Early Childhood Curriculum Overview

Our Idea of Play

Play is not only the child's real work in life, it is the foundation of creativity yet to come. For the young child, play is a way of understanding the world and it is vital for healthy emotional and intellectual development. The inner forces of imagination, creativity, and flexibility, which are developed during play, become the capabilities for later learning in school, career, and life.

The Space

The physical environment plays a central role. The rooms are beautifully decorated and calm. Natural materials in both the decor and toys welcome the children to creative and imaginative play with endless possibilities.

Rhythm

A consistent rhythm of every day life, songs, poems, and circle games enliven and strengthen the children's natural creativity and provide the content for high quality of play. Stories are told, not read, and come to life through the imagination that the children bring to them. Fairy tales and puppet shows allow the children to feel secure in a world where good triumphs over bad.

Seasonal festivals and nature walks foster a meaningful connection with the natural world. The teacher takes special care to have a daily and weekly rhythm of activities that gives the children time for both structure and spontaneity.

Why Play Is So Important

• Want to get your kids into college? Let them play.
  By Erika Christakis and Nicholas Christakis, 
  Special to CNN, December 29, 2010 7:57 a.m. EST
  
  

• Effort to Restore Children's Play Gains Momentum

  January 5, 2011 New York Times article by Hilary Stout

    

• Can the Right Kinds of Play Teach Self-Control?  New York Times Sunday Magazine (Sept
  2009) article by Paul Tough

• Kindergarten Cram.  New York Times Sunday Magazine (April 2009) essay by Peggy Orenstein

• Crisis in the Kindergarten: A New Report on the Disappearance of Play (March 2009) Alliance for Childhood, a non-profit research & advocacy organization

• The 3 R’s? A Fourth is Crucial Too: Recess, New York Times Health Section (Feb 2009) article by Tara Parker-Pope

• The Serious Need for Play, Scientific American (Feb 2009) article by Melinda Wenner

• U.S. School Children Need Less Work More Play, Michael Conlon reports on a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (Jan 2009)

• Pressure Cooker Kindergarten, Boston Globe Sunday Magazine (Aug 2008) Article by Patty Hartigan