The learning den santa barbara: The Learningden Preschool Home

The Learningden Preschool Specialty

Specialties

We teach green ~

Green
education- The first step in raising your children to be
eco-friendly is to be eco-friendly yourself. At the Learningden we
follow the practices of reducing, reusing, and recycling. We teach the
children through organic gardening, composting, and buying recycled art
materials. At the Learningden we use all that we have! We gather art
supplies that are left over from community events, art from scrap, local
businesses etc, to ensure we teach the children to use what is around
them to create something magical. Part of the green education at the
Learningden is taking field trips to the watershed where children pick
up trash from the beach to prove the point of all that is left behind at
our beautiful oceans.

Environmentally
friendly – We use natural and environmentally friendly
products, especially reusable’s. We get involved with local
organizations that help protect the environment, like Earth Day to
spread our green message to the community and not just the children that we
serve. The people who do the most to help the environment are the ones
who know the most about it. That’s why it’s important to start your
child learning about the world around them early. While you should do
your best to teach them on your own, you can also get some help and
consistency carried out by the practices at the school.

Recycling–
One of the easiest ways to teach kids about being good stewards of the
earth is to teach them about recycling and heave them play an active
role in the process in our own home. Kids need to know about why
recycling is needed and how we can easily overwhelm our planet with
garbage if we don’t recycle whenever possible. The Learningden provides
field trips to the local recycling facility so the children can see the
recycling process in action.

Snacks and Paper goods
– Whenever possible we
try to buy organic produce and snacks. Organic foods are not only safer
for you to eat, they are more nutritious too. Studies have shown that
foods grown organically have a greater nutritional value than
conventionally grown foods. The school also has a commitment to buying
post consumer recycled products for our paper goods.

Buying
used toys and furniture– Whenever possible the Learningden buys
used extra clothing and toys. It is one of the best ways to buy recycled
materials. The Learningden is committed to saving our planetary
resources by shopping for previously loved items. Join our new Swap
Mamas site

Conservation–
We Teach kids from an early age that conserving resources such as energy
and water is important. During nap times we turn off the hallway lights
and on all sunny days all the lights in the classrooms are off. We use
the light from outside to create an earth conscious and calm natural
indoor environment.  We encourage the children to remind each other
as well as the staff to save energy and turn off music and lights upon
leaving the classrooms and the bathrooms.

Outdoor
Classroom-The philosophy of the Outdoor Classroom is that all
children need and benefit from more time outdoors. This benefit affects
development and learning. It is critical for physical health. Nearly
every activity that can be done indoors can be done outdoors. Some
activities can only occur outdoors. Other activities occur best
outdoors. For children ages 0 to 5, development and learning outdoors
are often easier and more beneficial than it is indoors. Full
development and integration of outdoor and indoor programs creates the
optimal learning and growing environment for young children.

Organic
Gardening and Composting – Our school has an emphasis on the
earth and teaching children about sustainability at a young age. We love
gardening because it gives the whole school an opportunity to engage in
healthy, sometimes messy fun and provides an additional outlet for
children to exercise and enjoy the outdoors.

So what exactly is organic and natural gardening?

Organic gardening means to plant and grow without using synthetic products,
including pesticides and fertilizers. The children learn that the garden
is part
of a living ecosystem. We then strive to work in harmony with natural systems in order
to minimize and replenish the resources that the schools garden consumes.

Composting– The children Recycle from their lunch
and we have a compost bin which is new this year. Composting is
nature’s way of recycling, but humans can help nature by making compost
out of organic household waste. Help a child appreciate the value of
composting by teaching him about the various benefits of composting for
plants. Composting improves the texture of soil, creating a foundation
for increased retention and circulation of nutrients, moisture and air.
Composting improves soil structure, providing for better drainage and
easier cultivation.

We will also be putting in raised planter boxes to grow herbs and
vegetables for cooking projects. The children, plant, maintain and pick
everything from, the garden. This year we will once again visit a
working sustainable farm and learn about produce sharing programs. We
look forward to some great documentation as the year progresses.

Other specialty programs

Shadow
play and light room– Discover the Light Effects and Shadow Play
room The Learningden has created. The Light room is a play space filled
with sensory, art, fine motor and large motor experiences all with the
use of black lights, things that glow, and overhead projector and light
tables to further a visual sensory experience for the children. Our
light and shadow play room is a place for children to explore familiar
mediums in a somewhat unfamiliar setting. The room is calm and has
classical music to further the Childs mood to calmly create something in
a truly unique setting. Though shadow and light are not objects that can
be picked up or handled, these experiences provide opportunities for
investigation and exploration of how light and shadows move, bend,
bounce and change in our physical world. The staff uses this room to
further enhance what the children are working on in the classroom.

Integration
learning – At the Learningden we make sure that
children are exposed to as many different things as possible. We have
found that spending time with seniors not only benefits the
children but it helps the seniors as well. We offer a program which
includes trips to Villa Santa Barbara to do projects with the seniors
3-4 times a year.

