Outdoor Learning at The Academy

Outdoor learning, also known as nature-based education, has gained recognition as a valuable approach to early childhood education. This approach uses the outdoor environments to foster children’s connection to nature, and promote holistic development. Nature-based learning is one of the cornerstones of The Academy curriculum. We have outdoor activities daily (as weather permits).

Key Benefits of Outdoor Learning

Nature-based education can provide a child with many benefits. Overall, outdoor learning offers a rich and diverse learning environment that can stimulate children’s curiosity, creativity, problem-solving skills, and love for nature.

Spending Time Outdoors Increases the Appreciation for Nature

One of the key benefits of outdoor learning is the opportunity for children to engage with the natural world in a meaningful and hands-on way. Nature-based learning allows children to observe and interact with plants, animals, weather patterns, and natural phenomena. This hands-on learning can help children develop a deep appreciation for the beauty and complexity of the natural world.

Outdoor Learning Helps Develop Many Skills through Physical Activity

Outdoor learning also offers numerous physical, cognitive, and social-emotional benefits for children. Spending time outdoors can promote sensory exploration and develop motor development.

Research has shown that outdoor play can boost children’s creativity, problem-solving abilities, and cognitive skills. As opposed to the classroom environment, the unstructured nature of the outdoors can foster social skills such as collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution.

Spending Meaningful Time Outdoors Can Reduce Stress and Improve Mood

Studies show that spending time in natural settings can reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance concentration. Recently our children had so much fun planting seeds. Simply digging in the dirt, feeling the sun and the breeze, and smelling the scents of spring brought a sense of calm and focused attention to the children.

The Academy Integrates Outdoor Learning with Traditional Childhood Learning Programs

By integrating nature-based education into our award-winning curriculum, we create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for your child. We invite your family to join our family. The Academy has daycare locations near you.

The Best Child Care Nolensville Has to Offer

As one of the best child care centers in Nolensville, TN we know that the safety and well-being of your child is your number one concern. And we take that very seriously. Your child’s safety is not an afterthought at The Academy. Our facilities are built, from the ground up, with children’s safety in mind. Unlike a house, our learning centers are built and furnished for children.

Keeping Your Children Safe at Home

Children are basically curious, and they are quite the little explorers. As they explore, they are also taking risks because they are not old enough to recognize danger.

Because homes are designed for adults, there are many potential dangers for children built into the home. Fortunately, there are many ways to make a home safer for a child.

9 Safety Gadgets to Protect Your Child

Here are a few ways you can minimize dangerous risks in your home:

Use outlet covers.
Install cabinet and drawer locks.
Anchor chests, dressers, and bookcases to the walls.
Use foam or rubber corner protectors and edge cushion.
Install door pinch guards.
Use door knob covers.
Install toilet locks.
Use stove knob covers.

That should take care of most physical dangers in the house.

4 Steps You Can Take to Protect Your Child

A few simple steps can keep your child safe, such as:

Locking windows and exterior doors.
Tying up cords on blinds or drapes so a child cannot reach them.
Keeping dangerous items, such as medicine, guns, and medicines, in a secure or locked cabinet.
Supervising your child.

The Academy at Burkitt Commons – One of the Best Child Care Centers in Nolensville

The Academy at Burkitt Commons in Nolensville, TN is widely considered to be one of the best preschools in Nolensville. Our child care center offers the highest quality child care services with the most caring teaching staff you can find.

Technology in Preschool Education

In today’s digital age, the role of technology in preschool education is a topic of much debate. While screens can offer valuable educational content, as the leader in preschools in Nashville we’ve seen how excessive screen time can also have negative effects on young children’s development.

Understanding the Impact of Screen Time

Numerous studies highlight the potential risks of permitting young children to have excessive screen time. These risks include:

delays in language development
reduced attention span
disrupted sleep patterns
increased risk of obesity

The Role of Technology in Preschool Education at The Academy

At The Academy preschools, we integrate screen time into the curriculum when it’s appropriate for the age group. We realize it is crucial to strike the right balance between technology and other learning/play activities. And we know the importance of promoting healthy screen habits.

