Curious Kids Lynnfield

ABOUT TINKER TIME
Tinker Time is a program for preschoolers ages four and up who love to create! At Tinker Time, each weekly class meeting will have a focus, such as “sound,” providing us a context with which to work together on a class project, then have time to apply those principles and freely create using materials provided in a “Tinkertray.” The whole class instruction format at the beginning of the class gives students an opportunity to structure their thinking by learning about a concept or skill (such as, for example, how the membrane of a drum conducts sound/vibration).
The premise for this class comes out of the “Maker Movement,” but with early childhood principles applied. This class is loosely structured on Nicholson’s (1972) theory that “in any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number and kind of variables in it.” Tinker Time seeks to meet children where they are and provide them with exposure to lots of variables and materials with which to create and learn. Tinker Time also creates a platform for children to learn about concepts in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) because they will experience in real time STEAM-related as they create. Through these authentic experiences, children will ask questions and be guided by a teacher to perceive these concepts as they work.
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Through participating in Tinker Time, children will avoid ever having the inhibition to create that so many adults have because they lacked the opportunity, as children, to just create! Instead, this opportunity will foster the “creativity mindset” by giving children enrolled in the program a chance to explore, invent, design, experiment, make mistakes, revise and grow!

ABOUT MAKERS AND TINKERS
Makers and Tinkers is an early childhood engineering and design program. Curious Kids offers this class for two different age groups.

A “Drop-In” hour-long class for Preschoolers and Their Caregivers to create and design with diverse materials and challenges
During each preschool session, for children 3 and up and their caregivers, a variety of materials will be available for the use of registered children to create, experiment and design. Students’ exploration will be guided by a teacher who facilitates their learning and will relate to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in the area of Technology and Engineering.
A half-day enrichment program during the Lynnfield Public Schools “Half Days” for Kindergarten, First and Second Graders who are interested in engineering and design projects

During each “Makers and Tinkers” session for grades K through 2, work will begin with a read-aloud focused on a specific concept (such as this week, “The Power of Air,” which looks at Air Pressure and “Air as a Push”). During the class, the group will look at Physical Science and Engineering concepts found in the Massachusetts Frameworks for Science and Engineering, such as Simple Machines, Sink vs. Float, etc. Children will work independently, in pairs or in small groups to practice critical thinking and collaboration skills, and concepts will relate to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks in the area of Technology and Engineering. Children will create with loose parts, engage in the planning process of engineering, and “attack” STEM challenges from different angles.
According to the Massachusetts Science and Technology/Engineering Curriculum Framework (DESE, 2006), The “Skills of Inquiry, Experimentation, and Design” include the ability to:

Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.
Tell about why and what would happen if?
Make predictions based on observed patterns.
Name and use simple equipment and tools (e.g., rulers, meter sticks, thermometers, hand lenses, and balances) to gather data and extend the senses.
Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, or written statements.
Discuss observations with others.
Makers and Tinkers will seek to touch on these skills, providing opportunities to apply them in context.

Each session of Makers and Tinkers will take place on a Lynnfield Public Schools half-day from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; each preschool session takes place one Saturday morning a month for an hour. Please check our calendar (under the tab “session dates”) for up-to-date information. For session dates, please check the “Session Dates” tab; to register, use the “Registration” tab.
ABOUT PLAY SCHOOL

Play School is a program designed for two-year-olds transitioning to preschool at the beginning of the upcoming school year. Each section of Play School will meet one hour a week, in five-week sessions. Class time will focus on child-friendly themes, such as Transportation, Colors or Community Helpers.

Children entering preschool frequently are faced with new emotional and social demands. The goal of Play School to help cultivate social-emotional intelligence by offering opportunities to learn preschool routines, develop self-help skills, use skills relating to social interaction and gain a clearer understanding of desired “classroom behavior.”

During their time at Play School, children will:
Learn and practice expected behaviors for a class meeting, such as sitting for a story and answering questions with a complete thought.
Incorporate reading, singing, dancing, rhyming, pretending and role playing in learning during “Circle Time.”

Some activities will include:
- practicing letter identification while reading the names of classmates
- singing familiar songs and playing with initial consonant sounds.
- engage and play with peers in a school environment.
- Open-ended toys will be available for children to practice motor skills while collaborating with friends.
- Practice creativity through weekly art projects and experience the pride of making their own creations.
- Children will be able to experiment with different textures and materials, gaining exposure to a wide variety of sensory experiences.
- Engage in formal social-emotional learning appropriate for this developmental age, including recognizing and labeling emotions, practicing strategies for managing emotions and resolving common causes of conflict.
- Practice transitioning away from a parent or caregiver into a classroom environment.

Through a nurturing and happy first “school” experience, children will learn to love school!

ABOUT STEAM SCHOOL

STEAM School is a program for preschoolers who are curious about Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math and who would like to pursue challenges beyond the preschool curriculum. Class time will be organized around a monthly theme in order to structure and connect learning concepts for students. Each week, children will both operate independently and collaboratively on math, technology, science, engineering and art projects. This program meets one hour a week, in eight-week sessions during the school year, and four-week sessions during the summer. During sessions, parents will not be asked to stay.

The objective of STEAM School is to expose students to as much thought-provoking material as possible. Students’ projects will be diverse and include things like investigating different biomes and organisms, constructing simple machines, considering animal adaptations, investigating age-appropriate physics themes such as surface tension.

At STEAM School, children will be encouraged to:
- collaborate
- dig deeper
- problem solve
- share their thinking
- observe
- authentically engage with the world around them
- think critically about what they see

STEAM School is a great opportunity to engage young learners in a love of STEAM-related subjects when they are most open to developing and maintaining enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering, art and math.