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We can’t wait to explore Canadian International School’s spectacular new Outdoor Discovery Centre in the new junior wing! From mud kitchens to yoga lawns and play forts – here’s why we are excited about this new Kindergarten space!
At the Canadian International School (CIS) outdoor play is a big deal. Educators here know that time spent outdoors encourages physical activity which sparks brain development and has a knock-on positive impact on academic performance. When it opens CIS’ new junior wing will be home to a massive Outdoor Discovery Centre that has been designed to make the most of the great outdoors and encourage kids to enjoy playing outside in the art gardens, mud kitchen, nature tunnels, and yoga lawn!
New Outdoor Discovery Centre launches January 2023
The Outdoor Discovery Centre (ODC) will bring the outdoors in and support the school’s inquiry and play-based approach. This enormous new space (2,600 square metres large – almost three quarters of an acre) will house the school’s nursery to grade 1 student community in its spacious natural light-filled classrooms.
Purposeful play in the great outdoors
Learning through inquiry and purposeful play is at the heart of a student’s kindergarten education at CIS. Purposeful play and inquiry-based learning engages children, triggers their curiosity and enables them to solve problems creatively. Exploring concepts through interactive activities such as water play means children learn all about volume and capacity through the hands-on process – and when learning is fun, children are more receptive to new information.
Did you know? “Outdoor play research shows that when children are outside they are quickly inspired to get active and run, jump and climb. These activities, in turn, spark brain development, sharpen social and gross motor skills and generate strong academic performance. Modern-day distractions and limited natural environments in residential areas mean that children may miss out on these opportunities.” Dr Colleen Drisner, primary principal Lakeside campus.
CIS Outdoor Discovery Centre offers experiences to learn through play
The lucky CIS students will get to play every day in the ODC! Some of the extra special features include sound and art gardens to experiment in, a mud kitchen and an Eco pond. Plus there will be plenty of grassy hills to run across and play tag on, nature tunnels to hide in and run through, a play fort for creative replay where kids can let their imagination run wild and a yoga lawn for relaxing and mindfulness.
Did you know? Walking and running around barefoot has plenty of physical and psychological benefits? Outdoor exploration is not just fun but unknowingly improves posture and balance, and stimulates the nervous system. All of these things help students become more attentive to their surroundings and develop an appreciation for the natural environment.
Problem-solving, Maths and literacy skills
Through playing with mud, water, sand and loose objects such as sticks, stones, mesh and rope, students will engage in imaginative and creative thinking while solving problems. They will learn to calculate, measure, analyse, hypothesise and test theories, thereby developing their thinking, communication and research skills. Literacy skills will develop as children write and create shapes in the sand and leave letters for their friends in secret places.
Specialist spaces to support children’s development
The CIS team have been creative with some of their new early years learning spaces. The new junior library will house a large selection of age-appropriate books, a gross motor room and a working instructional bakery.
Lakeside’s unique learning pod design has been incorporated into the new wing. Grade level classrooms that house students in the English and Chinese-English and French-English bilingual programmes will feed into dedicated light-filled learning pods, providing exhibition spaces and fostering a strong sense of grade-level community.
New junior wing has facilities for the whole school community!
It’s not just the Kindergarten that is getting an upgrade at CIS! Students school-wide will enjoy the new wing’s new competition-sized gymnasium that will serve as an additional practice and tournament facility for older students, an indoor 25m swimming pool, dance studio, 200-seat black-box theatre, and an instructional bakery!
Want a school that has it all, a strong academic foundation, a warm environment that fosters curiosity with plenty of outdoor play every day? Why not check out CIS for yourself at their upcoming April open house! RSVP at www.cis.edu.sg/admissions/open-house
Canadian International School
Lakeside Campus, 7 Jurong West Street 41, Singapore 649414, Tel: (+65) 6467 1732, www.cis.edu.sg
