Come "play" Parent participation has always been a big part of PIC. There are always jobs offered around the center, on the Board and its working committees, and in classrooms. In the Sunshine room, we love when parents come and participate in our classroom. We always have parents with awesome jobs...
written by Bucky Stanton Imaginary World Club My favorite club to offer at PIC is the Imaginary World Club (IMC). For students, imagining a world does not mean that they must take a hyper realistic approach to world building with intricate Tolkien-esque lore. Rather the primary aim of the club is to...
I did it all by myself! As the season has shifted solidly into winter we spend a lot more time in the classroom preparing for the weather. Each time we go out we have many, many more layers and often we change from shoes to boots. Not only do the children get to experience the wonder of winter, but...
Let’s start a band It all began when we read, Max Found Two Sticks , by Brian Pinkney. We noticed that a persistent tap-tap-tapping started to emerge on a daily basis in our class. Feeling inspired by the story, Grasshoppers found sticks themselves to test out the sounds of various surfaces in our...
Let there be light The Doodlebugs are exploring lights, shadows and reflections in our Reggio inspired learning environment. Our study of light has given the children the opportunity to discover beyond our typical play experiences. We used an overhead projector to focus our attention on the...
Literacy means love For many, the term early literacy calls to mind learning one’s letters and deciphering printed words. While those skills are certainly an important part of literacy, there is much more to it than being able to tell a Q from an O. Literacy encompasses four parts; listening...
Why set limits? As parents and caregivers, we see places where our children struggle and we want to give them a helping hand to move forward. One of the most effective tools to help a child who has gotten stuck in a particular spot is by setting a limit. When an adult sets a firm, loving limit, and...
Clubs: Choices and Challenges One of the best things about PIC's After School Center is the depth of our club curriculum. The variety of clubs is determined by children's interests and staff talents. Teachers and students are often exploring topics together, learning as they go. Here is a sampling...
written by Rainbows Lead Teacher Joanne Browley Loose Parts, Provocations, Oh My! Completing a Reggio-inspired training recently has peeked my curiosity and professional hunger for something new and exciting. The training was called Loose Parts, Provocations, Oh My! and it triggered my own early...
An experiential study of community At ages 3-4 years, children begin opening themselves up to the world. In turn they navigate a world much bigger than the one they’ve previously known. Models of child development such as Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory and Vygotsky's constructivist...
