A sound study Rainbow teachers were confident that a sound study would engage the Rainbows since they amuse us with sounds that they themselves create as they play. We noticed they show awareness of the sounds of our PIC neighborhood and the sounds we hear from the preschool classroom above us. T he...

Did you Hear That? For the past weeks, the Bees have been studying sounds and exploring where they come from. We did not have to search far for sound, because sound is literally bursting all around us. As we open our classroom windows we hear dogs barking as they trot down the street, children...

Making music Spend a few minutes in the Leapfrog classroom and the children's love for music and performance is very apparent as they sing, play, and put on shows throughout the room. With this clear inclination towards music, we naturally began a study of music and sound. As teachers, we worked to...

A very serious study on sticks A fascination with sticks usually starts on the playground where children find some particularly exciting fallen branch. Lately, the Fireflies have been wanting to bring many sticks inside and back home. As teachers, we began to take special notice when friends picked...

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...

This sounds good! This month the Wild Things began learning about music and sound. We have been having fun listening to different genres of music, and having dance parties. The Wildthings enjoy dancing and moving, and they really have some great moves! Our toddlers enjoy singing, and they often do...

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...

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...

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...

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...