There are plenty of opportunities for playing and working alone and with other children and teachers, as well as several times a day for playing outside. In general, the level of complexity, problem-solving, and the role of the teachers will vary depending upon the developmental needs of the children. There are at least five overall guiding principles that are consistent throughout all the classes at the Children's School, from the youngest group of children to the oldest. We are most influenced by theories of educational practice that describe how children construct their knowledge and differ in their stages of development. The first principle concerns how children learn.
Young children learn best from self-initiated activity with concrete objects.
They build on previous knowledge through repeated experiences. Children who are active in their own learning process make sense of the world for themselves, and construct their own knowledge. Curriculum in our program develops through an interactive process between child, teacher and the environment. In each of the groups there is a balance of teacher-planned activities and those that emerge from the children's and teacher's interests, abilities, goals and objectives. There is a balance between individual, small group and large experiences.