While screens can be valuable tools for learning, it’s best to use screens in a purposeful way and in moderation. We prioritize interactive and hands-on activities that stimulate children’s curiosity, creativity, and social skills over screen time.

Best Practices for Managing Technology in Preschool Education and at Home

To promote healthy screen habits at home, we suggest that parents adopt the same best practices that we use at The Academy preschools:

Limit Screen Time: Set clear guidelines for the amount of time children spend in front of screens each day.
Focus on Quality Content: Choose age-appropriate, educational content that aligns with preschool curriculum goals and encourages active engagement.
Balance with Other Activities: Offer a variety of activities throughout the day, including outdoor play, art, music, and hands-on learning experiences.
Encourage Co-Viewing: When screens are used, encourage adult supervision and interaction to facilitate learning and discussion.

Find The Academy Preschool Near You

If you are looking for a preschool near you, you are sure to find a location for The Academy near you. We have learning centers in these locations:

The Childcare Professionals Give Advice on How To Train a Baby to Fall Asleep on Its Own

Does your baby wake up frequently in the night? Are you sleep deprived and longing for just one good night’s sleep? Our childcare professionals at The Academy have some sleep training tips for you. You can usually start this sleep training at four to six months old.

Establishing the Right Bedtime

First, set a bed time based on the time your baby shows signs of sleepiness (yawning, eye rubbing, and fussiness). Note that babies need sufficient exercise throughout the day to ensure they will be tired enough to go to sleep at night. That’s why our award-winning curriculum at The Academy provides sufficient activities for infants in our care.

Childcare Professionals Offer Several Methods To Train a Baby to Fall Asleep

There are several methods you can use. When using any method, before you put the baby in the crib, be sure the baby is not hungry and has a clean diaper. Also make sure the bedroom is dark, quiet, and comfortable temperature-wise.

Here are a few popular methods to try.

The Cry It Out Method (CIO)

The famous “Cry It Out” method often works the fastest. Put your baby to bed, say goodnight, and don’t take the baby out of the bed until morning (or the next scheduled feeding). Leaving the baby in the crib is necessary so they learn to fall asleep without assistance.

The Check and Console Method (C&C)

This method suggests you leave the baby in the crib and then re-enter the room at 5 or 10 minute intervals. Each time, you say a few soothing words to your baby but don’t linger. Increase the time between intervals each night.

The Chair Method

With this method, you put the baby in the crib and sit in a chair next to the crib. Leave the room when the baby falls asleep. If the baby wakes up, return to sit in the chair until the baby falls asleep again. Every few nights move the chair further away from the crib until you’re eventually out of the room.

Visit Us at The Academy and Meet our Childcare Professionals

How Top-Rated Preschools in Spring Hill Encourage a Child’s Natural Gifts

It’s December, and there is a lot of thought being given to gift giving. However, in this blog, we’re going to talk about a different kind of gifts – natural gifts. As one of the top-rated preschools in Spring Hill, we know a thing or two about how to encourage a child’s natural gifts.

Whether we’re talking about natural gifts academics, sports, art, music, or something else, a gift usually needs nurturing. Here are some strategies to do that.

Let Children Discover on their Own

Parents are more likely to see a child’s natural gift if they let the child uncover what is intriguing without direction from adults. A parent’s role can be to expose a child to places and things.

Once a child displays a definite interest, the parent can begin to provide the child with more age-appropriate resources. But give your child time to see if the interest is just fleeting before going all-in. On the other hand, don’t down-play an interest because you think it might be fleeting. All experiences contribute to a child’s learning. And a natural gift that a child loses interest in now could surface again at a later age.

Harness the Power of Books and Mentors

No matter what interests your children, books that relate to that subject can fuel a child’s curiosity. If your child displays a continued interest in something, then you can provide books that are more instructional to help develop the gift. If you are unable/unqualified to provide more instruction, find a teacher or mentor skilled in the activity.

