In French, the word Atelier is a common term meaning studio or workshop. Kinfolk’s Atelier houses dedicated spaces for STEM, ART, LEGO and ROLE PLAY. An essential purpose of the Atelier is to offer a variety of high-quality materials to all ages of children and to serve as the central place in the playschool where many collections of materials are located and used. These collections often include stones, shells, leaves, dried flowers, and many more rich and interesting materials in the Atelier are used to facilitate children’s learning. “Atelierista,” a teacher with a background in visual arts, is dedicated to working with small groups of children in the Atelier. The Atelierista forms a close collaborative relationship with the classroom teachers, as well as supports curriculum development, research, and documentation throughout the entire school.
Stem
STEM is the abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It is an integrated approach to learning that encourages little folks to think broadly about real-world problems. This interdisciplinary approach has helped create innovations. At Kinfolk montessori playschool, the teachers intentionally plan the STEM experiences that allow children to take the lead in exploring. The well-planned environment offered in our Atelier at Kinfolk provides children with an array of learning experiences. It encourages their natural curiosity, provides them with a multitude of opportunities to explore, discover, and create both indoors and outdoors.
Art
Art is different from craft. Children learn with all their senses. At Kinfolk, we believe that controlling play limits learning; we believe that offering open-ended art materials or placing everyday objects in unusual places encourages thought, reflection, and gives children the opportunity to express their ideas. Art is self-chosen and has nothing to do with adults' expectations. It is a way for children to test their theories, not to copy others' suggestions. At Kinfolk, we provide a playschool environment in Atelier dedicated to uninterrupted play invitations and art supplies for the children to freely explore and create masterpieces, which are showcased on the Gallery wall.
Lego
At Kinfolk one of the main philosophies is encouraging children to learn through play consistently. At kinfolk, Atelier houses Lego space with large sized Lego tables to stimulate teamwork. When working as a team on LEGO construction, children have to agree on general idea of their play henceforth having an enjoyable social experience. LEGO promotes motor skill, children connect pieces of different sizes and shapes, As a matter of fact, they practice dexterity. The educational benefits of LEGO are many to mention a few, it enhances communication skills, develops mathematical thinking and problem solving, helps in developing persistence and most importantly improves focus builds patience.
Role play
It’s the kind of play where kids take on roles and act them out as a way of exploring themselves and their surroundings. By pretending to be someone or something else, children can learn new ways to express themselves, share thoughts and ideas, and even get in touch with their feelings. Role play is a very important part of early childhood education development. At Kinfolk, under the Atelier roof, we have a dedicated play space for Role Play which houses play equipment like a kitchen cabinet, a huge dress-up mirror, a laundry space set up with panniers drying stand, ironing board, etc., and an outdoor mud kitchen to create a live experience that helps little folks in exploring self-empowerment, allowing them the opportunity to make choices, act out their feelings, and find a new connection to themselves and thereby engaging them in language development, learning math and literacy, embracing self-regulation, especially in role-playing where children are expected to fulfill a particular part in the play scenario. Hence fostering play-based learning.
Library
Libraries in playschools are like treasure troves of knowledge waiting to be discovered! Our library at Kinfolk is not just a collection of books. it's a portal to diverse realms of imagination and learning. As soon as one enters the New Block, you are welcomed by our vibrant library, a space that is designed to inspire, with cozy reading nooks, easy accessibility to books and an atmosphere that encourages exploration. From timeless classics to contemporary gems, our carefully curated collection caters to all tastes and interests. We have a wide collection of books that range from Dr. Seuss, Oliver Jeffers, Julia Donaldson, Eric Carle, to our very own Tulika, Pratham and Karadi books. Children at our library immerse themselves in a world where every page turns into a gateway of knowledge, a haven for the inquisitive, and a retreat for those seeking the magic of literature. Our school library is not just a space. it's a community of learners, dreamers, and avid readers.
