Please CLICK on the video below to watch our virtual tour.
PLAY BASED LEARNING
Learning through doing
In a play based environment, children are given opportunities for hands-on learning, by allowing them to explore different materials and processes. A play based curriculum requires teachers to be flexible, adaptable and creative. In most preschool settings, children don’t get many opportunities to interact with older peers. This is when teacher interaction is essential, helping children elaborate on their play and take it to the next level. A modern play based educator must be able to wear many hats. During circle-time and when introducing new themes, they act as a classic educator. Sometimes the teacher acts as an older playmate, going in and out of play in a way that respects the children's autonomy while helping them advance and enrich their play. The teacher will also ask questions to get kids thinking and helping them reach the next level. An experienced play based teacher knows just when to join in and just when to exit to allow the children to continue play on their own
Read what Zoe Kimbe, wrote about her visit to Lake School on her blog Postcards and Pedagogy An adventure in learning
Welcome To The Lake School
We are now enrolling for the 23/24 school year. Contact us to get your child's name on the waitlist.
Please call (510) 839-4227 or email director@thelakeschool.net to register
COVID19 note: The Lake School is constantly reviewing the latest research regarding young children and COVID19 transmission and following the CDC guidelines for a safe and healthy reopening in the fall. Please review our Community Care Agreement to see the policies, procedures and protocols that we are putting in place to keep our students, families and staff safe and healthy this school year.
Our Philosophy
The school was founded on the premise that an organized and enriched environment provides a child with a sense of self, of her world, and of her own development. It provides a supporting and stimulating preschool experience in which the child's needs are recognized and their skills and interests are broadened. The Lake School provides a learning experience which reinforces the child's fundamental need to learn and to play in a joyful and challenging environment.
At The Lake School, we believe that children benefit from having choices. We encourage individuality while emphasizing social behavior such as cooperation and respect for others. For example, children in the yard get to learn about the world, nature, weather, how to be part of a group, how to share, take turns, respect the environment, and about living creatures and plants. The school encourages many opportunities for play during the day with an emphasis on outside time.
Our educators treat children with the utmost respect, scaffolding opportunities for them to
direct their own emergent learning. Children learn through experiences of touching,
moving, listening, and observing. We encourage them to explore and provide endless
opportunities for expression.
Most importantly, the learning experience needs to be fun and exciting so children
develop curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.
In every class, our teachers emphasize the strategies and processes involved in learning and self-growth, preparing our students to live thoughtful, creative, and fulfilling lives.
