At Rosie's Playschool, we believe that young children learn best when using fun, hands-on experiences during play. Children explore the world around them by using all five of their senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing). We know how important it is to provide children with choices that stimulate thinking and encourage experimenting with the world that they live in. Many parents are concerned that their children are not learning because they are not sitting down with paper and pencil practicing their numbers and letters. We know that if children are rushed into academic learning too soon, they may get burnt-out by the time that they enter kindergarten and may lose their enthusiasm for learning. We also know that children who are given plenty of time to explore, discover, and play become more independent and inquisitive learners.

Our goal at Rosie's Playschool is to provide your child the opportunity to have meaningful play each and every day. Your child will acquire learning skills and the ability to solve problems, which will help them be successful, not only as they enter the school environment, but in their family and social lives as well. The best part is that children are having so much fun that they don't even realize that all of this learning is taking place.

The following examples will describe typical activities and the skills that your child will develop from practicing them.

• When a child puts blocks in a bucket and then dumps them out, he is beginning to understand size, weight, and numbers (implementing math and science concepts).
• When a child uses wooden blocks and animals to create a farm, she is recreating the world around her (using geography and social skills).
• When a child balances one block on top of another, he is using great muscle control (developing physical coordination).
• When a child puts on dress-up clothes and pretends to be grown-up, he is using small motor skills (aiding in self-help and writing skills) and is using abstract thinking.
• When a child puts pegs in the pegboard, she is using great hand/eye coordination (establishing reading and writing readiness).
• When a child gathers paper, scissors, glue, and other supplies for a project, she is planning and carrying out a task (promoting good study habits and independence).
• When a child scribbles on paper, he is using writing as a means of communication (forwarding reading and writing readiness).
• When a child listens to a story and talks about what happened, she is learning to love reading, remember details, and to express ideas (expanding language development).