early years
Nature calls all of us and toddlers are the greatest explorers on the planet!
overview
Ages 18 to 23 months
Location
Garden Campus, 374 Hicks Road, Nashville TN 37221
hours
8:00am to 3:00pm
a glimpse of a typical day
Outdoor Exploration & Physical Activity
Our great explorers begin the day in the garden. They are busy in the mud kitchen, digging and moving sand, chasing balls up and down the gully, and will not miss an opportunity to jump in puddles.
We water the plants and make installation art with all the natural materials.
Catching their breath they sit or lay down and observe the microcosms around them. They notice intricate insect tracts, gentle spider webs, and the calls of so many birds. Pointing in many directions, we talk about this rich life and it does not take long for their vocabulary to expand.
Relationship Building & Creative Expression
People are social from birth. Yes it takes a lifetime to learn to communicate, but in this space our young learners do not merely parallel play. They constantly interact with each other and their teachers. They share interests and notice common goals. Sometimes this leads to conflict, and these are the greatest learning opportunities to grow self expression and empathy.
Soon they learn each other’s body language and they look deep into the other’s eyes and down there make plans to take over the world! They laugh and execute, and we love to see such conspiracies unfold.
There are few joys greater than making a mess with friends. What can we do with this paint? These crayons and markers are so vibrant and the table so beige. You can’t have too much mud! The time in the art studio is another opportunity to play with diverse materials. Did you say shaving cream? We love the magnetic sand!
They also learn about rules to make the group function respectfully and participate in the responsibility of cleaning up.
Hands-on Learning
Building blocks go up and come down.
Puzzles are made and undone a dozen times.
Move your body to music with song and dance patterns.
Manipulate objects and make your hands strong.
We count and we rhyme and we roll things around.
We read books and we tell stories and we start to feel hungry and tired.
We enjoy a snack together mid morning and lunch is a time to talk about beautiful foods and practice sitting and using some utensils with purposeful hand eye coordination.
Toddlers visit the bathroom one at a time and participate in their diapering/toileting process.
Afternoon Rest
After lunch, children nap.
Following rest time, they wake slowly to read books and they play.
Where Little Feet Take Big Steps!
Curiosity, Connection, and Care – A playful path to lifelong learning.
