Welcome to Smallpond Childcare's website!

Welcome to Smallpond Childcare's website!
We are a small childcare home that is fully licensed by the State of Alaska. We strive to provide a warm and gentle environment for small children to explore and play. We believe that the best kind of learning happens when children are involved in the rhythms of the day and are given plenty of opportunities for ownership of their activities. We look forward to days filled with laughter, singing, bread baking, dancing, outside exploration, painting, play-dough, dress up, and books...lots and lots of books!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Why so much art at the Pond?


Benefits of Arts Education

Source: Americans for the Arts, 2002

  • Stimulates and develops the imagination and critical thinking, and refines cognitive and creative skills.
  • Has a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries.
  • Strengthens problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success.
  • Develops a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond.
  • Teaches children life skills such as developing an informed perception; articulating a vision; learning to solve problems and make decisions; building self-confidence and self-discipline; developing the ability to imagine what might be; and accepting responsibility to complete tasks from start to finish.
  • Nurtures important values, including team-building skills; respecting alternative viewpoints; and appreciating and being aware of different cultures and traditions.
  • Plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development.
  • Motivates and engages children in learning, stimulates memory, facilitates understanding, enhances symbolic communication, promotes relationships, and provides an avenue for building competence.
  • Provides a natural source of learning. Child development specialists note that play is the business of young children; play is the way children promote and enhance their development. The arts are a most natural vehicle for play.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Welcome Rosana!


I am so happy to welcome Rosana to the Pond! She brings such a joyful energy and enthusiasm with her each morning and has begun to work her magic with wonderful art projects and a new garden plot ready to plant! (Thank you to Rosana's husband for coming to till up that unruly little corner of nettles and pushki) We look forward to an exciting summer with the pondlings!