How we teach
A play-based preschool, in plain words
Children at Heather Shore spend most of the morning in play they choose. Teachers set out the room, join in, ask questions and keep the day moving.
Building
Blocks, loose parts and logs. A child works out how to make a tower stand, a road reach the rug's edge or a den hold up a blanket.
Pretending
Shops, kitchens, boats and families. Children take on roles, make rules together and change them when the game does.
Making
Paint, clay, paper and leaves. The art table is open all morning, and the work belongs to the child who made it.
Digging and growing
Seeds in the garden beds, tomatoes in summer, and sand, mud and snow to dig in the rest of the year.
Listening
A story and a song to finish each morning, and short talks with a teacher through the day.
Moving
Climbing, balancing on logs, running the yard and walking the path. Children move all day, indoors and out.
In the room
What a teacher does while children play
- 01
Sets out the room
Each morning, a teacher puts out materials a group has been using, along with a few new things to try.
- 02
Watches first
A teacher waits and watches before stepping in, because most problems get solved by the children.
- 03
Joins in
Sometimes by asking a question, sometimes by taking a turn as the customer in the shop.
- 04
Helps with big feelings
A teacher gets down to a child's level, says what happened in plain words and stays close until the child is ready.
See what play looks like in the rooms
A morning tour shows you the room, the yard and the teachers at work.