What a Beautiful World Nature is vital to children’s development. In some way or another, it can help support all of the developmental domains. Living in the city, our exposure to the natural environment is often times limited due to the lack of space and access to natural, organic materials. Here...

If someone were to ask you to think about some words to describe what life is like today, what words would come to mind? Would you focus on words like “stressful,” “nonstop,” “not having enough time, with too much to do?” Did you think about the moments that bring you joy, large and small, or did...

The Doodlebugs are delighted spring has arrived! Doodlebugs are spending more time exploring the neighborhood looking for tactile and visual signs of spring. On a recent walk we discovered flowers blooming on trees and decided to take a closer look. Some of the toddlers walked up to a tree and...

What is it about Sensory Play? by Laura Graham One of the most engaging activities for the Caterpillar children is playing with sensory materials. Whether it is water, sand, soil, or play dough, we see the materials inspire joyful and focused exploration that the children return to again and again...

Exploring Light and Color This month, the children in the infant and toddler classes at PIC are exploring light and color. Light, shadow, and color permeates everything we see and captures children’s interest from the earliest moments of infancy. Our intention in the classroom is to give the...

Classroom Changes Can Be Scary For most of us change brings with it some discomfort, but when it happens in your child's classroom, it may feel all-out scary! With two new lead teachers joining the early learning program next week, I wanted to take a moment to talk about staff changes and how...

Exploring the "Little" Things Class trips can be a great educational experience for children. Visiting museums, parks and local businesses inspires wonder and curiosity. Of course, for the Bumblebees many of those types of places would be too far a trip. Luckily there are many opportunities for...

More Sand Play When our “tot lot” was under renovation recently, the Wild Things teachers discovered different and more creative ways to get everyone outside. We have been going on interesting neighborhood walks, playing in the Penn Alexander grassy areas, and spending time in the sandbox near the...

Let's Pretend The Doodlebugs have discovered new and exciting things through dramatic play. The children love gathering pretend food and placing items into small bags. Maya, Sebastian and Uzayr are now standing, taking steps and walking. Exploring the kitchen area is a new experience for them. They...

written by Lead Teacher Laura Graham Transitions and Traditions July was a month with many transitions for the Caterpillars. Three children moved up to toddler classrooms, new children joined the room, and I became a part of the Caterpillars teaching team. I also had the opportunity to experience my...