Our Curriculum

At The Children’s Studio, the learning environment is “the third teacher”. Each area of our indoor and outdoor classroom space is thoughtfully designed to promote exploration, problem solving, and collaboration. While we do pay careful attention to the seasons and incorporate the changing world in our classroom, we do not follow a set scope and sequence for the year. Rather we are keen observers of children’s changing interests and wonderings and we quickly adapt to incorporate appropriate materials and opportunities to further their exploration. This is what is meant by “child-led”. Below is a sampling of the learning experiences children will engage in, depending on the interests and needs of the group.

Guided exploration activities include:

Daily group time with songs, finger plays, stories, and games to build community, phonemic awareness, and cultural literacy
Daily music time
Snack time- a time for conversation about taste, texture, preferences, and kind manners
Art projects- these are opportunities for children to practice with different materials and express themselves. Everyone’s creation will look different!
Cooking projects- we cook together as a class frequently throughout the year

Free exploration activities include:

a large block area
an art and writing center where children draw, paint, cut, glue, trace, and use a wide and ever-changing variety of materials to communicate ideas and create visual art
a sensory table with a variety of materials to scoop and pour

a water table with varying equipment to explore
a dramatic play area that changes depending on the children’s current loves- sometimes it’s a vet center, sometimes a grocery store, sometimes a post office or a school or a house
A science area where kids observe flowers, insects, rocks…anything that catches their interest that we can bring into the school for further conversation
Puzzles
Magnets

Games for one player or multiple
Play dough
A wide variety of manipulatives for counting, sorting, and building patterns
Our big outdoor play space includes a teeter-totter airplane, a sandbox, a climber, and lots of wild nature for children to tromp around, experimenting with risk, balance, speed, and height