“Any activity which engages a student’s interest and imagination, which sparks the desire to seek out an answer, or ponder a question, or create a response, can be good potential brain food.”

-Jane Healy

The Learning Workshop provides an environment rich in brain food for hungry minds. Books, writing supplies, math manipulatives, fantasy play props, and science and art materials are readily available for children’s extended use. Community resources, such as speakers and places to visit, are taken advantage of. The children’s interests are often the driving force behind our studies. By giving the children a voice in the selection of topics to pursue, we ensure that they will find them personally meaningful and engaging.

“Kids help set the agenda for learning”
Clo Copass, parent

 

We provide varied opportunities to develop each child’s interest in reading, writing, math, science, music, and art. Some of our regular formats include one-on-one teacher-directed activities, child-directed play, child-initiated inquiry projects, whole group activities, small group games, and partner work. We strive to balance activities that are teacher-directed and child-directed, quiet and active, social and independent, academic and creative, indoor and outdoor, visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.

“Curriculum appears to be comprehensive and well-structured”
Andrew Lee, parent

“Great balance of activities for math, literacy, social skills”
Betsy Daniels, parent

We are familiar with the Washington State Commission on Student Learning’s Essential Academic Learning Requirements for Kindergarten. While our activities cover all areas, we pay special attention to the development of literacy skills and social skills. All children leave The Learning Workshop with strong pre-literacy skills.

“Reading and writing focus has created new challenges for [my child] that she welcomes”
Amy Nakata, parent

We also spend a great deal of time discussing ways to solve social conflicts, ways to be friendly, how and why we include others, appropriate ways to express anger and frustration, taking someone else’s perspective, and making right choices. Observers often comment on how “nice”, “sweet”, or “respectful” the children are.

“Positive social interaction”
Julia Atwood, parent

“Encouragement for talking things out with your peer”
Andrea Thiessen, parent

“[I like the] attention to respecting the thoughts and feelings of the children- and teaching them to do likewise” -
Denel Bartsch, parent

 

The Learning Workshop is a busy place. Peeking into our room you would see children engaged in a variety of activities. You might see a couple of children sharing a book together, another child acting out the life cycle of a butterfly, a small group using magnifying glasses to determine if leaves have fur, and one child teaching another to count beyond 16. Some children are painting, cutting magazines, or twisting wire. One child is rolling cars along a block road. Another child is crawling around on the floor while a playmate is using the keyboard to accompany her dance. You would see the teacher working with a child or two, playing a math game or reading a book. At another time you might look in and see everyone gathered around a large sheet of paper, taking turns sounding out the words we are writing in a group story. Taking the opportunity to look at the work displayed in the room, you would see paintings, drawings, photographs, patterns, and writing. You might notice scribble writing, random letters, and even phonetic spelling in children’s writing. It would be evident that in children’s written work they have the opportunity to explore, experiment, and discover conventions of printed language. Children’s love of learning is thriving.