𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗹, 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 "𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱"!

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Ｃｌａｓｓ　Ｄｅｓｃｒｉｐｔｉｏｎ
In this class we will take an in-depth journey into the world of the humble little garden snail. 

Often un-noticed, snails reveal some of nature's most amazing mathematical, engineering, and artistic processes. With the help of "Stootie", our class snail, we will observe, discover and (re-)create the intricate world of these amazing creatures. Together, we'll weave engineering, mathematical, creative, empathetic, artistic and even a little philosophical thinking into rich play and art activities, to better understand the design and function of the snail's shell, body, movement, habitat and...even their personality! 

This class uses a teaching approach known as "scientific playworlds", which helps young children develop high-level STEM skills through imaginative play, art and story-telling. Research shows that, compared to circle time classes, this interest-led and play-based approach increases memory retention of science, maths and language concepts, and promotes children's longer-term interest in STEM (Chung, 2016; Fleer, 2017; Williams, 2010). Each session will start with sharing an interactive story, allowing children to explore, talk about and make sense of important concepts. We'll put these ideas into practice using both observation of real snails, open-ended art activities and experimentation to make a unique creation and use hands-on experience to make sense of science and mathematical concepts.  

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟭: 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘀
This week we'll discover the wonders of these little molluscs. We'll also meet Stootie, our friendly class snail who may even show us how they communicate! Then, using everyday materials, we'll make our own unique creations, depicting some of our ideas and responses to our discoveries.  

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮: 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗽 & 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲
In our story and activity today, we will explore all the places a snail like Stootie goes, and how they get there. Through play and storytelling, we'll explore different types of textures and surfaces, mathematical concepts, and how we can use science thinking to learn.  

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟯: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹'𝘀 𝗗𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
In our story and playtime, we will dive into a world of construction and decorating as we explore the wonders of Stootie's house and how a snail shell works. 

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟰: 𝗧𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗔 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹
Did you know snails can communicate and show emotions such as excitement and happiness? Let's use our imaginations and empathy muscles to play, create and wonder through the eyes of a snail! 

𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗻𝗮𝗶𝗹'𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝗹
What can snails teach us about other places and things in our world? We will finish our time together by sharing some wonderful stories with hidden treasures, and a very special art project. Together, we will use what we have learned about snails to notice ways that nature and people use the mathematics of snails in many ways to design amazing solutions.

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Ｉｎｃｌｕｓｉｖｅ　Ｐｌａｙ　＆　Ｌｅａｒｎｉｎｇ　Ｅｘｐｅｒｉｅｎｃｅｓ...Ｆｏｒ　Ａｌｌ　Ｌｅａｒｎｅｒｓ

All children have preferred ways of engaging with learning content. 

Typically, children learn best when they can engage with content in a way that reflects their own unique preferences. 

I endeavor to ensure that this class is inclusive of all learners (including E and 2E learners). I do this by structuring classes, activities and conversations so each child can choose to engage in the whole class, using whatever way is most appropriate, meaningful and rewarding for them.

In this class, where we will be exploring science, math and literacy through the world of snails, I structure each experience so that children may elect to engage through any one or more of the following ways:
~ sensory experience
~ exploring and discovering the properties of materials
~ manipulative and fine motor activity
~ sorting/ aligning/ categorising/ patterning activity
~ exploring cause and effect
~ problem-solving
~ construction
~ imitation and role play
~ fantasy/ imaginative play and creativity
~ art and artistic play

Because I maintain very small group sizes, I am able to ensure that each child is able to participate in whatever way is most meaningful for them. This means that each child is able to enjoy the benefits of a group class, while at the same time being supported with an individualised and personalised learning experience.
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Ｔｅａｃｈｉｎｇ　Ａｐｐｒｏａｃｈ

This information will help you decide if my approach is a "good fit" for your child.  

This class is capped at a maximum of five learners, to ensure each child has the best possible child-led, personalised learning experience. I believe that learning comes not from memorising abstract facts, but though children being able to create and make sense of new ideas. To guide this learning, we need to have immersive, two-way conversations with children. Small class sizes allow me to work personally in this way, with each child. 

Child-led learning means that your child decides how they participate and what they focus on in our class. In this class, I do not tell children what to think about, or what to focus on. Instead, my goal is to understand your child's unique internal motivation. I do this by using stories, art, creativity and conversation to spark engagement. I then support each child to respond to these ideas and to follow their interests in a way that the class content and material comes to life for them. This helps make their learning become meaningful and sustained. 

You may see some differences in my classes, from the traditional US-based pre-K/ K/ early elementary and seated classroom approach. My aim is to extend your child's learning beyond our allocated screen time, through teaching and classroom practices such as:

🦋 Child-led learning (not teacher-led instruction)

🦋 Shared understanding (not imposing meaning)

🦋 Individualised and humanising relationships (not standardised expectations)

🦋 Hands-on, authentic play (not lectures)

🦋 Deep experimentation with creative, scientific, mathematical and relational process (not factory produced products or worksheets)

🦋 Collaboration and meaning (not rote memorising)

🦋 Imaginative resourcefulness (not mundane replication) 

🦋 Growing children's passions (not their performance)

🦋 Reading and responding to children’s cues, behaviours and signals (not managing, pathologising or fixing them)

🦋 Being an adult who is in calm control (not an adult who is battling for control and compliance)

My teaching approach tends to suit families who are seeking a humanising and wholistic learning experience for their young child.