Creative Minds Learning Center's
3 hour long classes consist of many activities and areas of learning based on that week's particular theme. We do activities in each of the following areas daily:
- Sensory/Messy Play: Experiences in manipulating, sorting, classifying and the senses add interest and stimulate learning. Sensory experiences may include sand and/or water, rice, wheat, shaving dream, or other creative materials. This is a fun way to teach concepts relating to size, measurement, properties of matter and other scientific principles.
- Music: These activities are designed to help children enjoy and experiment with sounds, rhythm, beat, pitch, music and movement through play with instruments, voice and recordings.
- Literacy and Language Arts: We provide a wide variety of books, stories, role play and finger plays to strengthen cognitive listening, thinking and language skills.
- Science and Discovery: Children have the opportunity to learn and explore in areas such as zoology, botany, geology, entomology and physics through various experiments and play. Science experiences allow children to explore, touch, examine, take risks and discover.
- Manipulatives/Math: This includes play with puzzles, matching and sorting games, pattern boards, play-do, stringing beads, etc., All objects, games and activities are designed to help teach basic principles such as counting, numbers, letters, sizes, shapes, colors, sequencing, opposites, etc. This also develops math skills, problem-solving skills, small motor skills, hand-eye coordination and fine motor control.
- Creative Arts: Open-ended projects are used to help children create their own unique creations. An assortment of materials will be used. This provides children the opportunity to expand their creative expression and imagination, develop fine motor skills and have a sense of accomplishment when projects are completed.
- Dramatic play: Kids have the chance to practice skills and try out ideas of each person’s place in the world through pretending. They are encouraged to put on puppet shows, plays, dress-up and engage in pretend play. This enhances creative expression and imagination, social role-play, verbal skills, storytelling and more.
- Movement: Games, dancing, etc. are used to appropriately release energy and feelings. Large motor skills are developed and learn going under, over, through, in, out, next to, up, down, etc.
- Free play: This provides opportunities for learning and social interaction. Self-directed exhibits are set up to allow children to independently choose activities that will help them PLAY, DISCOVER and LEARN!
