What:

Smartkids Creative Explorers is an innovative day program for 3-4 year-olds that combines play-based creative time with hands-on, discovery-based activities to provide a developmentally appropriate program that builds the social, emotional, physical and intellectual development of our children.

Our activities foster language arts, reading, math, science, creativity and social/emotional/physical development. We know that when we provide these activities at the appropriate level and in a nurturing environment, our children will take their next steps well prepared and with their natural thirst for knowledge intact.

How:

Our program provides a rich classroom environment where children are encouraged to explore and discover, while making friends and developing self-confidence. They strengthen their cognitive skills with fun memory games, improve their fine motor skills with Lego constructions, develop their language and communication through interactive discovery circles, build gross motor skills while playing in the discovery garden, and increase an awareness of how things work by observing science experiments.  In addition, children learn by “doing” meaningful activities that reinforce a natural love of learning.

Features:

• Monthly thematic units encourage curiosity, social development and confidence

• Science and math skills are developed through hands-on experiences and exploration

• Daily language experiences support early literacy and language development

• Motors skills are encouraged daily to support physical fitness and coordination

• Observation-based assessments are presented to demonstrate your child's progress

• Portfolios are collected to share your child's work and capture learning

• Regular communication with mentors to ensure parents are informed

smart goals:

Smartkids content and activities are guided by our Smart Goals, which help to ensure we are providing a holistic and unique learning experience. Children are encouraged to:

	Creativity & Imagination: Showcase their abundant creativity and imagination through dramatic play, music, and art. Creative activity develops imagination and independence, and fosters confidence.
	Communication & Language: Develop a love of books and storytelling through language games and songs, story time, and a library corner. In addition, pre-reading and pre-writing skills will be addressed in a fun and discovery-based manner, ensuring a continued interest in reading.
	Math Skills: Feel comfortable with and explore objects of different shapes, sizes, and colors, and begin identifying and discriminating.  As a result, children will be introduced to the rich world of numbers, including sorting, grouping, and counting, as well as more advanced math skills.
	Physical Development: Develop their large motor skills, such as running, jumping, throwing, and kicking. They will also practice coordination skills needed for writing, drawing, cutting, and other activities.
	Social & Personal: Become independent members of the group while also playing alongside others and participating in larger group activities.  In addition, children will be given opportunities to explore different materials and to take risks while exploring and discovering, therefore, increasing their independence and confidence.
	Discovery: Explore their immediate environment through observations and hands-on activities to investigate how different ‘things’ work and to start discovering ‘why’.  Children will be motivated to ask stimulating questions and will be given the tools for finding their own answers.

SCHEDULE

Creative Explorers Day program consists of one class for children ages 3-4 years.  The maximum capacity of the class is 6 children – giving a child to mentor ratio of 6:1.  The class will utilize the entire Creative Explorers floor, which consists of a Lego & play room, science & art room, and a computer lab. In addition to the classroom space, children will use the Discovery Garden, which has been designed to encourage play, games, and exploration. 

The Creative Explorers Day program consists of:

• a half-day program (9:30 – 12:30) including seasonal fruit snack and hot lunch
• a full day program  (9:30 – 3:30) including a seasonal fruit snack, hot lunch, and cookie snack

DAILY ROUTINE:

9:30 – 9:45 GARDEN TIME

9:45 – 10:00 CIRCLE TIME (DISCOVERY & STORIES)

10:00 – 10:30 ACTIVITY TIME (RANGE OF ACTIVITES)

10:30– 10:45  SNACK TIME 

10:45 – 11:00 GARDEN TIME

11:00– 11:30  ACTIVITY TIME (LEGO & PUZZLES)

11:30 – 12:00 ACTIVITY TIME (ART & SCIENCE) 

12:30 – 12:45 GARDEN TIME

12:45 – 1:00 AFTERNOON CIRCLE TIME (LANGUAGE FOCUS)

1:00 – 1:30  ACTIVITY TIME (DRAMA & ARTS)

1:30 – 2:00 GARDEN AND CREATIVE TIME

2:00 – 2:30 ACTIVITY TIME (LEGO & PUZZLES)

2:30 – 3:00 ACTIVITY TIME (ART & SCIENCE)

3:00 – 3:30 SNACK & GARDEN TIME

WHY:

We all know that playing is fun, but it turns out that there are significant benefits to active and creative play besides simply having a good time.

This theory dates back to Sigmund Freud, who said that play is a means for children to master situations safely and engage in “wish fulfillment”. Psychologist Erik Erikson similarly stated that as children develop, play creates lifelike challenges and situations in which children can practice understanding and learn the consequences of their actions.

Furthermore, today many child development experts believe that children who don’t engage in regular active play may suffer as adults. It seems that not playing enough may result in an adult poorly equipped to perform well mentally, socially and physically. Play has a very definite purpose. Studies have shown that it’s a major factor in the appropriate social, emotional, mental and physical development of children. Through play children develop such valuable skills as: imagination and creativity, problem solving, empathy for others, the ability to cooperate and solve problems with peers.

At smartkids, we believe Children don’t have to be force-fed to learn; they are motivated by their own desire to give sense to their own world.  In Creative Explorers, your child will be encouraged to not only to play and imagine, but also to explore, discover and create meaningful objects and experiences during activity times. Combined with award wining educational equipment, a spacious learning environment, and a leader in constructionist education, we believe smartkids offers a unique and creative alternative for your child’s early learning experience. 

2007 – 2008 monthly themes:

Creative Explorers Day program content is divided into monthly themes, from which more specific topics and activities are explored.

REGISTRATION

Please contact us for more information.

"Circuits in different regions of the brain mature at different times. As a result, different circuits are most sensitive to life's experiences at different ages. Give your children the stimulation they need when they need it, and anything's possible. Stumble and all bets are off." –Newsweek

Creative Explorers day program themes and summaries: