Learning Express Scarsdale Classes: A Comprehensive Guide
Learning Express Scarsdale offers a wide array of classes designed to nurture growth and development in children of various ages, as well as providing enriching experiences for adults. From early childhood programs that focus on social-emotional development to specialized workshops in sewing, arts, and academic enrichment, there's something for everyone. This article explores the different classes available, highlighting their unique features and benefits.
Early Childhood Programs
The early childhood programs at Learning Express Scarsdale are carefully designed to meet the developmental needs of young children, fostering their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth. These programs include classes for two-year-olds, preschoolers, and pre-kindergarteners.
Twos Program
The Twos Program is specifically tailored for 2-year-olds, providing them with their first school experience. Understanding that this is often their first time separating from family, the program prioritizes creating a safe and secure environment where each child feels happy, confident, and trusting.
Nurturing the Needs of 2-Year-Olds
Two-year-olds thrive on feeling strong and in control of their environment. They are actively developing cognitive “maps” and “clocks,” requiring significant repetition to understand the important events in their lives. To support this, teachers establish a consistent daily routine and implement a curriculum that alternates between quiet and active play. This approach regulates the level of stimulation and ensures that any frustration or fears are addressed promptly and with minimal disruption.
Movement is a crucial element for this age group, and it is integrated into almost every activity. The program is available for 2 or 3 days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 9:00 AM to 11:15 AM. Through play, music, art, language and the outdoors, each child grows to understand the world they live in, socialize with others, and express emotions. Each class incorporates free play and activities with music, nature, cooking, movement, and yoga.
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Preschool Program
The Preschool program is designed for 3-year-olds, focusing on the emergence of individual identity. The classes balance free play and structured activities, incorporating activities that 3-year-olds enjoy and anticipate. Free play allows children to make their own decisions, while structured activities and routines reinforce predictability within a group setting. This balance helps each child develop inner confidence and a love for learning.
Nurturing the Needs of 3-Year-Olds
The classroom routine is structured to reinforce predictability, helping each child develop a sense of identity within the group. The curriculum is carefully constructed to meet the developmental needs of each child, addressing their social-emotional, physical, and intellectual energies. Transitions are introduced gradually, and children are gently encouraged to participate in new or unfamiliar activities.
To ease the transition to school, the classroom environment is designed to feel like an extension of home. Teachers facilitate experiences and model language that supports each child's growth in social-emotional skills, which serve as a foundation for future learning. The program is available for 3 days a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with a Friday option, from 9:00 AM to 11:45 AM.
Pre-K Program
The Pre-K program is designed for 4 and young 5-year-olds, aiming to prepare them for kindergarten expectations set by New York State. While focusing on enhancing social, emotional, and intellectual development, the program's daily routines, playtime, planned activities, and experiences are carefully designed to support the social-emotional, cognitive, and physical needs of each child.
Nurturing the Needs of 4 and Young 5-Year-Olds
The program utilizes an understanding of early childhood development combined with “intentional teaching,” allowing children to learn through both unstructured and guided play. This nurturing environment ensures that children feel connected, supported, and safe. Teachers are knowledgeable in early childhood development and the skills needed for a smooth transition to kindergarten. The program is available for 5 days a week, Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
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Stitch by Stitch: The Sew Happy Journey for Kids
The Sew Happy program offers a step-by-step Learning Pathway designed to build sewing skills in a clear, supportive progression. Students begin with simple hand-sewing projects and, as they progress, gain access to more advanced tools and techniques. Each level builds on the previous one, ensuring students are set up for success. Classes are grouped by age and experience, creating a safe and creative environment that encourages mindfulness, mastery, and a lifelong love of making.
Sew Ready (Ages 4-5)
This introductory class allows the youngest students to discover the magic of sewing in a fun and playful environment. Sew Ready focuses on building basic skills.
Beginner Sewing Machine (Ages 8+)
This class introduces younger students to the basics of machine sewing using forgiving felt and no iron, serving as an introduction to the intermediate sewing program.
Intermediate Sewing
This class is the most important in the Sew Happy catalog, teaching key skills for both hand and machine sewing. Students work more independently and have access to machines and the iron. They complete signature projects during each session, such as a Charm Square Apron, Personality Pillow, Going Places Tote, or Sewing Basket.
Advanced Sewing (Ages 9-14)
The advanced sewing class is for students who have completed at least three sessions of intermediate sewing and mastered all the intermediate skills.
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Me and My Doll Hand Sewing Fun (Ages 5+)
This class is a great starting point for students as young as 5. Students bring a favorite doll to class and create a variety of clothing and accessories for an 18” doll, learning foundational sewing skills along the way.
Machine Sewing
These classes take sewing to the next level with sewing machines. Beginner 7-year-olds work primarily with felt fabrics at low machine speeds as they learn the basics. Older students ages 8-14 can start at the next level, where they learn machine threading, troubleshooting, and working with woven fabrics and irons.
Advanced Sewing
Advanced students are invited to join the Fab Lab classes, where they put their sewing machine skills to the test by making advanced projects. Students must meet the age requirement and complete 2-3 sessions of sewing machine classes, having made the Personality Pillow, Charm Square Apron, and Quilted Tote Bag before moving on to the advanced course.
Workshops
Half-day or full-day workshops are offered during school holidays, and Saturday workshops are also available.
Summer Institute Experiences for Educators
Learning Express Scarsdale also provides numerous Summer Institute (STI) experiences for teachers and educators, aimed at enhancing their skills and knowledge in various areas of education. These courses cover topics ranging from literacy and emotional intelligence to technology and cultural immersion.
Literacy and Language Development
Several courses focus on improving literacy instruction and assessment. These include opportunities to engage with researchers in the field, discuss teaching practices with colleagues, and attend summer seminars with literacy experts.
Reading and Discussion Groups
These groups transform reading into a community event, allowing teachers to learn differing perspectives on the same work and gain knowledge of literature, genre, and technique. Participants read assigned books and discuss aspects of literary form such as character development, theme, and plot.
Social and Emotional Learning
Courses in this area focus on helping teachers identify and manage their own emotions, which in turn helps students manage theirs. These courses provide tools to recognize, understand, and accurately label emotions, manage personal emotions, and help students manage theirs.
Managing Emotions in Times of Uncertainty & Stress
Developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, this course provides participants with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to understand and manage their emotions and those of their students. The course is delivered asynchronously online, with synchronous Zoom sessions.
Positive Psychology and Education
This course reviews principles of positive psychology and engages participants in experiential learning exercises to increase well-being. It emphasizes the integration of positive psychology constructs and techniques in the classroom, focusing on student well-being and achievement.
Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies
These courses explore the connections between different disciplines and allow teachers to integrate them into their teaching.
Stained Glass Art
Participants investigate the interdisciplinary relations between art, technology, history, and math by designing their own piece of stained glass artwork. The course involves readings, research, design brainstorming, glass cutting, grinding, foiling, and soldering.
Special Education and Intervention
Courses in this area focus on providing targeted support for struggling students and using games and hands-on activities as effective strategies for targeting specific skills.
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS)
This course offers teachers specific targeted skills that can be used in a Tier 1 intervention. Participants develop numerous and varied games to target particular learning problems.
Technology and Innovation
These courses focus on integrating technology into the classroom and using it to enhance teaching and learning.
Google Express
This course helps teachers streamline their Google Life by focusing on creating a One-Stop Google Doc Lesson Library to curate lessons and curriculum.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Education
This course explores the pros and cons, challenges, and benefits of artificial intelligence as it might be applied to teaching and learning. It discusses ethical considerations focusing on fairness, transparency, privacy protection, and compliance.
Classroom Management and Community Building
Courses in this area focus on creating safe and joyful learning communities where all students can thrive.
Responsive Classroom Approach
Teachers learn about the practices and strategies of the Responsive Classroom approach, designed to create safe and joyful learning communities where all students can thrive, while helping them develop strong social, emotional, and academic skills.
Cultural Immersion and Global Studies
These courses offer participants immersive explorations of different cultures and civilizations.
Fieldwork in Peru: Exploring the Inca Civilization
Participants delve into the Inca social, economic, cultural, and political organization, exploring Machu Picchu, Andean music, museums, and indigenous communities.
Field Study in Cádiz, Spain
This field study provides teachers with an ideal case study for lessons in geography, history, language development, and cross-cultural interaction as reflected in art and architecture. Participants visit historic sites and meet local people to make cultural, historical, and linguistic connections.
Mindfulness and Wellness
These courses focus on spiritual self-care, daily habits to build inner peace, and practical techniques to manage stress and enhance emotional regulation.
Mindfulness Mondays
This virtual session cultivates the connection to the inner self and improves professional fulfillment through interactive sessions, reflective practices, videos, readings, and real-world applications.
Science and STEM
These courses focus on integrating science and STEM concepts into the classroom.
Next Gen Science Standards
This course takes a deeper dive into the chemistry involved during the baking and cooking process, through an inquiry approach.
Additional Resources and Supplies
Learning Express Scarsdale also provides access to resources and supplies needed for effective teaching and learning.
Lakeshore Learning Materials
Lakeshore Learning offers a wide range of teaching resources and classroom decor, plus high-quality classroom furniture, hands-on learning products, and more. This includes book bins, classroom labels, lesson plan books, timers, pocket charts, and student nameplates. They also offer classroom decorations, borders, posters, and bulletin board sets.
Classroom Furniture
Lakeshore provides premium-quality classroom furniture lines, including chairs, tables, storage units, and rugs. Their Flex-Space furniture supports flexible seating in the 21st-century classroom. They also offer outdoor furniture featuring all-weather seating and storage, as well as infant and toddler furniture like baby cribs, changing tables, and cubbies.
Learning Materials
They offer infant and toddler products, sensory play materials, blocks, manipulatives, puzzles, building sets, pretend play products, and other items designed for the youngest learners. For preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, and elementary grades, they provide learning centers, games, puzzles, language items, fiction and nonfiction titles, read-along book sets, headphones, audio equipment, math manipulatives, science and STEM items, and social studies materials.
Arts & Crafts
Lakeshore’s selection of arts & crafts materials includes play dough, art easels, craft kits, painting supplies, crayons, washable markers, and construction paper. They also offer realistic baby dolls, puppets, play kitchen sets, and costumes for dramatic play.
Music and Active Play
They provide musical instruments, trikes, playground balls, and other active play products, as well as sand and water tables, hands-on sensory materials, and light tables and manipulatives.
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