We do not cook to learn, but we learn so much while cooking in toddlers’ class!

February 21, 2019February 21, 2019 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Cooking is one of kids most favorable activities in school. Apart from being a great life-derived play, cooking assists toddlers to get acquainted with a good number of skills.

Getting in touch with math, for example, in the age of 2.5 y.o is greatly achieved through cooking. Children start to understand what does it mean “two spoonful of sugar” or “4 eggs”.

Their fine motor skills also are greatly enhanced, as well as their decision making skills. “Which goes first, the oil or the cheese?” The purpose is not to give them answers, but encourage them to think for themselves.

As it always goes on play: we do not cook to learn, but we learn so much while cooking!

On a free will basis

January 29, 2019January 29, 2019 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

In a truly play-based environment, every single item can be transformed into a hat, a shoe, a wheel or a stool. That is why our spaces often look like junkyards!

Children should feel completely free to engage into play with anything that exists around, no matter what it may be; so they imagine, innovate, combine, cooperate and develop independent thinking, on a free will basis.

So much learning on fruit play

February 18, 2017 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Talking about winter fruits in our English pre-k class. We introduced new vocabulary by giving fresh fruit to the children to feel, smell and taste. With their eyes closed they were able to identify and name them all!

Then, we made a fruit salad. After we ate it all we played games in the yard.

We rolled plastic fruit to see how far they can go…

….hang them high and tried to hit them with improvised bats.

We also had a real grocery store set up in our dramatic play area!

The next day we decided to make smoothies. We came up with a recipe….

….executed it and decided whether we like it or not!

(by Claire Hadjinikolaou, English teacher in Athens school)

“Can we have one more party tomorrow, please?”

January 9, 2017 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Returning from Christmas Holidays, pre-Ks started describing how they spent Christmas time. Each one had a story to tell about relatives visiting his/her house or about a beautiful gathering at a friend’s home.