The Academy Is One of the Top-Rated Preschools in Spring Hill

One way to provide your child with new and interesting opportunities every day is to enroll in The Academy. At The Academy our curriculum covers a wide range of activities. Our activities pique the interest of children and provide a learning atmosphere of fun. Call us today and find out more.

The Top Preschools in Hendersonville Endorse Family Dinners

The Academy, one of the top preschools in Hendersonville, encourages families to have family dinners. The benefits are physical, academic, social, and emotional. And the recipe that makes the “magic” happen is fun, food, and conversation.

Take Advantage of the Entire Process

Make meal planning and even grocery shopping a family affair. Let your children help with food prep, setting the table, and cleaning up.

For sure, the menu should be a healthy one, but don’t focus as much on the menu as you do on just being together and having fun. That’s the important part. However, studies show that everyone tends to eat healthier at family meals.

Ban the Cell Phones and Talk with Each Other

Talking at meals increases a child’s vocabulary about eight times more than reading to a child. But you really can’t have conversations if everyone is looking at a cell phone. So, parents, put them away – not only at home, but in restaurants. Make it a point to talk to your children.

Don’t Stress Out Over Family Dinners

The benefits of eating together as a family are diminished somewhat if the atmosphere is tense. It’s not generally possible to have the whole family at every family meal. So be flexible. Don’t worry if you can’t get everyone together every night. What really matters is how relaced the atmosphere is and how good the conversation is.

Realize the Long Term Benefits

Children who grow up with family meal time have a more positive outlook and lower rates of depression as teenagers. They are also less likely to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or use drugs.

The Academy Is One of the Top Preschools in Hendersonville

At The Academy, we seek the same family-dining benefits by having the children eat lunch and snacks together. The kids learn from each other, and our teachers learn more about each child too. See if one of our locations is right for you.

The Academy Excels at Teaching the Importance of Money

Almost as soon as a child begins to talk, he “wants” things. It might be a balloon at the fair, a toy a friend has, or a candy bar while grocery shopping with Mom. Therefore, it’s never too early to begin teaching the importance of money to your preschooler.

At The Academy preschools in Nashville, learning about money is just one of the many activities we incorporate in teaching children about numbers. In this blog we discuss some of the things you can do at home to further your child’s understanding of money.

Keep It Simple

Because your preschooler is young and doesn’t understand the complicated world of money, keep it simple. Begin with basic facts about money they’ll grasp.

Parents work hard for their money.
Money is not unlimited; therefore there is a budget that you must follow.
What your child wants may not fit into the family’s budget.

Teaching the Importance of Money through Banking

A bank can be a mysterious place for a child. They see their parents using the ATM machine, and they may think the money coming out of the slot is unlimited. Use banking activities to instill in them how money works in the real world.

Buy an attractive piggy bank for your child’s room. Then encourage your child to add loose change and bills to it.
Open a saving account for your child.
Have your child deposit a percentage of cash presents for birthdays and Christmas instead of spending it all on toys.
Buy a toy cash register, fake bills, and coins. Teach your child the concept of how to make change as they “buy” and “sell” items with their family. Of course, young children can’t make exact change, but they will get the idea.

Request Information About The Academy Preschools

To learn more about how to enroll, prices, or scheduling a tour of one of our preschools please click the Request Info link on the side. The Academy is widely considered the best preschools Nashville has to offer. See which one of our locations is closest to you.

One of the Best Preschools in Williamson County Outlines Ways To Help Children Overcome Fears

As one of the best preschools in Williamson County, The Academy knows that feelings of fear are very real to a child. And overcoming these fears, no matter how unreasonable they may seem to adults, is not easy for a child.

Children can have all kinds of fear: fear of the dark, fear of loud noises, fear of dogs, fear of heights, etc. Usually the fear is unwarranted, but sometimes children are actually experiencing a phobia. You should see a doctor if you suspect a phobia.

