WELCOME!     WELCOME!    WELCOME!

    ENJOY THIS TIME THAT YOUR CHILD
              IS "GROWING " THROUGH!

As adults, we understand that children are more alike than different. Their basic needs are the same in having- safety, love, welcomed/belonging, encouragement, boundaries and interaction. They need to know that you will return once out of their sight. They also need to know the process or details in learning a new concept.

Introductions to new learning experiences for parents and children should be fun and enjoyable. Children have no knowledge of societal competitions. They see a new world and work in all that they do. The new worlds and works are experienced many times in play.

Play is essential, play is fun. Children remind us how much fun adventures can be. The showing of the varied emotions- excitement, surprise, anger, frustration; can come in 7 seconds of a fun adventure. 

Adults view playing stops at around ages 5 or 6, when children go off to the formal environment of education- school and start to learn and can really begin to do things. Playing IS learning! It is also a bridge that connects the adult to the child on the child's level. It may also be a stress reliever for the adult.

There are several types of play that children will encounter:
quiet play (reading a book)
creative play (play dough)
active play (blocks)
cooperative play (pass the ball)
dramatic play (occupations)
manipulative play (crayons)

Children learn by INVOLVING themselves and continually ADAPTING to their environment daily. Children set about learning EVERYTHING! Children should be given the chance to try out what they have learned. 

The following age groupings provide information about the concepts of PLAY:

   0-18 months                                      18 months- 3 years                          3-6 years                       
 manipulation of objects                 exploration                                        problem solving
 exploration                                          fine & gross motor                           form
 perception                                           problem solving                                spacial relations
 shapes/sizes                                        language                                              creativity
 spacial relations                               symbolic representation               social
 movement                                            creativity                                              intellectual
 cognition                                                                                                                language

      ENTRANCE INTO FORMAL ENVIRONMENT OF
                                          EDUCATION

 6-9 years                                          9-12 years
 creative problem solving          social
 social                                                 exploration
 spacial relations                          creative problem solving
 intellectual                                     physical/intellectual
 
We teach through children's way of learning- play, making it creative, exciting, exploring, raising questions of WHY? and finding those answers, correct language usage, loud at times, giving the who, what, when, where, why, how come, what's next, is that all- questions to the children and they learning how to problem solve/critical think- give answers back.    

PLAY IS ESSENTIAL!                           
PLAY IS FUN!   
PLAY IS LEARNING! 
PLAY IS INVOLVEMENT!   
PLAY IS EVERYTHING!  
           
This young reader of 14 months, at the time, has his favorite book. In fact, his first 2 syllable word, beyond mama or dada, was BUBBLES! His favorite 1 syllable word-  BOOK!
We do a LOT of reading. Some will come with a book and demand- READ! or BOOK!. By allowing the children to pick their favorite books, with our tones, facial expressions and lilts of our voices, we assist in our children wanting to read more. There are times when it gets really quiet, that's when the children have decided to READ for themselves.