Yoga–
Yoga enhances children’s flexibility, strength, coordination, and body
awareness. In addition, their concentration and sense of calmness and
relaxation improves. Doing yoga, children exercise, play, connect more
deeply with the inner self, and develop an intimate relationship with
the natural world that surrounds them. We offer Yoga starting in
November and it is a once a week class.

Dance – This Bi monthly class incorporates, dancing, dramatic play
and fun!! Creative movement is a form of movement that embraces children
of all genders, ages and abilities, including those with developmental
challenges. It is a non-competitive, success-oriented activity that
engages the child’s body, mind and spirit.

Music — Our Music program is Kindermusic based and offers children
the opportunity to sing and play instruments. Our Music teacher Mrs.
Molly comes once a week and this program is offered to all students,
free of charge. Our curriculum lets children develop their innate
musical abilities in early childhood and gives them a sound foundation
for further musical instruction. Children learn and perform at the end of
the year during the summer potluck and graduation.

P.E.–
Physical education is a new addition to the Learningden Preschool
Specialty Program. This once a week class is provided by Stretch and Grow
a local company with fitness professionals specially trained in working
with young children. This program not only teaches the children about
the benefits of exercise but a monthly newsletter goes home with the
children explaining what they are working on as well as tips for parents
on appropriate activity for your child as well as nutrition. We are
really excited about this new weekly class.

Cooking
– Nutrition and cooking is a very important part of our culture
at the school. Cooking  is used to accompany themes, as well as
teach children about science, math, and multi cultural learning. Once a
week every class does a cooking project that either gets eaten at the
school or occasionally is sent home to share with their family. We let
the children make their own food and prepare all ingredients. This is a
great way to also teach children about nutrition and the environment.

Field
trips – The Learningden Preschool offers a wide variety of
field trips throughout the year, some of these include:

The Land Shark, the ensemble theater, Tye Warner sea center,
villa Santa Barbara, Museum of Natural History, Cooking trips to the
Doubletree, Fairview Gardens, and much more ! We also have a variety of
groups come to the school for performances and engagements .

Dramatic
Play – Our Dramatic play and art canopy is outdoors and changes
everyday. In the morning the children will come to school with different
projects set up outdoors unless the children direct the play boxes to be
the same, because of something they are continuing with from the day
before. We always have art available to the children as well as beading
and wire work or clay and or water. We have plenty of space outdoors to
create, we have an off the main street private location set back from
the busy street of Hollister Ave..

Parent education and PTA– Because we are an
extension of your child’s home we offer several ways to get involved as
well as parent nights with guest speakers.

Our PTA was formed to help make the Learningden as
family orientated as possible. All parents are part of the PTA and are invited
to meet once a month to help plan activities, coordinate events,
discuss fundraising and offer suggestions about what we can do to
improve the school even further. We welcome all families to participate
and the meetings are usually the 2nd Friday of the month at 4:30-5:30.
Child care is provided.

Parent speakers – We offer several topic nights
throughout the year from professionals in the community that come and
educate parents. We offer discussion nights about holistic nutrition,
discipline, potty training, nutrition, activities to do with your
preschooler, CPR, and any other topics that are of interest to the
parents. We also offer a kindergarten night for parents looking into
private education or homeschooling where representatives come and are
available to answer questions about their school. Most of these nights
child care is provided free of charge with advanced reservation.

Learningden Preschool, The | SANTA BARBARA CA DAY CARE CENTER

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About the Provider

Description: The Learningden Preschool serves as an extension of your child’s home. Our school is a place where children imagine, explore, create and learn with natural materials: clay, real art supplies, and items found in the home. We believe children learn through interaction with peers, parents, staff and friends in a friendly learning environment. Our curriculum is based on the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education where topics are driven by questions, information and excitement expressed by the children themselves.

Program and Licensing Details

• License Number:
  426210924
• Capacity:
  58
• Enrolled in Subsidized Child Care Program:
  No
• Type of Care:
  DAY CARE CENTER;
• Initial License Issue Date:
  Jan 03, 2006
• District Office:
  CENTRAL COAST REGIONAL OFFICE
• District Office Phone:
  (805) 562-0400 (Note: This is not the facility phone number. )

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Santa Barbara | EF Foreign Languages ​​for School Students

Every day here you will see golden beaches, sparkling blue oceans and magnificent mountain views. Our campus is within walking distance of the shops and cafes on State Street and close to the central waterfront.

What’s Included / What’s Included

• Accommodation
• Meals
• Study Materials
• Language Test

What’s Included / What’s Included

• Course
• Camps & Studios
• Flight & Transfer
• EF Leader

Overview

Every day you will see the sparkling views of the blue mountains, the golden ocean and the beaches. Our campus is within walking distance of the shops and cafes on State Street and close to the central waterfront.

Campus

Our school is located just off State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

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EF International Language Campus Santa Barbara

1421 Chapala St Santa Barbara, 93101, United States

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About our school

Traditional Spanish Colonial building, bright classrooms with modern technology