Our Values

Sandbox Collective is Committed to Nurturing Confident Learners

We do this by cultivating a space where children feel secure, self-directed, and connected.

We identify the child as a competent learner, respecting their individual capabilities and honoring their pace of learning and growth.

We see our work through a relationship-based lens, founded on trust and respect.

We engage parents as central partners, honoring and respecting family values and cultures.

Philosophy

"Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”- Fred Rogers

At Sandbox Collective we utilize a constructivist/social constructivist approach to education.

Rooted in the theories of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, we believe that children construct knowledge through hands-on experiences and social interactions with peers, adults, and the community.

Play is at heart of our philosophy. Through play children learn about the world that surrounds them in an organic and joyful way.

When children are actively running, jumping, dancing they are exploring the way their bodies move, understanding spatial awareness, and fueling their brain with the oxygen it needs to focus. When they pretend to play family or other dramatic scenes, children learn social studies and practice abstract thinking. Children develop cognitive and mathematical thinking when they build with blocks, play in the mud kitchen, and explore sensory material. Empathy, problem solving, and other social and communication skills develop and foster as they interact and build relationships with peers and adults. When a child is free to make mistakes in their play, they are learning resilience, persistence, and focus.

What about Academics?

One of the predictors for academic success is developing executive function skills. These executive functions skills include problem solving, regulation of emotions, focus, and attention-all of which can be developed through social interactive play, daily routines, and intentional curriculum created at Sandbox Collective.

Children experience traditional academic lessons (literacy, math, science, etc.) in natural playful experiences. Our aim is for children to experience learning as meaningful and enjoyable. Our curriculum is planned with intention, knowledge of each individual child, and understanding of child development. For example, children learn to draw and write in shaving cream, sand, and other sensorial material. We use math & science in our everyday interactions, such as seeing patterns in stories, cooking and baking for snack, gardening and measuring how tall our tomato plant has grown.