Learning Philosophy | ATypical Day | Our Classroom | Our Curriculum | Our Goal

Learning Philosophy

Children learn through play. This is simply the reality of how our children are hardwired. Link to Just Playing Poem.
At the Village of Brooklin Cooperative Playschool (VBCP) we work hard to create a happy “learning through play” environment that stimulates a child’s natural curiosity, growth, and development. Researchers, time and time again, have continued to arrive at the same conclusion – children learn the best through play. Link to PCPC article At the VBCP, we take pride in providing such an environment where our children are afforded a positive introduction to learning with the opportunity to acquire the skills necessary to facilitate their transition to kindergarten.

A Typical Day

We offer a theme-based curriculum with a new theme each week that is supported and demonstrated through our various “learning centres” .Link to photogallery. Each class follows a daily routine that provides consistency for the children and the chance to familiarize them with school life and the inevitable transitions from activity to activity they will experience. A daily session includes free play, an organized craft activity, learning circle, clean up and bathroom time, a nutritious snack, more free play and music and movement circle.

Our Classroom
The classroom is organized into the following learning centres. Link to photogallery – Book Centre, Gross Motor Manipulative, Dramatic Play, Sesnory, Fine Motor Manipulative and Cognitvie Toys, Art and, lastly, Learning Circle.

It is in these learning centres that children are able to learn as they “play.” Learning centres allow children to explore, construct, and play with materials either alone or in small groups. The activities chosen for each centre are based on observations of the children, what they are interested in, and what we, as teachers, believe they need to learn. Learning centres give children the opportunity to make choices and to work together as they learn.

We also have “Small-Group Time” where the children participate in a teacher-directed activity such as doing a science experiment, or math activity, or focusing on one of our literacy activities such as our alphabet book or finger phonics series. In all programs, small group activities often form spontaneously when a teacher or duty parent begins working with one or two children in a learning center and other children join in.

Our Curriculum

Our curriculum is carefully designed to encourage children to develop socially and become avid learners. A wide variety of developmentally appropriate “hands-on” activities are offered that allow the children to discover and explore at their own pace. We offer additional activities with an emphasis on literacy – including our Alphabet Book, individual Name Books, finger phonics, and monthly take-home activities. We do not believe in forcing preschool aged children to do things they are not interested in as we believe this would be inconsistent with a positive educational experience. While we encourage them to participate in various activities, some children are just not ready or interested. We respect the differences of our students and aim to provide a curriculum that is adaptable to the varying developmental needs and interests of each child. Our hope is that each child will:

• develop an interest in the world around them, to be curious, and expand their knowledge;
• develop a love of music and books;
• gain knowledge of colours, shapes, numbers and letters in a fun, hands-on, play-based environment;
• gain a solid introduction to literacy concepts;
• experiment with paint, sand, clay, water and other sensory materials;
• participate in simple science and nature activities; and
• make a happy transition from home-life to school-life

Our Goal

Our main goal is twofold:

(1) to create a positive learning environment where your child can play, explore, celebrate, learn and share; and,
(2) to provide your child with the foundation required to successfully transition to kindergarten, ready and willing to expand his/her knowledge and skills.

Through play in a school setting that is supervised and guided by experienced and caring teachers, children learn to enter into or initiate play situations with peers, to empathize and care for others, to seek help from peers or adults in solving problems and to use words to identify and resolve conflicts. Building each child’s self-esteem and self-confidence is incorporated into every class and each child is encouraged to care for one another and the environment, further adding to each child’s tool kit for success in “big” school.

We are aware of the requirements of the kindergarten curriculum as detailed by the Ontario government. In light of this, we believe it is essential to expose our children to early literacy concepts in order to give them the solid foundation they need to succeed in kindergarten. Our curriculum offers various activities to support the development of this skill set in our students.