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We're looking for rare individuals. Teachers with degrees in early childhood or environmental education and a fire in the belly to make a difference. Administrators with a head for business and a heart for helping children reach their full potential. People who are so invested that they'll stay with us for years, growing and developing our educational community. Is that you?
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Let's play
Kids learn through play, but what about the grown ups? The Grove School is a playground for everyone. Join the fun!
(Psst, you can move the colored circles with your mouse.)
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Students at The Grove School of Cary worked with a professional carpenter to learn some of the essentials of house building.  The carpenter showed the students the entire process of developing a blueprint, to measuring and buying materials, to assembling the house and then the final steps of furnishing the house.

The photos below show some of the steps the students took in their learning about building a house and also shows the finished product of their model house. (Scroll over photo for short description.)

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I wanted to let you know what has been happening in wrap-around!!!

To start things off, our morning wrap around now has Morning Explore! time.  Children signed-up for wrap-around will be moving to their classrooms at 8:40 to enjoy hands-on, brains-on fun with their classroom teachers!  This is their opportunity to get their brains going and transition smoothly to wait their friends who arrive at 9.

We have also started our newest set of enrichment classes.  Previously we had just a few class after school, but as the season changed, so did the need for programs for our children…so our staff has created some very special experiences for each and every day! Below is a list of the great happenings:
Mon -    Math, Cooking, Healthy Fit
Tues -   Recycled Art, Yoga, Healthy Fit
Wed-    Math, Music, Healthy Fit
Thurs-   Recycled Art, Theater, Healthy Fit
Fri-       Book Club, Spanish, Healthy Fit

As you can see..there is a lot going on!  Healthy Fit, which is everyday, is a fun way for kids to practice their motor skills as they learn to coordinate how they move and the class includes a featured healthy food.

Look for great showcases throughout our hallway of all the incredible work being done after school!

OUR STRANDS ARE GRAND
Our strands are the classes that our student take each day throughout the week. They include Fine Arts, Music and Movements, Dramatic Arts, Eco-Friends and Healthy Fit.  Our program is expanding very quickly and as a result we have a great addition to our day!

We are adding extra strand sessions!!!  Strands, our specialty classes offered everyday, was previously only offered in the morning.  In the past, the small class sizes made it possible for all classes to be in the morning, but as we have grown, we need more classes!  So, we will now have two sessions in the afternoon for our PreKindergarten class.

So, how does that affect our children?  Well, if you have a PreKindergarten child, lunch will now be served at 11:30, nap will be from 12:00 to 1:20 and Strands/Outdoor Grove Project will begin at 1:30 and at 1:50.

Same great program…now even more often!  Please stay tuned to your email blasts for pictures and blogs about the great experiences the kids are having!!!!

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Students in the preschool class have been studying about animals.  One of their projects has been the “building” of  a cow that has “real” udders so that the students could then simulate the experience of milking a cow.  Click on the photos or video below to take a closer look.

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I am posting some photos I took walking around the school this morning.  I took this first one of the nature collage with tree bark, moss, and photos. It reminds me of fancy quilts I have seen. I hope you enjoy them.  More can be found on our Flikr page.

Nature Collage

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Our Early Preschool students (age 2) are still studying about water.  Part of that study is about rain and the purpose of rain.  This photo shows an activity the students did to simulate rain and what it does to replenish the earth.

I like several things about this activity.  First, I like that it engages the students in hands-on learning.  I also like that fact that it teaches the importance of rain.  But most of all, I like that fact that this activity is likely to make a mess!  Learning is messy sometimes.  Finally, this activity is fun because it involves water.  Our students have shown a clear love of learning (and playing) when water is involved.

Speaking of rain, I found this site that was wonderful images of rain…http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/09/07/35-brilliant-examples-of-rain-photography/.  I thought you might enjoy it.

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The exciting EcoAdventures have begun at The Grove School!    Summer is here and summer usually comes with WATER!  The first of our six biome adventures is Under The Sea.  The photos here show some of the student work from the first few days of this biome.  Most of the work featured here is from Ms. Sue’s amazing Pre-K classroom.

Students are shown making “raincoats” for their little furry friends.  This experiment allowed the students to see if they could design a way to keep their furry friends dry.  By the looks of the after picture, it would seem they did a great job!

Students also made a 3-D beach map showing the water and the sand.  They have also designed a window aquarium with fish swimming around along with a wall model of a beach.

Playing in water is fun whether at the beach or in your classroom.  Students this week have played with ocean toys in our water tables as well as participated in an experiment where they predict which items would sink and which items would float.

The final photo shows one of our students peeking out of the porthole of a boat his class made with a recycled box.

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The Under the Sea fun continues through next week.  The schedule for the remaining five biome adventures is as follows:

  • June 21–July 2             Arctic Adventures
  • July 6–July 16              Golden Sands and Desert Lands
  • July 19-30                     Where the Green Grass Grows
  • Aug 2-13                         Bees, Trees and Me
  • Aug 16-27                      Outside My Window

Based upon the first three days, I can’t wait to see what is in store for our students, teachers and families.  This is going to be a BLAST!

