Teaching Philosophy
We know that children learn best by "doing". Therefore, the activities the children participate in are concrete, hands-on, and encourage participation, but most of all fun, because we believe that learning is an exciting experience. Furthermore, we know that children also learn through play; because of this we do not under estimate its importance on a growing child's mind, body and spirit. Therefore, the children in our care receive lots of both free-play and structured-play throughout each day. During structured-play we primarily only have one group of toys or activity out at a time in order to allow the children to concentrate fully on each thing they do. Our intent is to provide each child in our care with a perfect balance of play-time and learning experiences throughout each day. Each child is given the opportunity to develop at his or her own pace in a setting that is challenging, enjoyable, and instills a lifelong love of learning.
Play Time
In many early childhood programs the climate lately has been towards more education and skills training. However, young children also need plenty of time to play, to explore their world, and to learn social skills. We offer this for your child, by providing a balance between structured and unstructured activities and by recognizing that all children are born with a desire to explore, discover, and learn. The most effective means of accomplishing this is through their play, because we believe that it is through play, that children learn best. Play is critical to the healthy growth and development of children. Children develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically through play. Children learn through play, because they are engaged in what they are doing. When children are having fun they are interested and open to new ideas and thoughts. As children play, they learn to solve problems, to get along with others and take turns, negotiate, and to develop the fine and gross motor skills needed to grow and learn. Play is how children experience their world and bring meaning to it. It models the social framework that builds relationships for life and inspires imagination.
In play, children can experiment freely, they can pretend to be different people and take on new roles (like mommy, or daddy, fire fighter, or even their favorite animal). Because play gives children the opportunity to pretend, it gives them the ability to see the world from different perspectives. In play, children can sort and organize all kinds of materials and use objects at hand to represent other objects. How many times have you heard your child hold up an object and say, "Pretend this is (an airplane, a flower, a doggie, etc.)?" The ability to make believe with objects is important in the development of children's thinking. Play is also one of the most powerful tools children have to express their thoughts and feelings.
As children grow, different developmental stages are manifested in their play. At about the age of two, children pretend to cry, sleep, and eat. Then they begin to include stuffed animals, dolls, and other toys in their play. They also begin to pretend with objects - a box becomes a car or a block can be a telephone. When children are about three years old, they like to play make-believe with others. As children grow their play becomes more complex. The play of four and five year olds is focused on taking on different roles, especially those of adults in their lives. These play adventures tend to focus on their experiences at home. Children pretend to cook, clean, care for younger children, go off to work, etc. This kind of play helps children make sense of their world and work through any fears or anxieties in a safe context.
Kathys Nest Daycare is successful in part because children learn through play....pretend play, playing games, and active playing. We do not under estimate the importance of play-time on a growing child's mind, body and spirit. Therefore, the children under our care receive lots of both free-play and structured-play throughout each day. During structured-play we primarily have only one group of toys or activity out at a time in order to allow the children to concentrate fully on each thing they do. Age appropriate activities are scheduled with the flexibility allowed to respond to the needs of each individual child and their various ages. Activities that we and the children participate in, include, but are not limited to the following.
Indoor Activities Include
Books and story-time, Legos, circle-time, tumbling exercises, music and dancing and singing, dress up, play food, interactive stuffed animals, cars/trucks/planes, arts and crafts, puzzles, flash cards, animals/dinosaurs, trains, musical instruments, balls, dolls, various learning toys, various games, bean bag toss, blocks, large beads and string, song games, coloring, sing along story books, painting, science, and puppets.
Outdoor Activities Include
Climbing, sliding, jumping, running, balls, racing, parachute, catch, bubbles, follow the leader, squirt bottles, ride-on toys, wagons, tunnels, safe water toys, various games, water table, painting, neighborhood walks, exploring nature/weather, soccer, and yes falling. As you know, children play hard and will get some bumps and bruises from time to time. We do our best to limit the amount of times this occurs, with constant supervision and watchful eyes. Due to the safe environment/toys we have surrounded ourselves with, we hope to prevent any injuries before they can happen. During the summer months (June, July and August) we allow for more outdoor activities and creative art projects. Weather permitting, we play outdoors every day.
Periodic/Seasonal Activities Include
Santa Clause and his Elf make a yearly visit, as does the Easter Bunny and subsequent Easter Egg Hunt, Valentine's Day card exchange, occasionally local Dentists visit to educate and demonstrate the importance of oral hygiene, we celebrate the children's Birthday Parties.
Communication
Parents are their children's first teachers; therefore we honor your role as a parent and as the first and most important teacher in your child's life. We support this relationship by providing educational opportunities that help each child reach important developmental milestones. Through nurturing and individualized attention, we take great care to provide a safe, secure, and fun learning environment for your child. We feel that good communication between parent and provider is a very important part of a quality daycare. Because of this, we are committed to creating a strong bond with you and your child, helping to ensure the best start to your child's life.
