Rock Spring is a unique opportunity for us all to work together as a community to explore and grow through play.  Playing with young children is fun, energizing, and prepares children for the upcoming challenges of an increasingly demanding elementary school curriculum.  

Play is the essential building block for academic, social, and emotional learning. Leading pedagogical researchers such as Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Mildred Parten Newhall, and Erik Erikson all emphasize the crucial role of play in cognitive development, social interactions, receptive and expressive language, and fine motor and gross motor strength.  Rock Spring’s learning-through-play curriculum is dynamic, individualized, and crafted to engage and extend children’s development.  We are inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach and are grounded in the tenets of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the Core Skills of Virginia’s Early Childhood Initiative.  At Rock Spring, play is the essence of learning.

Rock Spring staff present enriching opportunities to spark curiosity and to inspire children to direct their own learning.  Our job is to set the stage upon which the children will perform at their own pace and according to their own interests. Our daily goal is to provide the environment and materials to spur growth by curating enticing art materials, by presenting new ways to explore familiar objects, and by providing the emotional support and language scaffolding to develop student independence and confidence. We find the learning in classroom play and deepen the children’s understanding of literacy, math, the natural world, and their community in ways that are meaningful and purposeful to them.  That is, we capitalize on student interest in familiar names to introduce letter and sound recognition.  We dig deep into sorting and one-to-one correspondence and counting when playing alongside MagnaTile construction and kitchen play.  We investigate what interests each child and build learning around those specific interests.  Yes, we are opportunistic.  We aim to take advantage of openings to extend learning based on what students demonstrate is interesting and important to them. 

This learning is hands-on and infused with sensory inputs; it is a counterpoint to the often solitary visual and audio stimulation of screen-learning.  At Rock Spring, children use metal shovels to dig in the mud, release toy animals that are taped securely to tables, use real fish to create prints, and plunge into sensory tables to touch and work with glue / conditioner / beans / slime / water / sand / shredded paper / snow / pasta / rice etc.  They negotiate waiting for turns and learn the joy of generosity.  Skills develop.  Communication blossoms.  Independence strengthens. Friendships form.  And parents and staff are there in the classroom to support and celebrate each step of the way.