About the Lilac House

At the Lilac House, we meet a child’s developmental milestones and grow their Lilac Learner characteristics through three major educational approaches. They are: 

High Quality Sensory Experiences 

Offering children open-ended materials allows for more creative thinking. Children are invited to play and explore different materials like real clay, dough, ice, sand, water, light and more to ensure that all their senses are being exercised. Children will play with real metal pots and pans in our mud kitchen, use real wood building blocks, and have opportunities to dress up in things like silk and denim - real materials that expose them to a variety of textures and weights while playing. Outdoor play is a major part of our program, and weather permitting we will be outside for 1-2 hours each day so that children can experience as much of the natural elements that our yard can offer. Children will engage in large-scale play outside with natural objects like large wood slices and branches. They will contribute to the creation and maintenance of a working garden, full of smells and textures. 

Guiding and Modeling Social Emotional Skills 

Children learn from observing other adults and children in their lives. We model healthy communication skills and relationships for children in our classroom by being verbally clear about social interactions. Children are never left to figure out a conflict alone. Because of our small child to teacher ratio, children always have an adult nearby to support their interactions with others. Children are given tools and skills to resolve conflicts with each other through things like books, toys and group activities that occur each morning during our Morning Circle. Children are asked how they think a problem should be solved rather than told how it needs to end. The environment is full of materials that represent a variety of people and places to expose them to a variety of ways they can navigate the world. We model consent in many ways, never assuming all children communicate the same or have the same needs and wants. 

Observing and Responding to the Child

Learning through play is how children navigate the world. By observing what children are playing with and how, we can respond to them with new toys and materials to ensure their interests are being respected and their developmental skills and characteristics are being met. Even if children are not verbal through spoken or sign language, they are communicating and telling us what they are learning and what they need to learn through their facial expressions, choice of peers, and pretend play scenarios. We document play experiences through photos, videos and writing down what children are saying or otherwise expressing. Children are invited to share why they made the choice they made and are encouraged to think through their choices. Children’s choices are respected, and children can move around their tables, chairs, toys and play materials and design their shared environment in this way. This supports a child's confidence in themselves, and lets them know they are respected in our classroom. Their opinion and choices matter.