Our Goal
Our goal is to make learning for all ages fun and non-intimidating, by encouraging laughter and provoking smiles, ensuring that each child in our care feels safe, loved, and happy. We offer developmentally appropriate activities, designed to help the whole child grow and develop socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually. Our goal is to give each child in our care a solid and well-rounded skill base to help prepare them with a strong beginning in life. We strive to foster creativity and to instill joy in learning; to provide a place where children are encouraged to play and challenged to learn. We feel that both you and your child will be as enthusiastic as we are about our program.
Infant/Young Toddler
Children ages 1 to 24 months receive loving, nurturing attention in spacious rooms offering tranquility, stimulation, and fun age-specific activities engaging their natural curiosity. We offer an inviting and caring atmosphere for infants and toddlers to explore their continually expanding world around them. We provide an environment filled with responsive interactions and positive reinforcement; an individualized approach that meets the developmental needs of each child. Our intent is to give your child a place where they can feel safe and happy and can begin to build confidence and a positive self image. Our goal is to stimulate and challenge your infant or toddler by constantly singing, talking, holding, and playing with them. We continually tell your child what we are going to do to them before we do it (i.e. diaper changes, feeding, etc). This gives your infant or toddler a sense of control in their otherwise fully dependent lives. We always interact at their level, and every sound and movement your child makes is met with a warm response: a word, a smile, and a touch, thereby, nurturing a foundation for development and helping to enable your child to reach their full potential.
Your baby's first year of life is an amazing time, filled with discovery and enormous growth. Infants learn an abundance of new skills each day, such as how to imitate sounds and facial expressions, pulling, reaching and grasping objects, smiling and laughing. These milestones are not only key events of an infant's development, but they are also stepping stones for abilities to come like crawling, walking, and talking. We build on these skills learned as an infant, by encouraging problem solving, cooperation, language, and social skills. We celebrate and embrace each developmental milestone with enthusiasm, persistence, and joy. As your child grows and becomes more independent, they begin to make the transition from an infant to a toddler. Children at this age are inventors, builders, problem solvers, discoverers and dreamers. They learn about the world around them as they take things apart and put them back together. We give your toddler the necessary tools they need to aid them in accomplishing their goals; thereby, helping to lay the foundation for all intellectual and emotional development to follow.
We offer an infant/young toddler curriculum provided to us by Mother Goose Time (a professionally planned curriculum designed to be used in childcare homes and centers.) This on-going program is offered Monday through Friday and is both entertaining and educational. Your child will enjoy activities ranging from art and craft projects to games, songs, finger plays, storytelling, creative dramatics, exercises, science, shapes, numbers, colors, alphabet, and much more through various monthly themes. Some of these projects will be taken home to share with you, and others will be group activities that you can ask about. We know that children learn best by “doing”. Therefore, the activities the children participate in are developmentally appropriate, concrete, hands-on, and most of all fun, because we believe that learning is an exciting experience. Mother Goose Time fulfills the Head Start Domain Elements, Standards, and Indicator Guidelines and is consistent with the National Association for the Education of Young Children Guidelines for curriculum content.
We also work on and with the following: throughout each day we practice on large and small motor skills by reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, climbing, throwing, catching, kicking, cooing and talking; which ever developmental stage your child happens to be in at the time. Infants and toddlers learn through play by utilizing flash cards, books, numbers, shapes, colors, the alphabet, stacking blocks, puppets, age-appropriate toys, and much more. We encourage participation, but the child will not be forced to participate. Most importantly, our goal is to make learning fun, and non-intimidating.
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Through encouragement we help each child in our care to build confidence and a positive self image, with constant clapping, hugging, and praise for their every accomplishment.
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Throughout each day we practice on reaching, grasping, rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, walking, climbing, throwing, catching, kicking, cooing and talking; which ever developmental stage your child happens to be in at the time.
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Infants and toddlers learn through play by utilizing flash cards, books, numbers, shapes, colors, the alphabet, stacking blocks, puppets, age-appropriate toys, and much more.
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We provide a clean and well organized environment for your infant and toddler to develop safely.
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Our child friendly backyard is equipped with lots of fun and safe age-appropriate playing equipment, which helps to build large motor skills.
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By constantly listening, talking, describing objects, actions and their meanings, we help to expand your child's ever-growing vocabulary.
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Books are always available for the children to look at, and story-time is presented many times throughout each day, allowing infants and toddlers to experience the magic and wonder of books.
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Through music, song and dance we foster self-expression and creative movement; while encouraging group interaction, cooperation, and sharing.
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Your child is encouraged to play and explore to promote cognitive and motor skills.
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Mother Goose Time fulfills the Head Start Domain Elements, Standards, and Indicator Guidelines and is consistent with the National Association for the Education of Young Children Guidelines for curriculum content
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