Teacher Erica:
Miss Erica, Coach Erica, or Teacher Erica. I’ve been teaching enrichment activities to children since I first turned 18, working in New Jersey at the same play space that I visited as a toddler and teaching the same classes that I used to attend. While there, I was taught about early child education by an amazing group of experienced art, music, gym, SpEd, and reading teachers. I learned that while these activities are fun for children and their families, they’re an incredibly important part of a child’s physical and mental development. Enriching activities lay groundwork that toddlers need to become bright, compassionate children.
Why it’s great:
S.T.E.A.M. Stands for Science, technology, engineering, arts, & math. Read below to learn why S.T.E.A.M. based activities are so important and how they are integrated into my lesson plans.
Categorizing items and creating and recognizing patterns, which is said to help strengthen your child’s procedural memory (things they can do without thinking about it), will be included in lots of the projects we do together.
Spatial reasoning, your child’s understanding of where things are in two and three-dimensional space, will be enhanced by creating sculptures, making projects that look like things we see, and making sure our glue stays in the spaces where we want things to stick. This is said to help children’s math aptitude and the abilities they need to safely navigate the world around them.
What else?
Steam Engines Learning Company teaches enriching classes for toddlers up to five years old. These classes require guardian attendance and varying levels of participation. Lesson plans are designed to be fun and developmentally appropriate. Classes are a safe space for parents to bring all the mess, noise, and silliness that comes with having little ones around.