November 3, 2021

At Columbia Academy preschools, our K-Prep children acquire many practical life skills in the classroom. Preschool children have so much untapped potential. We help them develop and sharpen the skills that can empower them to bring out the best in themselves. Each day, children discuss the weather and the date on the calendar, including day of the week, month, and year. Each classroom has “helper” jobs, encouraging children to learn to take on responsibility and model leadership. Speaking in front of a group during Show and Tell builds self-confidence and helps children learn to think critically and form questions. The work on the shelves promotes curiosity, confidence, creativity, critical thinking skills, constructive and purposeful play, hands-on project-based exploration, as well as respect for materials and peers when putting materials away neatly.

Image was taken in June 2021. Columbia Academy did not mandate masks for children under age 5 in our preschools until August 2021.

The children are learning their place in both their classroom community and in the world. Many of our works foster learning in care of self and care of the environment, such as learning how to use the potty independently for some of our younger learners, to putting on a jacket or changing clothes after water play. From pouring, measuring, and stirring, to cooking projects and cleaning up their space after snack and lunch, we find many opportunities throughout each day where children can learn new practical life skills and practice already-learned ones.

We encourage all families to take a moment and include your children in meal/snack preparation. It is great fun, and the conversations and memories are priceless. Exploring the beauty of nature is also a highlight. In learning about the life cycle of a caterpillar to a butterfly and doing a butterfly release in the spring, children learn to care for nature and the environment, inspiring them to reach their potential through meaningful learning.

As the seasons change outside, so do the seasons in our classrooms. As the school year rolls along, their time in the classroom has been occupied with lessons and works that are inviting and purposeful. From art exploration to sorting and classifying math and science manipulatives, their faces light up as they discover a new truth from a work or complete a challenging task. Ask your child about their classroom jobs and the many ways they care for their classroom and peers.

At Columbia Academy, we believe that equipping children from a young age with practical life skills enables them to think critically, solve problems creatively, make informed decisions, empathize with others, build confidence and independence, and ultimately become self-reliant adults. 

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