Learning Centers - Details
Learning Centers enable children:
- To grow and develop at different rates ñ a rate that is governed by his ability, interest and his motivation.
- To actively explore and discover their environment using concrete and sensory materials.
- To develop self-confidence and social skills.
- To develop curiousity and self-reliance.
- To work under the direction of an understanding teacher trained to match the activity and structure of the program to the nature of the child.
Types Of Learning Centers at the school
- Sand Play
- Puzzles
- Art Activities
- Role Playing
- Puppetry
- Block Play
- Water Play
- Reading Loft
- Construction Toys
- Music
Sand Play
The Child:
- Develops co-ordination
- Begins to measure and estimate
- Broadens his sensual experiences
- Learns to share and be a part of a small group
- Discovers the physical properties of wet and dry sand
Puzzles
The child:
- Increases his hand eye co-ordination
- Develops visual perception
- Develops self-confidence
- Develops a more meaningful vocabulary
Art Activities
The child:
- Develops fine motor control
- Works at his own level
- Grows in creative expression
- Develops oral language
- Gradually acquires an awareness of detail
- Has an opportunity to explore and experiment
- Is given an opportunity to plan and organize
- Is able to relate oral language to the printed form
Role Playing
The Child:
- Gains confidence
- Tries out familiar roles
- Makes new friends
- Develops oral language
- Has an opportunity to dramatize
- Learns to share and be a part of a group
- Grows in awareness of himself and others and of community and social rules
Puppetry
The Child:
- Expresses himself through role-playing
- Develops a meaningful vocabulary as he experiments with new words
- Learns to work with others
- Gains confidence
Block Play
The Child:
- Develops oral language
- Releases energy
- Is encouraged to plan and organize
- Develops large muscle co-ordination
- Dramatizes familiar situations and tries out new roles
- Experiments with space, shape and relative size
- Learns to work with others and share materials
- Develops a basis for abstract understandings
Water Play
The Child:
- Develops his sense of touch
- Grows in co-ordination
- Explores properties of water
- Begins to measure and estimate
- Develops in problem solving ability
- Experiences the joy of communicating with others
The Reading Loft
The Child:
- Enlarges his vocabulary
- Develops listening skills
- Learns how to care for books
- Acquires an interest in stories
- Begins to select stories on a basis of interest
- Broadens his background of experiences
- Develops visual perception (i.e., left to right, top to bottom, etc.)
Construction Toys
The Child:
- Clarifies language concepts
- Learns new vocabulary
- Learns to work with others
- Is stimulated to solve problems
- Gradually increases interest span
- Develops small muscle co-ordination
- Experiments with space, shape and relative size
- Is stimulated to create and works at his own level
Music
The child:
- Develops listening skills
- Is stimulated to create in areas of rhythm, melody and movement
- Is encouraged to use sensitive, imaginative and comparative language