Building Blocks Preschool-An Early Childhood Learning Community
340 Harvey Lake Rd
Highland, MI 48356

ph: 248.889.2727

info@buildingblocksschool.com

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Our Story

Building Blocks believes and views children as strong, powerful and rich in potential.  We are a school that cultivates collaboration in a community and builds meaningful relationships with children and families.  That deep relationship builds long lasting bonds and has a positive impact on a child's first early learning experience. 

The first years of a child's life create the foundation for all later learning. With this in mind, we as teachers, parents, and community members must nurture children by allowing their "roots" to grow in an environment that best suits the natural ways of the Earth.

Nature is the perfect venue to intergrate math, science and literacy skills in to our everyday activities in a fun and supportive way. Building Blocks Preschool teachers use an engaging curriculum to introduce the five key elements of early childhood learning and development: cognitive, creative, social, emotional and physical. 

Families make a conscious decision to enroll their children in this enviornment, because they value deep meaning, authentic relationships, outdoor exploration and creative thinking.  

Children are protagonists with the right to collaborate and communicate with others. Their rights are manifested in curiosity, wonderment, exploration, discovery, social construction, and representations of their knowledge within their contexts. Children are not passive receptors of teacher-generated knowledge but are able to construct knowledge based on their experiences and interactions with others.


Children are also communicators, developing intellectually through the use of symbolic representations including words, movement, drawing, painting, building, sculpture, shadow play, collage, dramatic play, and music all of which lead children to surprising levels of communication, symbolic skills, and creativity (Edwards & Springate, 1993). These multiple forms of representation have come to be known as the "The Hundred Languages of Children," after Malaguzzi's poem (1993c) "the child has a Hundred languages, and a hundred hundred hundred more."


By Building the Foundation for a Love of Learning, Building Blocks Preschool frames your child's early childhood education by a creating a Learning Story as a home- school connection that documents your child's experiences at school. At graduation your child receives his/her own Educational Portfolio that is a priceless gift that shares your child's early learning journey at our school. 


 

The Love of Learning
By Melissa Carey (Parent)
"My 11 year old son, Max, and 4 year old
daughter, Emma, attended the Building Blocks Preschools Summer Camp Programs in 2010.  I had the opportunity to go on a field trip with them to the nature center at Indian Springs Metropark. While on this trip, I had the absolute pleasure of observing what children who have a love of learning look like.
The nature guide was leading the group around the pond and toward the end of our tour we stopped at a pond with a small dock. To most observers, this particular spot would warrant perhaps 5 minutes of observation, noticing the plant and animal life.  However, this group of 3 to 11 year olds, were on their bellies pointing out all there was to discover. Sometimes they got up and ran to another spot and laid back down in response to another’s observation.  Sometimes they shouted with excitement.  They drew the
teachers’ attentions to what they were seeing.  
They asked questions based on their
observations.  They were completely engaged.  
The guide was very impressed with how much
the children were able to notice.  As an educator myself, I know that the ability to attend to something long enough to really draw out all that can be gained from an experience is not innate to most kids – it must be fostered through continuous opportunities and role modeling by teachers.  I thanked the teachers on the spot.  I also said that their elementary school teachers would thank them because they will have delivered to them kids who love to learn.  What is more important than that?"





Building Blocks Preschool is centered on one simple principle: Enriching Active Learners

We call it, "Whole Child Education" that nurtures every aspect of the child's development-socially, emotionally, cognitively
and physically.  

What that means is:

....Your child will develop critical thinking skills
....Your child will receive intellectual curiosity and wonder
....Your child's natural interest is followed
....Your child will share the joy of learning inside and outside in nature


 

Our families love us! Check out what our families have to
say about our school.  Our biggest complement is our communication.



“We're delighted with the program at Building Blocks Preschool. It is so wonderful to be a part of such a strong learning community. Our child was always made to feel right at home and welcomed by everyone. Our son did more than improve socially, emotionally and educationally - he thrived. There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and I also felt like I was welcome at anytime. Our child’s teacher has given our family such hope, confidence, and endless knowledge about our son. We are so grateful to have had her in our life.” - J.H.

 

To Tour Our School Call Us Today 248.889.2727!

Your child will learn hands on, creative, and wonder...but don't take our word for it. See for yourself by visiting our school. Our door is open for our parents. They visit any time of the day.

Please contact us anytime! We look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Copyright 2013 Building Blocks Preschool-An Early Childhood Learning Community. All rights reserved.

 

Building Blocks Preschool-An Early Childhood Learning Community
340 Harvey Lake Rd
Highland, MI 48356

ph: 248.889.2727

info@buildingblocksschool.com

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