The Philosophy of the Bright Minds Curriculum
The Bright Minds Curriculum, which was developed here at Ladybird Academy, is an innovative curriculum that nourishes and prepares all the domains of a child’s development so that they are able to exceed in the future through classical and modern methodologies.
Language & Literacy
The Bright Minds Curriculum enriches all children’s language and literacy skills through teacher-led Phonics and Reading Comprehension lessons, hands-on centers, and through conversations that enrich all children’s vocabulary development. The Phonics Lessons are explicitly taught to the children and begin with the most crucial foundational skills that your child needs to become a fluent reader and writer. The Reading Comprehension Lessons allow the students to build a love for reading, make connections with the stories, and help students with basic comprehension skills.
Social & Emotional Development
The Bright Minds Curriculum supports your child’s social and emotional well being through lessons, social stories, dramatic play, Morning Meeting, Outdoor Learning, and everyday life lessons. The importance of your child’s social and emotional development is strongly encouraged beginning in our Infant Classrooms. Research shows that a child’s social and emotional development influences a child’s self-confidence, empathy, the ability to develop meaningful and lasting friendships and partnerships, and a sense of importance and value to those people around them.
Mathematics
The Bright Minds Curriculum enriches all children’s mathematical development through engaging math lessons, exploring math manipulatives, and hands-on centers. Research shows that exposure to mathematics at an early age aids in developing critical and problem-solving skills that are essential in college and career readiness.
STEM
Children will experience STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) experiences through the Bright Minds Curriculum. These experiences will prepare the students to become experiential learners, problem solvers, and process-based learners.
Physical Development
The Bright Minds Curriculum provides lessons and activities that strengthen both large and small muscles, which can be divided into two main groups: gross motor and fine motor. This process begins in our Infant Classroom and evolves continuously to support each stage of development.
Gross Motor Development
Music and Movement and Outdoor Learning experiences within the Bright Minds Curriculum allows your child to strengthen their physical abilities through balanced movements that strengthen the whole body.
Fine Motor Development
Children who experience the Bright Minds Curriculum can have the opportunity to use a multitude of fine motor exercises that promote strength in even the smallest of muscles.
Assessments
The Bright Minds Curriculum incorporates its very own transitional characters that represents each core of the curriculum. This provides visual support for children to learn how to transition from one activity to another, creates a more engaging lesson, and allows the students to be accustomed to a more structured-based environment.
Learning & Creative Centers
Centers play an important role in any child’s social and academic development. Centers support a child’s ability to manage time, self-regulate, explore their interests, engage in meaningful conversations, facilitate team building skills, and master new concepts. Learning Centers and Creative Centers are separated into two different blocks and are incorporated into all classrooms daily.
Learning Centers:
Reading & Phonics
Math
Writing
Manipulatives & Puzzles
Creative Centers:
Creative Arts
Dramatic Play
Construction
STEM & Sensory
Technology
Foreign Language Acquisition
The acquisition of foreign language is proven to benefit children in their later years. Acquiring additional languages gives children the capability to demonstrate cognitive advantages that have proven to boost problem-solving skills and creativity.
American Sign Language (Infant & Toddler):
Early exposure to sign language develops language and reasoning therefore decreases frustrations due to the inability to communicate wants and needs. Providing your Infant and Toddler with these fundamental skills can improve confidence and self-esteem over time. Additionally, research suggests there are long-term cognitive benefits, such as:
- Improved muscle memory
- Increased vocabulary
- Accelerated Speech
- Greater academic achievement
Conversational Spanish (2-Year-Old through Pre-K):
Conversational Spanish is strategically taught to children as early as 2-years old. Giving children these strategies at an early age allows the child to become better multitaskers, improves memory skills, gain better communication skills, and encourages higher standardized testing scores. English and Spanish are the two official languages that are spoken in the United States of America. So therefore, there are limitless global opportunities for conversational Spanish speakers.
