Growing Places: A Creative Alternative to Preschool

Your child is old enough to go to preschool, and conventional wisdom pressures you to enroll your child in a program. But are you ready to take that step? Is your child ready for the structure of a traditional program?

There are many choices available, and each program is as individual as your child. Growing Places Creative Learning Center offers an enrichment program for preschoolers that is unique in many ways:

• The multi-age class size is limited to six or eight children.
• The children's garden and garden-based curriculum will teach your child environmental responsibility, and about his or her place in the web of life. The garden is designed, planted, cared for, and harvested by the children.
• A strong art program will nurture your child's creativity while it fosters learning. Children develop a familiarity with the use of basic tools, materials, and processes (scissors, glue, papers, drawing materials, paint, printmaking, clay, collage, sculpture, etc.).
• Your child will be introduced to the world of music through song, rhythm experiences, movement, and exposure to many types of music.
• Community involvement is central to our program. Community service activities will teach your child that she or he is important and has something to offer to society.
• Growing Places encourages family involvement through special events and activities to which parents, siblings, and grandparents are invited. Parent-child activities, play groups for toddlers, and the Parent Center offer an opportunity for friendship and support.
• Families from surrounding communities are most welcome!

The Growing Places Experience

There are two fairly universal responses to being at Growing Places: "I didn't know I could do that!" and a long sigh of relief. One walks into the building to see children's artwork and lovely murals on the wall. Beautiful, soothing music (world, classical, new age) drifts through, and the stress just seems to drain away. (There is a noticeable difference in the level of contentment and focus in the children when the music is not playing as they arrive!)

The roomy environment is designed to give children opportunities to be involved in a variety of ways, offering specific areas for intellectual activities (puzzles, games, exploration); creative development (art); active play (balls and hoola hoops, musical activity, make believe); and relaxation with the quiet comfort of books and casual conversation. "This feels like home," sighs one child contentedly.

Growing Places highlights the beauty that exists in our natural world. We feel that children need to be exposed to and made aware of the beauty in their world through music, beautiful art, and nature. Its calming influence helps lead to self-knowledge and open mindedness. Self-knowledge leads to self-acceptance. A clear sense of personal talents and preferences leads to greater ability for self-nurturing, and less likelihood to seek outside gratification through the use of chemicals and other destructive behavior.

Units and broad themes are seasonal and based on children's interests. There may be an initial plan for the day, but if the children become involved with a particular project of their own choosing, the focal point for the day may change dramatically.

While sequenced activities are scheduled so the children know what to expect, flexibility is critical as needs and interests of the children are identified: a large block of time may be required to complete a certain activity, or it may definitely not time for a story! Reading, play and snack time are the constants in our activities, around which music, art, field trips, and other activities revolve.

Each group of children has it's own personality, and where some groups thrive on make-believe, others love to make music, hang out with a good book, or do explorations in science. During the first several weeks of a new term the emphasis is on free play, allowing the children to get to know one another and their environment. The teacher observes, mediates as necessary, and identifies child and group needs and preferences.

During free play, in an effort to minimize the distraction of too many choices, there is a select group of toys and activities placed around the room. The children help decide which activities will be available the next time they come. Different groupings of toys allow for more creativity in the use of them (e.g. train tracks with dinosaurs, or pattern blocks with plastic critters). Rotation of toys allows for new excitement when playthings that have not been seen for a while are made available once again. As the children mature and progress developmentally, they are able to use the toys and puzzles in new ways that they could not have imagined just a few months earlier.

Curriculum

Fall

* Life cycle: plants and insects
* Fire Safety
* Change of seasons
hibernation and migration
harvest and food preparation
(kitchen safety)
* Thanks + Giving
* Community
* Celebrations

Winter

* Winter Life
* All About Me
* Family
* Friendship
* Community

Spring

* Environment (Earth Day)
* Final Project

Summer

* Art
* Nature
* World

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