Q: What are the learning areas in each classroom?
A:Sensory Area – These activities will allow children the opportunity to explore with their senses. Being able to explore the world through touch, smell, sound, sight and taste is explored at the earliest age and is fostered in all programs at Peekaboo. In this area children will also explore, measure, pour, scoop, squish, pound, listen and talk about their experiences. At times, this is the messiest area, but when it comes to learning mess is best! Children also build skills in language, social, cognitive and small muscle development by experiencing activities that range from water play, creating with playdough to distinguishing between different textures or sounds.
Block Area – This area allows children to work individually or together to create and build block designs that stretch the imagination along with providing opportunities to discuss size, shape, height, weight, cause and effect. Language opportunities are shared everyday as children discuss what they have built, how it can be changed and what shapes and patterns they have made. Math skills are reinforced as children count how many blocks high they can go, or how many different patterns they have created. Infants and toddlers learn quickly that what goes up can also come down. Every day there is a new architectural masterpiece in the block area.
Dramatic Area – In this area, children can build social skills along with sparking the imaginative process. This area allows children to pretend they are anyone and anywhere they wish to be. Language skills also expand as children share past and new experiences with their peers. By dressing up like community helpers or Mom and Dad, children are inspired to re-enact life experiences. Self-help skills are refined as children practice dressing up with a variety of costumes.
Creative Area – Allowing children the opportunity to create and represent their ideas is a learning opportunity occurring every day at Peekaboo. Whether the children are at the easel, or at the table they are fostering their self-expression by using a variety of art materials to create their own personal masterpiece. Fine motor skills are refined in this area as children use small muscles to paint, draw, cut, glue, dab or print with different tools.
Science Area – The world is their playground and the children are able to explore their natural environment in this area with items brought in from the natural world and through daily outdoor experiences. With learning experiences such as weather, seasons and animals, children build their language and curiousity about the world around them. Through age appropriate science experiments, children develop their critical thinking skills through cause and effect.
Book Area – Providing opportunities for children to experience literature and the joy of reading is found in every classroom. With infants beginning to identify pictures, toddlers naming colours, shapes and familiar objects, preschoolers beginning to identify sounds, rhyming and letter recognition through to kindergarten and the foundation of reading. The book area provides a quiet area of the classroom where a child can relax on a pillow or couch and get lost in their favourite book.
Circle Area – Learning to participate in group activities is a fundamental skill for children and one that will they will benefit from in their journey of learning. Each day in every program, the children will participate in a circle activity where they learn to take turns, listen to others and share ideas. Opportunities for stories, songs and fingerplays are embedded in each circle, along with the review of the daily calendar. Other circle activities include Jolly Phonics, literacy and math activities that are so enjoyable, the children may not even realize how much they are learning each and every day.
Table Activities – Along with defined areas, each Peekaboo classroom provides activities that the children can explore that promote learning in reading, math, small muscle, memory and language skills. Table activities can include puzzles, matching and sorting games, manipulatives such as connectors, lacing cards, pegboards, small blocks, magnetic letters and numbers or stacking toys. Learning through experimentation and successfully completing a toy encourages children to problem solve independently.
At Peekaboo, Learning through Play is an experience shared by all the children regardless of age or ability. Enhancing children’s experiences by offering new and exciting opportunities each and every day can be seen in any of our programs. We encourage all our families to spend time in our programs and share in your child’s learning experiences.
