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By Cathy Southerland, Children's Museum Preschool Manager
Generally, saying goodbye to mom is one of the hardest things for a young child to do. Tears well up in the eyes at the thought of mom walking away into the great unknown of the adult world. But when you’re a student at The Children’s Museum Preschool, saying goodbye to mom is no problem (sorry mom)!
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"40341","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"350","height":"233","title":"Preschool","alt":"Preschool"}}]]The whole philosophy of this preschool is “Where Learning Comes into Play.” The children who come to preschool at the museum see it as their classroom. Each exhibit and gallery was designed specifically to be a learning device as well as entertainment. By visiting these places, the preschoolers are gaining a wealth of knowledge put together by some of the greatest artists, archaeologists, paleontologists, researchers and historians in the world. Learning is richer, deeper and lasts longer if it’s authentic, which can be proven by the information retention of our students.
Children learn best and remember the most information when they are actively learning. Listening to an architect describe how she planned a skyscraper or how he designed a house, then actually designing their own building is not only fun but also teaches a multitude of skills.
Writing out the building plans for their own building teaches writing skills, but even more than that, it makes them want to write well. They want someone to be able to read their building plan and ask them questions about where the porch goes or how high the windows are going to be.
Visiting all the “homes” in the museum like the miniature Ball House and Ryan White’s bedroom and then going home and assessing their own house puts into application all the things they learned. They gain a new appreciation for the connection between theoretical and applied knowledge.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"40342","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"350","height":"233","title":"Preschool","alt":"Preschool"}}]]After learning all about houses, it’s time to make one! Following their design plans, the students now need to build their own (out of cardboard). Inviting parents to help during a family learning day makes it even more special. Making their creation become reality brings the whole lesson full circle and will stay with them their whole lives. Not only did they learn all about houses, writing skills, drawing skills and construction skills, but they also learned how to follow a project through to the very end.
There are still spots available in the 2011-2012 preschool class. If you're looking for a unique preschool in Indianapolis why not look at one of the best museums for kids—The Children's Museum of Indianapolis?!
Learn more about the preschool here.
Generally, saying goodbye to mom is one of the hardest things for a young child to do. Tears well up in the eyes at the thought of mom walking away into the great unknown of the adult world. But when you’re a student at The Children’s Museum Preschool, saying goodbye to mom is no problem (sorry mom)!
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"40341","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"350","height":"233","title":"Preschool","alt":"Preschool"}}]]The whole philosophy of this preschool is “Where Learning Comes into Play.” The children who come to preschool at the museum see it as their classroom. Each exhibit and gallery was designed specifically to be a learning device as well as entertainment. By visiting these places, the preschoolers are gaining a wealth of knowledge put together by some of the greatest artists, archaeologists, paleontologists, researchers and historians in the world. Learning is richer, deeper and lasts longer if it’s authentic, which can be proven by the information retention of our students.
Children learn best and remember the most information when they are actively learning. Listening to an architect describe how she planned a skyscraper or how he designed a house, then actually designing their own building is not only fun but also teaches a multitude of skills.
Writing out the building plans for their own building teaches writing skills, but even more than that, it makes them want to write well. They want someone to be able to read their building plan and ask them questions about where the porch goes or how high the windows are going to be.
Visiting all the “homes” in the museum like the miniature Ball House and Ryan White’s bedroom and then going home and assessing their own house puts into application all the things they learned. They gain a new appreciation for the connection between theoretical and applied knowledge.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"40342","attributes":{"class":"media-image","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"350","height":"233","title":"Preschool","alt":"Preschool"}}]]After learning all about houses, it’s time to make one! Following their design plans, the students now need to build their own (out of cardboard). Inviting parents to help during a family learning day makes it even more special. Making their creation become reality brings the whole lesson full circle and will stay with them their whole lives. Not only did they learn all about houses, writing skills, drawing skills and construction skills, but they also learned how to follow a project through to the very end.
There are still spots available in the 2011-2012 preschool class. If you're looking for a unique preschool in Indianapolis why not look at one of the best museums for kids—The Children's Museum of Indianapolis?!
Learn more about the preschool here.
