Programs

Enrichment

Music Discovery Program & Pre Reading Program

Music comes to us once a month with our Music Discovery Program. Children will be introduced to songs, music related games and instruments. Learning rhythm and a beat helps children become aware of surroundings and learn basic listening skills. Music is all around us in this new Music Discovery Program. Along with music, a pre-reading program is explored with those students who have the basic understanding of letters, sounds, blending, vowels and consonants and sight words. It’s an exciting world enticing young minds into the world of reading and adventure! 

Field Trips

Field trips are fun and a great learning experience. Some trips are scheduled with both morning and afternoon classes. All students are required to wear a Learning Tree T-Shirt, and can be purchased through the school. Children will wear name tags, and fill out a medical emergency card with photo I.D. We want to make every effort to provide easier visibility and ample identification of your child—to provide adequate care for the well-being and safety of all children in our care. Thank you for participating in measures that keep our children safe and protected.

Handwriting w/o Tears

HWT offers a child-friendly approach to handwriting. The program is implemented in our 4-year old classes. Using a variety of learning tools to establish stroke, control and format of letters, beginning with upper and then later, lower case letters, HWT offers a fundamental approach that strengthens position and formation of letters and numbers. Chalkboards, play dough, and wood pieces are introduced to help teach letters in a visual way and then transferred to journals which are provided by the program. Along with the hands on tools, children are offered songs and finger plays to further reinforce learning.

American Sign Language

“Research indicates that learning a second language stimulates a child’s cognitive development and sign language develops more of the brain than spoken language.”

Extensive research has shown that sign language taught in the early years improves reading ability, vocabulary, self esteem, expressing emotions, initiates an interest and enthusiasm for learning, is an effective tool for classroom management and promotes a more comfortable learning environment. Learning Tree offers hand sign language within their curriculum. Classroom management signs such as stop, good morning/afternoon, the days of the week, numbers 1–10, and letters of the alphabet, will add to your child's daily learning environment.

Literacy

How literacy ultimately develops will depend on whether writing and reading become meaningful parts of a child’s life. This, in turn, will depend on people who are important to the child—both inside and outside of school—and on the messages they communicate about the child’s development as a writer and a reader. (McLane, Early Literacy)
Learning Tree maintains a strong literacy approach to a child’s learning. To enhance a developmental approach to literacy Learning Tree allows the child a variety of learning experiences.

Storybooks are always available for the child to look at and be read. Whether through oral expression or motor activity, flannel graph or puppet storytelling, children learn about imagination in literacy.

Drama is an important and fun approach to remembering story-line sequences, and playing them out in costume as make-believe characters tap into the child’s imaginary world.

Songs and Games are one of the most impacting for children. They learn to memorize and repeat words; use body motions to express the words of the song; show less inhibitions when done in a group doing all the same thing. Games teach rules and fairness, following instructions, and respect for others.

Literacy Bags are available for any child to bring home for their own literacy experience with parents. The bags contain a story with visual aids, book and puppet, or a song with visual aids—all to promote another literacy adventure.

Library Books are available to students. Books may be signed out from school to enjoy with parents and siblings at home.

Progress Reports

Evaluations and reporting is done in February and May. Progress reports are offered as a way to measure growth in the areas of: fine and gross motor skills, social and communication skills, adaptive and cognitive skills. The AEPS (assessment evaluation programming system) is our tool of measure. This measurement helps to address curriculum, classroom and individual needs.

Parent Involvement

PARENTS are welcome at any time and are encouraged to get involved in classroom volunteering and field trips. We invite you to share a special talent, play an instrument, teach a song, or tell a story.