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LEARNING THROUGH PLAY
Our program as a whole is designed to meet the needs of the children in our care. We focus on building off of the strengths of each child, taking advantage of every teachable moment.
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUTDOOR PLAY
We spend a large portion of our days outside. Outdoor Play is important for the children to develop their gross motor skills as well as their spacial reasoning and overall wellbeing. All aspects of our outdoor classroom are nature-based to encourage optimal learning through a natural environment!
​The children in our care also have opportunities in nature to use their senses. The wide open spaces and change of environment are a great way for the children to enjoy unstructured playtime. Whether it’s playing in the sand box and mud kitchen or simply just running around nature helps kids use their imagination and creativity while playing! Playing in nature can help children of all ages with their motor skills, communication, social-emotional skills, sensory integration, and so much more!
Messy play is so important in a child's development. It builds independence through choices, enables risk-taking within a safe environment, and it nurtures a rich and varied vocabulary. Here at Funshine, we love messy play!
ART
Our art program is conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the kids love every second of it! From pudding painting for the infants, to watercolor and clay sculpting for the older kids, our art is always child-directed and unique to the tiny human creating it.
SENSORY
Sensory play is beneficial for SO many reasons. EVERY DAY the kids find something new and exciting to explore! Oftentimes, we are asked why sensory play is so important and these are only a few of the reasons:
* It helps to build nerve connections in the brain
* It encourages the development of motor skills
* It supports language development
* It increases scientific thinking and problem-solving
* It enhances overall critical-thinking skills
The sky is the limit to what a child can learn through sensory! ​
DRAMATIC AND INTERACTIVE PLAY
Dramatic play is the most popular among the indoor free play options! Our kitchens, dress-ups, market stands, dolls, puppets, and more provide endless hours of imagination. We also offer magnet walls, animals, trains, and block centers!
LEARNING CENTERS AND STEAM
Another major component of our program is learning centers and STEAM activities! STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. Every year, the kids hatch and raise chickens and quail during our life-cycles segment. We also work on color sorting; counting; name, color, number and letter recognition; writing basics; letter sounds; and science projects! We also have a science center and a light table, as well as a loose-parts center. Every day is something new. We have an entire walk in closet FULL of interactive, hands-on learning center items! Your child will be given every opportunity to learn the basics through a fun and interactive process.
MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
Music and Movement is a HUGE part of our program. We have fun with yoga, singing, and dancing every day! From indoor hopscotch to grooving to Baby Shark, we sure know how to move!
UNIQUE TO FUNSHINE
OUR GARDEN
Each year, Funshine plants a garden that the kids help with. They plant, water, and pick the produce. We grow zucchini, squash, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and MORE!
BUTTERFLIES
Each year during our Bees & Pollinators week, we offer an incredible hands-on experience for each class to raise and release butterflies. Every day, we talk about the butterfly life cycle, their habitats, their diets, and more!
CHICKENS
Funshine hatches and raises chickens and quail every year! Our classes take turns rotating the eggs, and once the chickens hatch, each class takes turns giving them food and water. Once the chickens are old enough, we donate them to local farmers. Agriculture is a huge part of our program and the kids enjoy every minute of it!