Baumhaus

The wooden play area-a miniature version of our German-made treehouses-are designed by early childhood professionals, and specifically tailored to address the needs of a mobile infant/ young toddlers who need to learn to move independently -with little adult intervention as possible. This is different from the foam-padded play areas. For one, the n... atural material allows children real feedback for the hands and feet, and engages muscles they need to flex, and allow children to move without adult assistance-thereby helping them discover how to move independently, make their own choices, and have confidence in their capabilities. This play area and the other educational implements is for exclusive use of children in the FIT program. How is our program different from other infant and toddler playgroups? Our program is based on our understanding that the needs of infants and young toddlers are very different from school-aged children. This means we do NOT overstimulate children with too many activities; instead, we plan our activities around one or two key concepts, allowing a child to have the time to explore, focus, engage and enjoy the activity. Because we understand the needs of this age group, we do not force children to participate in "performance-based" goals like "sitting still. We know fully well that infants and toddlers need to move in order to develop strong bodies and integrated brains. We provide a mix of guided observation (time to quietly understand how our children engage on their own and with others), AND time for structured activities that allow us to give age-appropriate challenges and opportunities for exploration for the child. We provide guidance for parents and caregivers in terms of understanding developmental stages, and how to create environments and daily routines to support the development of key areas in children. We have key topics of discussion, thereby making each session a parent/ caregiver workshop on its own. This is perfect for families who would like their caregivers and ...Read More