Chitta Academy

based, child centered and Reggio Emilia inspired. After teaching, and writing curriculum for schools around the world, I have no doubt that the environment, resources, and ambiance are the most important aspects in the learning journey. What happens in the first 8 years of life affects the rest of our life, so I am very sensitive to the fact that I am with the children during the most formative years, the years that lay the foundation of the rest of their life. I have created a loving, safe, nurturing environment that promotes exploration and knowledge and inspires a life long love of learning. Learning is emphasized through six senses, learning to take a momentary pause to listen to your body trying to communicate with you, placing an importance on how the children feel as a direct response to the stomach brain and head-brain connection. Placing a strong importance on staying connected to our intuition and understanding that it is our bodies way of communicating with us. At Chitta, children actively participate in the teaching and learning process. Children work with open ended resources, natural and recycled materials which stimulate creativity, exploration, and imagination. I focus children's innate curiosity and sense of wonder through careful observation of their play. As I understand what inspires the child, I develop an emergent curriculum that targets their interests while ensuring that each child is progressing in their physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. This allows children to steer their own learning while developing math, social studies, literacy, and scientific skills through the co-constructed study of what interests them and is relevant to their daily lives. Whether they are trying to figure out how a zipper works, what makes flowers grow or how water turns to ice, I help facilitate it. Supporting children by helping them organize thinking, create plans, and find the tools they need to solve problems and work collaboratively. Children are encouraged to be researchers, enquirers, and co-constructors of their own knowledge. Each space respects children's capabilities by providing them with authentic tools, materials and resources to support the learning processes and enrich their growing sense of self. The environment is the third teacher and acts as a living organism. We will be outside as much as we can as nature teaches us so much about ourselves. Some of the dramatic play areas are a spaceship and space room, hospital, general store, mini home, enchanted reading area, yoga, meditation, big art area, nice big yard, mud kitchen, vermi-composting, gardening, all organic, local fresh food, with lots and lots of art, pretend play, classroom projects, music and so much more. At Chitta we listen with all of our senses and an open mind to what others have to say, being open to differences, and recognizing the value of different points of view. Others ideas and thoughts are respected and taken seriously. As a result and environment of respect is created where children are unafraid of making mistakes or reconstructing their ideas.