Exploring Your Child’s Fear

As a first step in helping your child overcome his or her fear, begin by asking some questions about the specific fear. For example, if the child is afraid of loud sounds, you might ask:

What are some loud sounds that scare you?
What is scary to you about those sounds?
Are there any loud sounds that don’t scare you?

The purpose of this exercise is just to let your child know that you are taking him them seriously. You understand his fear (even if the object of the fear doesn’t seem very scary to you).

Facing Fears

Doing things to avoid a child’s fear only suggests that there really is something to be feared. Help your child face a fear in small incremental steps. If your child is afraid of the dark, start by reading a book like Goodnight Moon that allows you to talk about the night and the darkness in positive ways. Then plan a night activity like lying in the grass and staring at the stars at night. Praise your child’s efforts as they may make progress.

The Academy Has the Best Preschools in Williamson County

The votes are in. The Academy has been voted Best of Parenting every year since 2008. Visit us and see why parents are so satisfied with our childcare locations in Williamson County.

The Top Daycares in Spring Hill Know All about Separation Anxiety

As one of the top daycares in Spring Hill, The Academy prepares its staff to make your child’s first day of daycare a happy one. Even though your child may feel anxious about leaving you, we have many ways to deal with apprehension. Our well-trained staff is known for their caring and loving approach to child care.

First Day Strategies

In order to ensure your child’s first day will be a good one, we have several strategies that we know will work:

If a child exhibits anxiety or fear, we allow the child to calm down at his own pace. We know not to rush him.
We sit beside the child as he works on an activity.
We choose group activities that will include him and make him feel more comfortable.

Ways To Ensure Positive Outcomes

We know that we can help your child feel safe and secure. We do this by providing a predictable environment and a routine that children are comfortable with. For children that we know have separation issues, we provide activities as soon as they enter. This helps them get settled as they participate.

Another way we help an anxious child is to allow the child to sit where she feels most comfortable. Often this will be near one of the workers.

If a child continues to feel stressed and anxious after several weeks, we will meet with parents to try to better understand the child’s continued anxiety. The problem might be as simple as sticking to a routine drop off and pick up time so the child knows what’s coming next.

The Academy of Heritage Commons Is One of the Top Daycares in Spring Hill and Thompson Station

At The Academy we know both you and your child may feel nervous on her first day of school. Rest assured! We know how to make her first day a successful one.

Preparing for First Grade

Don’t let preparing for first grade sneak up on you. When it’s time for first grade, both parents and their children are anxious. This is the first step into years of learning, and you as the parent want to ensure your child is ready.

The Academy Students Start Preparing for First Grade Right from the Start

Choosing the right daycare and preschool is one of the most important step for guaranteeing success in later school years. The Academy curriculum starts training children at a very young age to develop the skills for navigating school in the future. Our program is also designed to make education great fun! It inspires a desire in children to learn.

Even after a successful preschool and kindergarten experience, first grade can seem daunting. But preparing for it doesn’t have to be overwhelming if you follow the easy guidelines in the rest of this blog.

Begin with Breakfast

In busy households, breakfast is often skipped. But a healthy breakfast will ensure your child has a good start to his school day.

Choose easy breakfasts to prepare
Choose healthy foods your child likes
Make items the night before or even the weekend before that can be frozen

Sleep is Essential

After a summer of late nights and vacations, it is hard to get your child into a routine for bedtime. But a good night’s sleep will benefit your first grader enormously.

Know the time your child’s school begins or when the bus will come. This will help you plan for when you need to wake him up.
Start setting a schedule for going to bed and waking up well before the school year begins.
Choose quiet activities before bedtime such as reading to help him relax before sleep.

Success in First Grade

Even a first grader needs preparation for beginning school. He will enjoy buying school supplies such as a new backpack or favorite pencils. These are things to help your child succeed in school.

Create a space in the home for him to store his supplies and maybe even do homework.
Use a planner so both you and your child know the schedule for upcoming events and assignments.