Bonsai Tree
Bonsai babies, ranging from 6 weeks of age to 16 months, are constantly progressing through different stages of development. Teachers partner with families and share in the baby’s life and learning.
Accessible Environment
Each week has a new theme or topic to explore, so children always have something new to anticipate and look forward to.
Sensory Exploration
Talking about something else that goes on in Tumbleweeds, and let’s all agree that there is a LOT
Introduction to Food
Toddlers are exploring every aspect of the world around them! We focus on tactile activities that keep minds and bodies engaged.
Safely exploring the world
We believe that infants learn best through frequent opportunities to explore their environment. To achieve this, all shelves and materials are kept at a level that is accessible to the babies. We also limit time spent in any device or position that hinders the babies' free movement, in turn, providing them with as many opportunities for free exploration as possible. We frequently rearrange the classroom and change out the materials available to the babies based on the needs and interests of the babies.
Food positivity
A common question we receive is how we handle the introduction of food to the infants in our classroom. We believe that there is no right or wrong way to do this, rather it is our goal to partner with families to find a plan that works for everyone. We offer a positive and low-pressure environment for the babies to explore new foods (whether puree or solid) using senses including taste, smell, touch, and sight as they feel comfortable. For the babies who are eating solid foods, we serve and eat all of the meals family-style (with the babies sharing a table and eating together). This sense of togetherness is a vital part of our community, and is exhibited in the other classrooms as well.
Touching and feeling everything!
We know that infants are constantly using their senses to process and make sense of new things. To encourage this, we focus on providing infants with a variety of sensory materials to explore. By varying the color, texture, size, and temperature of the materials available to the babies, we hope to expose the infants to as many sensory experiences as possible. We strongly encourage messy play center-wide and the infant room is no exception! The babies often explore paint, clay, and snow to name a few. We closely observe how the babies respond to these experiences to plan future exploration opportunities.
