Concepts and experiences a child achieves in one area can be transferred and applied to other learning areas within the classroom and throughout life. In each learning center the child develops and explores. The following examples provide insight into how play progresses toward learning. Math Children have time to explore a wide variety of materials in order to develop math concepts. They learn concepts and skills in a developmental sequence appropriate to each child.
Teachers change materials to provide experiences with new concepts.
The curriculum encourages experimentation fostering cognitive development through observation, problem solving, questioning, probing, classifying, exploring, and communication. Teachers vary the discovery environment, providing the children with magnets, insect collections, aquariums, balance scales, etc. to keep them actively involved. Cooking experiences allow children to observe the physical changes of ingredients as they are added to a recipe. The teachers make activities and materials available for utilization by individual children and groups of children that create a foundation for reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The child is encouraged to communicate ideas verbally and with writing and pre-writing skills.