboard tubes, and rubber mats give children the opportunity to plan, build, and demolish! Building with large materials is an important piece in children’s spatial and gross motor development. Through planning and problem solving, children work together to build structures and in turn learn a tremendous amount about space, size, gravity, and volume. Once the structure is built, the children discover as much from its demolition as they did in its building. How far does it fall? Does it make noise when it falls? Cause and effect discoveries help children understand how they impact the world around them. Small building at tables using Lego bricks or small blocks helps children to develop their fine motor muscles while they create a small scale building. Small building allows children to work independently, so planning and building decisions are their own. Building independently or with a team strengthens the child’s understanding of how pieces can be manipulated to create a larger whole, teaching them early math skills in the process!

The Theater

The Theater combines the dramatic play, music, and dance centers into a magical place where children can use their ingenuity to act out their imaginations! Dress up clothes, shoes and hats inspire children to be princes and princesses from far way kingdoms. Dressing and caring for baby dolls help children develop a sense of empathy and self esteem. Role-playing encourages children to practice different social situations and develop language to communicate with family and peers. Playing a variety of musical instruments help children distinguish between sounds and learn about rhythm and pitch, all vital to early literacy. Dancing allows children to be free! Moving to the beat of a drum or a special song allows children to develop a sense of their bodies in space. Gross motor muscles used for balance and coordination are used and refined through dance.

The Lab

Incredible experiments take place in The Lab! Math and science skills are put to practice as children test theories of "What will happen if...?" Planting seeds in soil, weighing rocks on a balance, measuring the length of the classroom, all take place in The Lab. Children start to develop an understanding of how plants grow, how water moves, and what type of birds live in our neighborhood by testing, observing, questioning, experimenting, and discovering. Children use magnifying glasses, magnets, water droppers and microscopes to investigate natural and synthetic materials. Items are sorted, categorized, counting, and subtracted. Children use rubber bands to create shapes, beads to create patterns, and units of measurement to determine width and length. Through manipulation and experimentation, children acquire early math and science skills and understanding that will help them sort, categorize, hypothesize, and make conclusions about the world around them.

The Kitchen

Measuring, mixing, stirring and pouring... The Kitchen is a place where things are made. Children learn the process of how things are created. By spooning flour into a measuring cup, children learn about volume. By stirring ingredients together in a bowl, children learn parts to whole concepts. And by enjoying a warm oatmeal cookie at snack, children learn that hard work pays off! In The Kitchen, children are encouraged to be vital part of the classroom community. By preparing snack for their peers, they learn responsibility and develop pride. Setting one cup and one plate for each person at snack develops one-to-one correspondence, an early math skill. The Kitchen is a place for all the senses... what does it feel like? Does it have a scent? Questioning and answering in The Kitchen helps children develop vocabulary and language skills. Learning how bread is made gives a sense of history and an understanding of the process things go through to be created. Many classroom favorites make their way home to be shared among family and friends, creating a sense of community beyond the classroom walls.

The Computer Station

The Computer Station will offer children the opportunity to use computers in many different ways. The goal of using computers in the classroom is to encourage independence and confidence with using a computer for learning. Educational computer software will be made available and children will also be encouraged to explore how to use the computer in practical and useful ways. Children will be supported in developing an understanding of how to utilize the computer as a tool by learning how to turn it on, find a program, change the font, and print a document. Children will also be part of research on the computer. With teacher supervision, children can research questions and find the answers to many of the "why" questions they seek answers for.

The Cultural Center

The Cultural Center is a place for finding a location on a map, trying to pick up cotton balls with chopsticks, or listening to a beautiful song sung in French. Exposing children to cultures different from their own helps children learn to understand and accept differences in people. Our community and our world are made up of many different types of food, music, transportation, clothing, languages, art, celebrations, and traditions. The Cultural Center offers children a peek at the world outside their doors. Playing a game of dominos or mancala strengthens children’s social and math skills, while teaching them that many of the games we use today in our society were originated in other countries and by other cultures. Recognizing flags from different countries and finding the country on the map help children learn geography. Most importantly, The Cultural Center will act as a special place where children in the classroom can share their own culture and traditions through games, activities, family pictures, and children’s own storyboards.