News & Events
The Power of Play: Part 3
Bennett Day School advisor Jie-Qi Chen (Professor, Erikson Institute) discusses the importance of play in early childhood development. Part three of three.Block PlayWe see many types of blocks in American early childhood classrooms—unit blocks, cardboard blocks, wooden, hollow blocks, pattern blocks, and interlocking blocks such as Duplos and Legos, to name the most popular types of blocks…
The Power of Play: Part 2
Bennett Day School advisor Jie-Qi Chen (Professor, Erikson Institute) discusses the importance of play in early childhood development. Part two of three. Pretend PlayPretend play is a form of voluntary activity in which young children take on imaginary roles while imitating and creating actions, gestures, and/or the talk of characters. We see children engage in pretend play when they (1) create…
The Power of Play: Part 1
Bennett Day School advisor Jie-Qi Chen (Professor, Erikson Institute) discusses the importance of play in early childhood development. Part one of three.Play ABCPlay is ubiquitous among our species and many others. Children in cultures around the world love play. When they play, you hear their laughter and see their sustained attention. Children play in many different ways—they…
3 Roles For Technology at Bennett Day School
Technology is a learning tool that helps teachers and children research information and explore ideas, create artifacts that demonstrate their learning, collaborate with other learners in a co-learning environment, and communicate their ideas and learning in a meaningful way. Technology at Bennett Day School will serve three critical roles for children in early childhood classrooms:…
Applicant Families Event – January 29 @ 5:30 pm
Has your family applied to Bennett Day School? If so, you’re entered into a raffle to win a set of four tickets to the NPN Wake Up and Boogie Down Festival! We are scheduled to host an event for applicant families on January 29 @ 5:30 pm. Winners will be announced at this event, so…
Community Market at Bennett Day School
“One friend isn’t here today, so that leaves fourteen people for snack,” one Kindergartener tells another. “Ok, fourteen. Let’s go!” her peer shouts and off they head with their teacher, down the hall to the school’s Community Marketplace. As they arrive at the market they see there are no longer the graham crackers they had…
“Morning Meeting” at Bennett Day School
Cognitive growth and achievement are strongly influenced by social interaction. As young children develop an emerging sense of self, we must provide them a time to socially engage with peers in a community environment within the classroom. Modeled after the principles of the Responsive Classroom approach, Bennett Day School will have daily Morning Meetings in which all…
Literacy in Early Childhood
Literacy means more than just learning to read. It encompasses reading of course, but writing and speaking are equally important components. We all know that the wonderful sounds babies make are early attempts to communicate with us. We nurture those sounds as children grow so that they develop a vocabulary and eventually meaningful conversation. Few…
Social-Emotional Learning at Bennett Day School
We live in a global society, and today’s students will inherit a world that doesn’t yet exist. Social-emotional learning is vital in children being able to first and foremost understand themselves and then meaningfully relate to others—whether in their Kindergarten classroom or half way around the world. By integrating social-emotional and academic learning through literature,…
Saying Goodbye (For Now): How Parents Can Prepare For Separation from a Child
“Mommy, please don’t go!” As you kneel down to give her one last hug, your heart starts to break. For a young child, whether or not it is her first time separating from a parent or parents, going to school brings about many emotions. A new environment, new teachers, new classmates, new cubbies, the list…
