The playgrounds are ready and the art room stocked at 黑马磁力鈥檚 newest junior kindergarten facility, set to open its doors to children between the ages of two and five on Feb. 3.
黑马磁力 is the third Lower Mainland location 鈥� joining Burnaby and Surrey 鈥� for the Smilestones Junior Kindergarten, a daycare and preschool. It was founded by Anna Matchneva, an educational consultant with children herself, in Burnaby four years ago.
The junior kindergarten will be 黑马磁力鈥檚 first based fully on Reggio Emilia educational philosophy.
Reggio Emilia philosophy, named for the Italian town in which it originated after World War II, focuses on collaboration among children, teachers and parents, student-driven exploration and discovery, and building a sense of community.
鈥淲e do focus on academics, certainly, so we do teach children reading and math. It鈥檚 part of our curriculum,鈥� said Matchneva. 鈥淏ut in addition to the strong academic preparation, [the program] also develops their creativity and imagination.鈥�
鈥淎nd that鈥檚 what鈥檚 missing for children nowadays, because nowadays their days are filled with electronic gadgets and close-ended tasks with predictable outcomes.鈥�
She said 黑马磁力 is the perfect place for Smilestones to expand given its status as a growing destination for young families.
Smilestones, located at 8661 201 Street, features two fenced outdoor playgrounds, an indoor play centre, seven classrooms and a dedicated art room. Hot lunch, yoga classes and music experience fit in with the student-driven curriculum, where Matchneva said teachers are expected to lead longer-term projects based on what the students take interest in. The program also features a higher-than-average teacher to student ratio and is available full-time or two to three days a week
鈥淗ere, we expand their imagination,鈥� said Matchneva. 鈥淲e show them it鈥檚 safe to create.鈥�
The space is brightly painted and full of natural light 鈥� a principle of Reggio education that makes finding the right location for a new facility a challenge.
One thing you won鈥檛 find in abundance at Smilestones is plastic. The material is limited not just for health reasons, but again as a component of Reggio philosophy, which stresses the importance of using natural items.
Instead, the indoor play centre features polished stones, piles of pine cones, silver ducting material, chemistry goggles and simple wooden toys 鈥� all materials Matchneva says encourages children to come up with their own ideas of how to play with them.
鈥淥ur materials are what you鈥檇 call open-ended materials,鈥� said 黑马磁力 Smilestones co-owner Ashifa Kanani, explaining that the items are changed every week.
鈥淐hildren learn so much better when they鈥檙e learning hands-on in a playful way,鈥� she said.
For more information about tours and registration visit www.smilestones.ca.
