The Judson Difference

Foundations of Early Childhood Education at the Judson School

KEY THOUGHT: EVERYTHING WE DO AT THE JUDSON SCHOOL IS WITH THE CHILDREN OF JUDSON IN MIND.
THE UNIFYING IDEA OF OUR APPROACH IS “CONNECTION”. EARLY CHILDHOOD IS A UNIQUE SEASON OF LIFE.
CHILDREN MAKE ESSENTIAL CONNECTIONS TO THEIR WORLD, TO GOD, TO OTHERS, AND TO THEMSELVES.

These principles are a re-statement of an approach to early childhood education developed by Friedrich Froebel. In the late 1700’s Froebel pioneered the idea of Kindergarden. Froebel believed the experience of small children should resemble a beautiful garden, not a factory. His ideas formed the foundation of modern early childhood programs such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia. Froebel developed his theories primarily through long and careful observation of children. What Froebel found is verified by the experience of careful observers in virtually all cultures of the world. How do humans make connections leading to growth? How do SMALL HUMANS make connections leading to growth? Preschoolers learn through…

PLAY
In play the Whole Child is engaged: his mind, imagination, all five of his physical senses, and more. Maria Montessori said, “Play is the work of a child.” Through play-based learning skilled adults guide and facilitate learning in a rich variety of environments and forms.
NATURE
Almost all children love nature. In nature children interact with an organic world in which the connection between living things can actually be seen, touched, and experienced. Imagine a child observing how soil is built from compost, manure, and earthworms. That connection is profound and powerful.
ARTISTIC EXPRESSION
Rhymes, rhythms, dances, process art, and other forms of expression not only make information “sticky”, they forge physical connections within the brain and body.
LOVE
Everyone flourishes best in a place that is safe and loving. Great teaching begins with love. Love for our students creates fertile ground for love among our students.
EXPLORATION
Learning is not essentially a process of memorization, it is a process of discovery – especially for pre-school-age children. One of the gifts of the Finnish education model is the concept that children should be “heroes of their own learning.” With guidance and support from caring adults the world becomes a limitless arena where connections are formed.
COMBINING CONCRETE AND SYMBOLIC LEARNING
This is one of Froebel’s greatest gifts to learning. Froebel uncovered the importance of concrete three-dimensional objects as the building blocks of mental development. He also unlocked the power of reading and story-telling (symbolic learning) for children. Blocks and books form the cornerstone of our approach at the Judson School.
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Small children have a natural ability to “think outside the box.” The technical term for the way children think is “Divergent Thinking.” This is the kind of thinking most often associated with genius. Often the goal of education is to transition children from Divergent Thinking to Convergent Thinking, or thinking that follows certain processes or guidelines. Convergent Thinking is valuable in its own right, but it is not necessary to extirpate Divergent Thinking in our children for them to flourish.
NURTURING AWARENESS
Skilled educators make space in the educational program for children to grow in their awareness of the presence of God, of the unique worth of others, and to who they are as unique individuals who are made in God’s image.

As we observe, document, and celebrate the daily connections our children make we will INDIVIDUALIZE our approach to each child based on what we learn about how they learn.