Discovery Centers

Discovery Centers, based on age-appropriate activities in a child-centered fun environment, offer youth a chance to learn, create, play and connect.

 Art Center –

o   Children as individuals and at different ages differ in their interest in art.

o   Art is a process that may or may not include an end product.

o   Many children are content to explore their interest in the process rather than the product.

Blocks/Building Center –

o   Children are able to explore a variety of mathematical skills and concepts through block play.

o   Counting, the cornerstone of mathematics, is a skill that children can achieve through block play.

o   Children learn how to recognize and create patterns using different types of blocks.

Manipulatives Center –

o   Develop small muscles in children’s fingers and hands.

o   Helps children develop eye-hand coordination.

o   Increases their problem solving skills, cognitive development and creative thinking abilities.

Dramatic Play/Home living Center –

o   Encourages a child to communicate his/her thoughts through the eyes of anyone he/she chooses. They mimic what they see the adults doing in their life.

o   Learn the foundations of social behavior. By pretending they are someone else, they learn how other people feel and act.

o   Learn empathy from dramatic play activities.

Science Center – Provides the chance for children to:

o   Explore objects, materials and events.

o   Raise queries.

o   Make careful observations.

o   Describe (including form, size and number) compare, sort, classify.

o   Record observations.

o   Identify patterns and relationships.

o   Work collaboratively with others.

o   Share and discuss concepts.

Music Center –

o   From birth, youth listen intently to melody and rhythm and respond with movement and sound.

o   Music feeds the body, the brain, and the soul. It is social and brings people together and sets them apart.

Book (Reading) Center –

o   Reading and exposure to books helps to develop a young child’s brain.

o   Reading opens the door to a child’s early academic success, imparts a love of learning and leads to higher grades in every subject.

o   When children learn to read at an early age, they have a greater general knowledge, expanded vocabulary and become more fluent readers.

o   Helps children to have improved attention spans and better concentration.

o   Grow in self-confidence and independence.

o   Early reading ignites the child’s creativity and imagination.