Preschool - Two Year Olds
Environment
Our environment facilitates pretend play and allows children to express individual creativity both in the indoor and outdoor classrooms. In our Outdoor Classroom, our two year olds enjoy access to a large sand play area, a mud kitchen, a marimba, steel drums, bongo drums, a large climbing structure, a playhouse, a wooden play hut, and the opportunity to participate in structured, small group activities. They are involved in growing vegetables and plants. In the spring, they plant seeds inside and tend them as they sprout. When the weather warms up, they transplant them to one of our outdoor gardens and continue to tend and observe them. Our program also features a variety of specialized tables that teach the children about light, water properties, and encourage other sensory experiences.
Curriculum
Our two year old curriculum is created with the knowledge that hands on exploration is the young child’s preferred mode of learning. Lessons that are physically experienced (hands on) have a more immediate and longer lasting impact. The more senses that are used during the learning process, the more information is retained. The curriculum incorporates teacher-facilitated experiences and child-led exploration, as well as imaginative play. There is a strong correlation between the time children are engaged in play and the time when the brain is making the most connections.
Out of the Classroom and Into the World
Beginning in the Two's Classroom, all children at Peoples Church Preschool enjoy multiple field trips each year. The majority of the field trips taken by the Two's Classroom are within walking distance from our location. Examples include the MSU Bug House, the East Lansing Public Library, along the Red Cedar River to feed the ducks, and a ride on a CATA bus. In addition, the Two’s enjoy a number of classroom visitors, such as members of the East Lansing Police and Fire Departments.