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Next to our children, water is one of the most valuable resources we have on this planet.  Today in Ms. Sue’s Pre-K class, the students performed an experiment about ways in which we can clean water.  Before even starting the activity, Ms. Sue asked the students to name and predicts methods that would clean dirty water.  You can see some of their responses on the screenshot photo of the smart board in their class.  Some of their ideas were to “scrape”  the water, use a wash cloth, and to use “soap and water” to clean the water.    As it turns out, the used a wash cloth over the top of another jar to ask as a filter to clean the water.

The students began their experiment by going outside to get the dirt so they could mix it with the one jar of water to make the dirty water.   After stirring it up, the students then poured the dirty water through the wash cloth that was covering the empty jar.  The students observed that a lot of the dirt and sand that was in the dirty water jar, was collecting on the top of the wash cloth.  They observed that the wash cloth cleaned the water, but did not make it totally clean like it was before the made it dirty.  Nonetheless, one of the lessons learned was that was can actually clean dirty water and that by experimenting, thinking and being creative, we can find solutions to real-world and important problems that we face.

Finally, the last photo shows some of the vocabulary and the writing of one of our Pre-K students.  I find that a student’s vocabulary and their potential for learning dramatically increases as creative teacher like Ms. Sue, use engaging and fun strategies with their students.

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***UPDATED 3/26 with new photos. ***

Spring is here. Not only are we excited because of the lovely weather, but we are thrilled because of the great teaching and learning going on in our classrooms.

This post shows photos and videos from our preschool classroom. They are in the middle of their PLANTS unit of study. As part of their work, they have been planting flowers, making a flower shop and studying the life cycle of plants.

They also have been planting and caring for the vegetables and herbs in our organic garden. This first photo shows an art project that they have worked on everyday during the unit. Look carefully and you will see the petals of a flower. When done, these petals will be peeled off, leaving behind their impression on the paper. The petals will then be posted as well.

The next photo shows the “flower shop” in the classroom. The remaining photos show a flannel board, a vase of flowers, the word wall that goes with this unit, and some organic carrots the students are growing.

The video that is at the bottom shows a student independently using the flannel board to describe the plant life cycle. Listen carefully and keep in mind the words and pronunciation are those of a three year old. Note how he works to sequence the components of the life cycle.

His description was based along activity in his class where Ms. Alli covered, in a variety of ways, the components of the plant’s life cycle. I visited one day when she was using the smart board to draw a cross section of what a plant looks like both above and below the ground. She had the students help her draw the roots which were under ground.

Check out the video too…remember to listen carefully.

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As parents, many of us have watched in wonder as a lullaby or a gentle rocking motion turned an inconsolable infant into a sleeping bundle in someone’s arms. Actually, it’s no mystery why babies are comforted by music and rhythm. Even before they are born, infants are comforted by the steady heartbeat and rocking motions of their mothers’ bodies. After they are born, these same rhythms continue to console them. Babies begin responding to music in other ways, too, such as swaying their bodies and imitating the rhythms and sounds they hear.

As children grow, activities involving music naturally foster pre-language skills—listening, being attentive, and concentrating—which lead to anticipating what comes next and being able to follow directions. In addition, the rhythms and melodies of music help children anticipate and recognize when it’s their turn; as children grow, they will be ready to take their turn. All of these things and more help build the foundation for learning conventional communication and social skills. Music “works its magic” when we involve children in musical play activities that encourage:

• physical contact
• repetition
• taking turns
• nonverbal responses
• vocal play
• action as well as speech
• an awareness of appropriate timing for action and/or words

Music can work its magic with your child anytime—during mealtimes or other daily routines such as riding in the car, bath time, and bedtime.

Meg is an editor in our Education Department. She’s been writing and editing for over 20 years, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Early Childhood Education.

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Play is one vehicle through which young children learn about their world. Play fosters children’s development in many areas: social and emotional, language and communication, cognitive, and physical. As children grow and change, the types of play they engage in also develop and change—beginning with simple manipulation of objects and moving toward imaginative play and sophisticated games involving others.

Where children play can also affect the type and quality of their play. Indoor play often allows for a more structured and controlled environment, but the less structured environment of outdoor play is also beneficial. Outdoor play offers unique opportunities for growth unmatched by play indoors. Recent research shows that time spent in natural environments influences children’s ability to be sensitive, expressive, and creative in their later years.

Many of the developmental skills children acquire naturally through play are enhanced in outdoor environments. For example, large, open outdoor spaces encourage active play and whole-body movement such as running, jumping, climbing, and lifting. Children’s cognitive, or intellectual, development is fostered when they explore, experiment with, and create using open-ended materials found in nature, such as water, dirt, sand, and leaves. There are also fewer restrictions when play occurs outdoors—adults are often not as concerned about any messes or spills children may create.

Children’s language and communication skills are enhanced when they share and describe their outdoor observations. For example, one child may be fascinated by the fact that water disappears when he or she pours it in sand. Another child may wonder why a ball rolls effortlessly down a slide but a shovel doesn’t. As they search for answers and explain their discoveries to others, children use new and different vocabulary to express their thoughts and ideas about their outdoor surroundings.

Outdoor play also provides children with new opportunities to experience the impact and consequences of their own behavior among their peers. Outdoors, children can be noisier and move their bodies in ways they might not while inside, which might affect how they do or do not get along with each other in social settings.

Meg is an editor in our Education Department. She’s been writing and editing for over 20 years, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Early Childhood Education.

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