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SANDY
HILL - ESTABLISHED IN 1966
Unique
because it is alternative education at the nursery school level
 |
more
than a school |
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extended
family |
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community
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a network
of people who share a common philosophy of education |
Because
of the setting
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a natural
playground |
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hands-on
laboratory for nature and science exploration |
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fits
in beautifully with our child-centered program which allows
for exploration |
Because
we have a child-centered program – philosophy
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letting
children be children |
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allowing
children the time and space and freedom to learn at their own
pace and in their own style |
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without
adult goals |
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letting
children create and define their own experience |
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offering
experiences which are appropriate for each developmental level
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room
for individual styles – individually reinforced positively
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open-ended
activities – environment |
Goals
for the program
1.
For children to grow in a holistic way – socially, emotionally,
physically, cognitively: "whole child"
2.
For children to become self-motivated learners
3.
For children to discover and develop their own creativity
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artistically
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cognitively |
4.
Focus on emotional growth
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to
help children acknowledge and deal constructively with their
feelings – positive and negative |
5.
Focus on social growth
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to
help children learn to communicate effectively with adults and
peers |
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to
respect their own needs and those of others and learn to negotiate |
Sandy
Hill is not in the mainstream of preschool education because
Today’s
parents often do not have the time and/or the inclination to get
involved
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Sandy
Hill is a Co-op |
Push
for early academics
|
Sandy
Hill - believes academic learning is developmentally inappropriate |
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children
learn experientially |
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touching,
seeing, doing |
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children
need to be personally involved |
Being
presented with concepts which are beyond one’s developmental
level puts pressure on children and has negative impact on self-esteem
in the event of failure
Push
for early academics reflects the larger cultural values of competitive
job market
Relationship
with the Fellowship
We
value the site tremendously for reasons already presented. It is
important to our program, but the relationship is deeper than that
– we care about the property
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educational
value |
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esthetic
value |
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emotional
value – we do not simply use the land |
Values
in common
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although
Sandy Hill has no political affiliation, it is an organization
of people who are dedicated to the well-being of children and
are therefore dedicated to world peace and cooperation among
all peoples |
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a value
that is modeled and reinforced in the classroom, as well as
being part of the philosophy on which Sandy Hill was founded,
is respect for the integrity of the individual |
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respect
for the environment – Sandy Hill is a perfect place for
children to learn to respect their natural world |
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