The phrase “a balancing act” was first used for circus artists performing jugglery. It is also a term used as a figure of speech to describe a situation in which one must accomplish simultaneous tasks while trying to please two or more peoples or groups who want different things. At Apple Hill Academy childcare center, we want what the children and parents want: excellent teaching and the planting of seeds for lifelong learning. When children use hollow blocks to build structures, they learn how “construction”

Pattern blocks are a great way to practice recognizing and comparing shapes, learn about angles, and strengthen visual discrimination skills. The children at our childcare center love exploring the different colored shapes and filling-in patterns. The process of geometric exploration helps children understand patterns, sorting and classifying. The wooden pieces are made in various shapes such as rectangle, square and circular. When airplanes fly in a continuous circular flight pattern over an airport while waiting

Tall activity centers encourage older infants to stand. At Apple Hill Academy, we sometimes use these activities to encourage our daycare center children to stand tall. This can be a “tall order” for infants, as it helps in the physical development process. Tall is a word that is not only used to describe height, but also as a figure of speech, to describe things that are either large in size, or large in amount.  According

Young children love to imitate the important adults in their lives. Our children at Apple Hill Academy childcare center often imitate their parents when typing on the “computer.” As they mature, knowing how to use computers will be an essential skill for kids to learn. It is important to familiarize preschool children with basic computer use. Parents can begin with an introduction to mouse, keyboard and trackpad techniques. During this early stage, adult supervision is

Our preschool students recently enjoyed learning how to put on a puppet show for their friends. Their imaginations were stirred as we developed storylines and created the puppets by hand, using construction paper, brown lunch bags and glue. Everyone made their own puppet character and painted it in their favorite color. While there was much fun to be had, daycare teachers understand that this use of multi-sensory teaching also has a strong learning impact on