Happier Smarter Safer Children

A Better Way to Teach and Learn

The traditional approach to teaching and learning is to create the curriculum and make the child fit into what is offered.

At Leap Start Early Learning Child Care Southern River, we believe children learn through experience, through what and how they explore, through getting their hands dirty and taking safe risks, through creating, and through music and the arts, all in a fun and safe environment.

This is the foundation of our New, Unique, and Exciting Accelerated Neuro Response (ANR) Approach.

To this end, our curriculum of Teaching and Learning is open-ended. Instead of making the child fit the curriculum, we base what we do every day on the child and their needs using STEAM Learning, and extend them based on the here and now, not some educational goal in the future. For example, if a child shows an interest in art, we will adjust what we do to suit that interest, not make the child fit into an inflexible regimented day plan.

STEAM makes learning fun and exciting for your child and keeps them engaged because it is a better way to teach and learn.

Here are five more areas where Leap Start Early Learning Child Care Southern River is a leader for your child’s early education:

• Art – Art is everywhere at Leap Start. The children love our Performing and Visual Arts Specialist Programs and we and the children proudly display their work and self-expression. Come in and view their masterpieces in our art gallery in the reception foyer with printed artist labels just like a pro. Plus our interactive 86-metre-long piece of indigenous Art on the fence called “Wagyl-A Story Walk”, which was created by a mother and daughter Noongar elder team combining traditional techniques with modern technology, teaches the children a local indigenous story of the area.
• Relaxation Sessions – are an important part of daily routines as well. It includes relaxation music for sleep times in the younger rooms to more directed relaxation techniques at rest time in the older rooms. We also incorporate age-appropriate exercises daily in all rooms. For example, we help the younger children with individual stretching exercises whereas the older children (4 to 5 years) do a series of poses such as stretching like a cat.
• Science – Science is very important in developing your child’s thought process, problem-solving, curiosity, and imagination. We incorporate a variety of science-based experiences to stimulate, promote and accelerate your child’s education. These include Lego Mindstorm and Brain Box for safe electronics, supervised baking and cooking to learn about the reaction of ingredients, and our interactive garden, where we grow our own food, compost the waste for a sustainable environment, and learn about native plants.
• Real World – we believe keeping children in cotton wool does not prepare them fully for the real world. So we make every effort to ensure each day aligns with this vision within age-appropriate levels while ensuring the safety of all the children.
• Learn Multiple Languages – giving your child the opportunity to learn multiple languages when their brain is developing and capable of learning new information has many benefits. Recent studies suggest it can enhance the neurodevelopment of critical brain networks responsible for facilitating language development, mathematics, and reading comprehension, as well as positively impact fine motor skills, coordination, memory, focus, discipline, and self-esteem.

Great care has been taken to create this “safe risk” environment that encourages children to step outside their boundaries.

Here are 4 examples:

• Care for self and care for the environment – children are taught to set the table at meal times, wash up dishes, pack up after experiences, ironing/sweeping/raking (with age-appropriate equipment). We also design our own resources to be environmentally friendly. For example, The House on Wheels is a cosy, multifunctioning play space designed by our children and built for us by Christian from Crafted Wood in part with wood cut-offs and branches collected on walks. It doubles as an Isolation Station for unwell children, waiting for their parents to arrive and collect them so they can remain with their peers and feel safe without being unnecessarily moved while keeping a safe distance.
• Service of others – under supervision, some afternoon teas and even lunches are prepared and consumed by the children. There is much learning and joy in kneading dough, mixing a cake, or shaping biscuits, watching them cook using our specially lowered ovens and stovetops under supervision, and then sharing and eating it with them! We believe teaching the children real-life skills is very important and increases their confidence.
• Sustainability – our compost is where the day’s food scraps are deposited. This helps the children learn about how the scraps break down to become food for our plants and the environment and reduce their environmental footprint.
• Community involvement – Seasonal produce is planted, cared for, harvested, cooked, and eaten by the children. This includes taking care of and picking from our herb garden and fruit trees. We believe it’s important for children to understand they are part of a community and it’s desirable to utilise others’ talents and give back by sharing.

We go that extra little bit to ensure your child, as they move from infancy to toddler to kindy, is given the best chance to reach developmental milestones by incorporating STEAM Learning and our unique Accelerated Neuro Response (ANR) Approach.