Loras Network

Think about this: A classroom full of enthusiastic four-year-olds working together on a garden project of their own. You won’t find this in a regular play-dough or letter-block set. With all the zeal of a small city council, they are currently deciding which vegetables to plant first: carrots or snap peas. That is the spirit that permeates Montessori preschool Walnut Creek‘s energetic hallways.

Rows of calm children or detailed worksheets are not what you’re looking for. Curiosity is allowed to guide teachers. The questions that children ask might be rather imaginative. In comparison to dirt, why does mud have a distinct odor? There is no restriction. “Last week my kid explained worm composting at dinner,” Jen, a mother of a five-year-old here, says with a giggle. He knew so much more than I did.

Rather of lecturing, educators take on the role of guides. The children were so engrossed in making ramps, according to Shelly, a head teacher. She didn’t reroute the conversation; instead, she invited a local bike mechanic, brought out engineering books, and auto tracks. An fascination that lasted only a week turned into a month-long journey of discovery. When kids propose experimenting with a mixture of sand and watercolors, no one seems to mind.

Although not in the zombie-like tablet era, technology does get its due. Tactile robots combine jigsaw pieces with cuddly toys. A beaming Kiley, who is four years old, shows off her bee-shaped robot as it navigates a labyrinth she constructed. The bee becomes trapped at this spot. Am I able to install a ramp, Miss Ginnie? Because joy is found in the act of creating, not merely in the act of finishing, people with short attention spans are able to concentrate intently.

We embrace parents as partners, not spectators. Sharing skills within a family is common. On Friday, Joseph’s grandmother came by to give him a bread-baking lesson. She shows the kids how her mom made bread, and they listen with wide eyes as she kneads the dough and dusts their cheeks with flour. Remember these things.

Blossom Creek pays attention to studies but doesn’t follow rules. Lessons outside last the whole morning. Every kid has their own peaceful teepee where they can read a book. Put an end to cramming. By the end of kindergarten, students have a thirst for difficult inquiries and a vocabulary full of exotic words.

Does the idea of early childhood need to be rethought after just one preschool? Play means purpose in this context. “If every school had this kind of nerve, we’d raise a generation who innovate before they even zip a backpack,” joked a local early learning specialist. With each muddy boot, unsteady robot, and clever four-year-old, Walnut Creek is witnessing the future come to life.