By: Hillary Cook Harris
It’s Week of the Young Child Tasty Tuesday, and we are going to visit Beyer Early Childhood Center led by principal Laura Blackwell. When asked about her building she says, “Beyer is a unique building, filled with eager learners and passionate educators! We have a diverse group of students and pride ourselves on utilizing an inclusive model of instruction.”
Meal times in preschool offer the opportunity for children to learn about nutrition and healthy foods. Different food groups and food items expose students to healthy options and provide an opportunity to explore and taste a variety of food while building health conscious individuals. Students are encouraged to try all the food options and talk about what they like, what they don’t like, and why these foods are healthy for our growing bodies.
During work time, you will find students and teachers in the House Area making and eating pretend food for each other. Conversations about how to make items, what ingredients are needed, and how to prepare food can be overheard. You will also see students writing grocery lists and recipes to support their play.
Beyer has created a variety of resources so that the House Area can be turned into a bakery, an ice cream shop, a pizza shop, a grocery store, and a restaurant to engage students in active learning. Student voice is used to alter the House Area into one of these shops/stores several times throughout the school year.
An annual end-of-the-school year picnic draws over 200 families to Beyer each May. Families enjoy a meal as well as many activities provided by the staff. Students, families and staff can be seen on the playgrounds and lawns of the school as they celebrate the end of the school year and the time they have spent together as Beyer Cheetahs.
Interested in learning more about the RPS205 Early Childhood opportunities for families with children Birth-age 5? Visit https://www.rps205.com/o/rps/page/early-childhood or call the Early Childhood Screening and Placement Office at 815-229-2103.