This summer our Early Childhood Education team introduced additional programming called Summer Explorers. The program, geared towards our preschoolers, made our summer session even more special by providing themed weeks to inspire children’s curiosity, creativity, and love of nature through hands-on outdoor learning.
“The program grew out of our Pre-K Boost program, which was designed to address concerns shared by parents about Kindergarten readiness” Gena Will, ECE Supervisor, said. “We organized that program to focus on teaching academics through play, we extended that experience to include a bigger focus on STEM learning this year. The kids just loved it.”
What made this summer different was the teacher-led approach to the theme weeks. Educators were encouraged to create programming around topics they were personally passionate about, bringing their own creativity and interests into the classroom.
“It was fun to see the teachers create programming about their own unique interests to share with the kids,” Gena said.
Themes throughout the summer included a wide variety of topics, including:
- Fizz, Boom, Pop!
- Marvelous Mud
- Nature Detectives: Water and Tree Treasures
- Sunshine and Shadows
- Digging into Dinosaurs
- Cardboard Creations
- And many more!
Whether children were investigating shadows, learning to make “lava” with baking soda and vinegar, building castles with recycled materials, or uncovering dinosaurs hidden in the mud. The hands-on experiences encouraged problem-solving and creativity.
“The pure joy for learning that you saw come out of these activities was amazing,” Gena said. “I especially loved Marvelous Mud Week. There were a few kids who were a little timid or nervous about getting dirty at first, but by the end of the week they were fully immersed: building with mud, digging for dinosaurs, and embracing the experience. Watching that transformation was so great!”
And families had nothing but great things to say about the program:
“I think it has been amazing,” one parent shared. “Our kiddo loves telling us about what she did that day in the program.”
As Summer Explorers comes to a close, the combination of nature, STEM learning, and plenty of opportunities to play created a memorable summer for everyone involved.
