Many studies had proven what many of us had already assumed: early childhood education is important. Teachers are doing more than arts and crafts throughout the day. They actually provide structure and help children grow in their reading and writing skills, teach science and help children understand themselves.
Preschool lays the foundation for children to understand what “school” actually is. Teachers use a variety of methods to help them grow cognitively, as well as conceptually. A positive relationship with a preschool teacher can make an exponential difference in a child’s success as they continue through elementary school and on! It is at this stage in life (more than any other stage) that children are learning through osmosis and imitation. The person they emulate most is their preschool teacher.
Now-a-days children are bombarded with excessive sensory stimulation because our daily lives have become highly digitized. They are bombarded with imagery that is beyond their experience and, often times, their understanding. As a result, the imagination slows down. A preschool teacher can play an important role in reversing these effects simply by providing the child time for free play and maximizing those teachable moments. During free play, the child can explore, learn through observation, trial and error, and much more!
At Little Investigators, our students are given plenty of time to use their imagination to play. Children play games that reflect their real lives, our teachers spend time every day sitting near the children as they play and observe. These observations are then used to guide our project themes’ activities. We take the time to scaffold children’s ideas by asking open ended questions that help the children solve a problem.
Project Based Learning is all about research, this is where most of the learning takes place.
“It looks like it has a mouth opening!”
“It looks like panda bear ears!”
“If someone cuts the root, will it die?”
Children are encouraged to talk about what they are seeing and doing, to ask questions, and then conduct research to find an answer.
Little Investigators’ teachers’ role is always complex, regardless of the PBL theme or the age of the students. In general, the focus is to help our students understand what they already know more deeply and accurately while strengthening their dispositions to continue to learn throughout life.
We are currently enrolling for fall 2021. Schedule your site tour now, space is filling up quickly.