Buds, Blooms & Blossoms

Toddlers are active and inquisitive and thrive in a space where there are more yeses than nos. During these years they are developing a sense of independence and initiative; their language and motor skills rapidly develop and they have their own sense of direction. The toddler rooms at Amplify support their desire to explore their surroundings freely, achieve things on their own, and progress in areas of self-control and confidence. Amplifiers encourage these developmental stages with playthings, activities, experiences, and interactions that allow toddlers to have a sense of accomplishment as well as challenge their upcoming triumphs.

A day in the life—in the Amplify Children’s Academy

Toddlers

Arrival

Good morning!
Wash hands
Child originated play & work

Breakfast (8-8:30)
Morning gathering

Stations, happenings, and individualized activities that encourage and develop:
Problem-solving (solving problems and also planning and using decision making skills)
Intuitiveness (understanding which tools are appropriate for which tasks)
Collaboration (allowing for independent play but encouraging the learning alongside and with others)
Self-direction (developing trust and autonomy, while being curious and motivated to find new information and try new skills)
Invention (solving problems through an integration of information, making connections between ideas, initiating strategies and encountering solutions)

Mind & body connection

Music
Movement
Outdoor play, work, observations and discovery

Lunch (11:15-11:45)

Self-sufficiency and healthy nutrition are promoted through self-serve, family-style meals and snacks. Initiative and caring for others is also cultivated as children help to prepare the tables for eating and assist each other with hand washing. Conversations and the sense of community is developed as children and teachers eat together.

Afternoon reading & naps

During this time, the lights are dimmed, quiet music plays, and children are invited to rest or sleep on their own cots.

Snack (2:30-3)

Afternoon gathering

See morning gathering

Mind & body connection

See morning mind & body connection

Departure

Child originated play & work
Have a great evening!

Example of how Reggio will inspire my learning during these years…

I love feet, my shoes, running. Those things attached to the bottom of my legs amaze me and I’m fixed on what they are, what they can do and what I can do with them for many months.

My Amplifiers will:

• Sing songs about them and teach me their parts—toes, sole, bones, skin, one, two five, ten
• Teach me sign language and spoken words about them
• Allow me to feel different textures with them—soft, scratchy, hard, cold, fuzzy, wet
• Let me paint with my feet
• Help me to get comfortable to stand on them and see me through the stage where I take a risk and go across the balance log all by myself
• Squeeze my little pudgy feet while giving me a bottle
• Dance with me
• Read me books about my body
• Sort socks, fold socks, talk about colors, throw socks into a basket, dump them out
• Guide me at seeing them in the mirror and discovering they are mine
• Revel when I take my first steps
• Comment when I get a new pair of shoes
• Challenge me to walk backwards and skip
• Tell me how nice I am when I use them to pull my friend in a wagon
• Remind me to use my walking feet
• Listen to the sound of the Velcro as I put them on and take them off—again and again
• Take me on walks to new spaces and places
• Let me try to walk on mini-stilts made out of cans that I decorated
• Sensory play with my feet—leaves, water play, bubble wrap
• Show me pictures of animal feet, footprints and compare the sizes to mine
• Provide me with ride-on toys that I can motor with my feet

Daily happenings like this will maintain my interest for a lengthy amount of time. I really think that my feet are remarkable; it’s part of me, and I don’t yet understand them and how they work. I will utilize all areas of my development and curriculum until I am habituated, and then shift my interest to the next novel thing that I discover. My Amplifiers will document my work, link it to my developmental observations and use each of my achievements to influence the goals for our classroom and for me. We want you to fully understand my happenings and enjoy my ideas and growth regularly. These documentations will be visible in the classroom and virtually in LifeCubby.