Child Initiated Learning
Hampton Preschool provides a high quality developmentally appropriate early childhood education program which attends to individual learning styles of children. The play-based curriculum is well-rounded and child initiated, emerging from the needs and interests of the children. Teachers closely observe and carefully listen to children to better understand what they wonder about, care about and think about. By building upon this information, in an organized and thoughtful way, teachers can create ways to provoke curiosity. New materials are continuously added to the classroom in unexpected ways or in unusual relationships to provoke children to further explore. These materials are considered to be provocations. Sometimes, a successful provocation will develop into a project that may extend over many weeks. The term project or project work refers to a series of activities based on a particular topic of interest undertaken by several of the children. Projects evolve as deeply and for as long as the children remain interested. At the Hampton Preschool projects become a primary part of our curriculum. Children learn through the process of investigation, observation and instruction. Therefore, the focus is on the process not the product. Project work is an approach that empowers children to actively take charge of their own learning resulting in learning becoming more meaningful.
Play Time
At the preschool stage in life, play is the purest most spiritual activity of man. A playing child is free, content and at peace with the world. Research shows that when children experience rich play it strongly enhances their dexterity and grace, promotes social skills, sharpens cognitive and language skills, develops number and time concepts, promotes spatial understanding and reasoning of cause and effect. Meaningful play enriches children’s sensory and aesthetic appreciation extends attention span, persistence, and sense of mastery and helps relieve and release emotions.
At the Hampton Preschool we consider indoor and outdoor playtime to be one of the most important parts of our day. Our play is social, creative and constructive. During this time, the role of the teacher is to be an observer, give comfort and coach and follow the lead of the child. Our observant teachers can shape almost any play into an opportunity for learning and development.
Not only does much learning occur through the course of play, but there is learning through the relationships that are promoted through play. Relationships between children and teachers become more equal as teachers become partners in both play and children’s investigations. This provides teachers with the ideal opportunity to model many intangible qualities, such as love, peace, caring, character, respect, life-long learning and nonviolent conflict resolution.
Environment as Another Teacher
At the Hampton Preschool the quality of life within the classroom reflects a homelike closeness associated with family. We render the classroom to be beautiful, healthy and comfortable, yet sturdy enough to stimulate investigation and flexible enough to change in response to the demands of active learners. The centers are arranged to be separate spaces for different functions to create individual areas for children; much like the rooms in a home. We believe it is essential for young children to find places to curl up by themselves, or in the arms of a teacher, to look at a book; as well as places for them to be more active and part of the class-community. Our classroom is sensitively organize to create an environment which minimizes conflict and promotes respect for self, others and materials; an environment that inspires children to create and act purposefully with concentration and enthusiasm. We consider the classroom to be unique and inventive where children’s’ imaginations and ideas flourish through expression.