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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Is the meridian PS program academic like Appletree's? Or more play-based?[/quote]

I don't know much about Apple Tree.  Can you provide some details about their curriculum and then I can respond?[/quote]

Thanks! The knock on Appletree (which some people might find a positive) is that it's very focused on literacy, math skills, etc. I'm not a parent there, and from the website, it does look like they have time for free play etc. (See http://www.appletreeinstitute.org/every-child-ready/current-products/daily-schedule/#.UVHGc1c9ZyU). They do have homework, but not every night (maybe one sheet a week, from what I've been able to gather). But I think it is not nearly as play oriented as some of the programs out there, particularly the Tools of the Mind curriculum used in many DC public schools. I'm curious what the typical day for a Meridian PS and PK child looks like. Any info is appreciated! Thanks![/quote]

You will find that Meridian is very focused on pre-literacy and pre-math skills.  They use units to reinforce these.  This week's is "In the City, In the Country."  They read books that are related and the teacher uses the stories and other units to get the kids thinking about which animals live in a house/zoo/the woods/whatever.  They might count the number of animals, or the number of houses on the street in the pictures.  (I don't know Apple Tree but I'm guessing it's similar.  People who think that a traditional curriculum means that they have 3yos at desks all day doing worksheets and memorizing flash cards crack me up a bit, I'll admit.  That's just NOT happening.)  They also spend quite a bit of time focusing on social/emotional learning, through stories, songs and other activities, and through close supervision during free play and the school's "color wheel" discipline system (logical consequences, basically, introduced during the second quarter once the PS3's have gotten used to their new routine).  The goal is to "stay on green," which means following instructions and playing nicely with friends.  Basic stuff.

Anyway, they also have an "Alpha Friend" of the week.  They learn a song about the alpha friend that emphasizes words starting with that letter.  They color worksheets where the concept is "color all the S's red" or something like that.  The kids are learning how to manipulate crayons/pencils which is important for learning how to write and is a common skill learned in preschool.  They also have a number of the week, and as I said they may use picture books to count the number of XYZ.  They also use the calendar to learn counting/numbers, and manipulate or count objects into groups of say, 10, if that is the number of the week.  They use this activity as a way to learn more than/less than as well.

Every day starts with breakfast (during which they can eat or engage in free play/book reading/whatever) and then the morning meeting.  They sing the school song, learn the Pledge of Allegiance, and sing other songs.  Then they'll have a unit on reading/counting/whatever.  They go to a special (gym, music, library) every morning or afternoon and  eat lunch in the classrooms as a group.  They nap for about an hour/hour and a half and I think they have a snack in the afternoon after naptime too. They usually visit the playground or the gym to play at some point in the day.  They do another learning unit in the afternoon.  They do get a "homework" packet each week but it's one sheet per day and it's coloring the S's green or this shape that color and this shape the other color, or tracing your name, or a group of letters.  It takes like 2 minutes and if your kid is in aftercare it's done there and you never even see them.

Bottom line - my kid is learning, likes school, and from what I can tell has plenty of time to play.  The instruction is age-appropriate and engages the children in active learning (i.e. asking them questions and getting them to think).  I am in no way concerned that they are trying to force rote memorization or busy work on my 3yo.

Does this help?[/quote]

INCREDIBLY helfpul, thank you![/quote]

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