As this school year comes to an end, and time sure has flown by, we are already looking ahead to next year and what it has to offer. We have some exciting new additions for the next school year including our 3-day two year old AND 2-day three year old STEAM classes! We currently have a 3-day three-year-old STEAM class as well as 4-day four-year-old class, so it is very exciting that we are getting to expand, and essentially complete, the STEAM program here at the Preschool. For those not familiar with this program, it is our Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math classes that utilize the Outdoor Classroom as their classroom. They spend about 75% of their time outside and 25% inside in the newly designed STEAM Lab and Outdoor Classroom Lab. These classes focus a lot on a child’s sense of wonder about nature, inviting them to explore wildlife and the world around them.
We are very excited to add our two year old STEAM class because this class will focus a lot on sensory play and activities. It is also a chance to introduce children to more outside time at a younger age. We are going to re-design an area in the Outdoor Classroom that is specific for sensory play as well as include time for this class to visit our Mud Pit and other interest areas. Our three year old class will follow similar curriculum as our current 3-day three year old STEAM class, just in a more condensed manner. We are thrilled that we were able to add these options because it gives children a chance to spend more time outside and discover things that they may not have had a chance to in a traditional classroom setting.
The STEAM classes are for all children alike. It fosters a new and innovative kind of learning that is so very important for children these days. As I have mentioned in a blog I wrote earlier in the year about sensory play, it is so crucial for children and their development. There are so many benefits to sensory play as well as being outdoors, so these additional STEAM classes are such a blessing! We are very excited about next year and what is to come!