A mission-driven project
Monday, June 27, 2022 - As construction on our foundation plods along, we take a moment to offer a snapshot of everyday life at our preschool. Here’s a special reflection on the importance of our mission from Preschool Director Katherine Brown.
Little Peaks Preschool Mission Statement.
With reverence for play and wonder, we provide a program for infants, toddlers, and preschool children that is rooted in our natural surroundings. Partnering with families, we provide a rich learning environment where diversity is celebrated, where kindness and sincerity are used to solve everyday problems, and where children’s questions drive independent learning.
Our Mission-Driven Project.
A few weeks ago, the preschool teachers delighted in watching several children huddled around the aquarium, searching in vain for the tadpoles Kaycie had brought from her pond. A concerned child called out, “They were here yesterday. Where did they go?”
“Wait! What’s that creature?” another child asked, as she observed a long, skinny animal swimming around in the aquarium. More children joined the others, and the wondering continued. One of the girls fetched a field guide (see above) and started methodically searching for a matching image, page by page - Flip a page, study the drawings, look at the creature, flip a page, study the drawings…. Finally! She called out joyfully, “I found it!” Some of the children agreed with her and others didn’t. The search continued…
The next day one of the teachers brought in some macroinvertebrate cards and the children continued to hypothesize. This process continued over the next several days. Ultimately, the children never fully agreed upon the identity of the creature. But they gathered clues and ultimately settled on a theory: the tadpoles had been in the aquarium until Anita brought fresh water and weeds for them. They deduced that the “creature” must have been in the weeds and eaten the tadpoles.
It was wonderful to watch their curiosity, sustained interest, and critical thinking in the preschool classroom. Moments like these are characteristic of Little Peaks, and they are one of the reasons we all love teaching this age group. Whether the children are puzzling how the spider built its funnel-shaped web, how to negotiate taking turns when feeding the horses, or how to master the art of swinging on the playground rings, they are engaged in important cognitive, physical, social, and emotional growth.
As the new center takes shape, we will always keep the Little Peaks mission in the front of our minds and remember what inspired this project: the children.
Katherine Brown, Little Peaks Preschool Director
