Beyond The Desk
When you step into our studio, you won’t see rows of quiet desks. Instead, you will find children negotiating tower builds without using their voices, mapping out their place on the planet, tracking layers of the Earth with Styrofoam models, and mastering math concepts through hands-on play.
Following a refreshing long weekend, this week revolved around two core pillars: friendship and problem-solving. Here is a look inside how we bring these concepts to life across every subject area.
Building Community Through Experiential Problem-Solving
We believe that learning to navigate group dynamics is just as vital as reading or mathematics. To kick off our weekly theme, we challenged the children to a quiet STEM task: build a cup tower without using their voices.
The experiment sparked great reflection. The children quickly realized how frustrating it is when everyone has brilliant ideas but no way to communicate them. From there, we reintroduced speech, equipping them with constructive communication tools like:
"I think..."
"What if we try..."
"I would like to..."
The transformation was immediate. They then applied those exact same problem-solving strategies during group playdough challenges—racing against the clock to sculpt animals together amid endless giggles.
Connecting the Classroom to the Real World
Learning at our studio frequently spills out into the surrounding community. This week, in our Around the World study, we looked at our place in the world. After reading Me On The Map, we explored our position in the universe—from our street and town to our state, country, and planet.
Then, we took the lesson outside and learned to read a map with directional instructions. Using a map to find our way and verbal instructions from the teacher (turn north on… turn west on…), we eventually found our way to a sweet spot on the map- a local cafe- where we bought macarons to end our hunt.
In our Science Study, we learned about the layers of the Earth.
Personalized Academics: Meeting Every Child Where They Are
Behind the vibrant projects, structured individual growth remains our anchor. Over the past week, we completed baseline assessments in both math and sight words (checking knowledge up through 200 words!).
Completing these assessments allows us to transition directly into targeted 1-on-1 and small group instruction starting next week.
Academic concepts are reinforced through active, multi-sensory strategies.
Nurturing Passion Projects and Self-Expression
Every child brings unique interests to the table. Through our weekly Curiosity Club, students spent dedicated time researching self-chosen topics and brainstorming creative ways to present their discoveries to their peers.
We can’t wait for next week!