Mercer Island Learning Lab

 “The kids in our classroom are infinitely more significant than the subject matter we teach…”-M. McCarty

 A cooperative preschool is just that:  an environment that allows parents to be highly involved in their child’s learning, development, and growth.  Parents at our co-op are encouraged to look for the sparks of interest and passion, which are then used to support in-depth exploration and investigation.  The teachers and parents connect these “sparks” to the following themes of childhood: 

     o Building and constructing

     o Inventing

     o Pretending

     o Using our senses and our bodies

     o Engaging in meaningful work

 “Learning proceeds only if we interact with the world. Competency in adulthood stems from three major factors: 

· Rich sensory environments – both outside and inside.

· Freedom to explore with few restrictions.

· Available adults acting as consultants.”                                   -B. Bos

“Everything in memory begins as sensory input from the environment.”          -M. Diamond

At the Mercer Island Learning Lab, we feel that kids learn and grow best by engaging in play.  The sensory-rich environment of our classroom provides the children with many outlets for their extraordinary imaginations. 

“Every Stage of Development is complete itself.  The 3-year-old is not an incomplete 5-year-old.  The child is not an incomplete adult. Never are we simply on our way! Always we have arrived. Enjoy Now!!”                                                                           -J.C. Pearce

The students are not rushed from one task to another. Rather, we believe that learning is not a race of information but a walk of discovery.

“It is not the picture the child makes that should be saved and cherished—it is the process of thinking that goes into the picture that is valuable.”                           -W. Lambert Brittain