C5 sends four teachers to the four day Learning with Nature Conference in Santa Cruz. They will coordinate with the other teachers who have gone in past years to continue to improve how we use a variety of natural materials in many ways in gardening, the classrooms, explorations, and projects throughout the year.
Our infants are building a strong foundation for early literacy skills at a young age. The very basics are being practiced throughout the day: holding a book, turning its pages, and watching their teachers reading from left-to-right. They are beginning to understand how books “work,” how they connect the reader, and how they relate to the listener when read out loud. When a book is read to them, the infants are developing the cognitive skills required to connect sounds into words and words into meaning. When they listen to the reader’s changing tone, rhythm patterns, voice inflection, and repeating phrasing, they are learning how language is formed and an essential element of communication. Infants who are exposed to books, reading, and story-telling at an early age are more likely to develop strong communication skills and a love of books as they get older. Learn more about our Infant Program.