Not-A-School Creative Enrichment Program

Nurturing creativity in the arts, the sciences and the environment
Children ages 2.9 - 4.5

We are so excited to announce our brand new drop-off program developed to nurture creativity in young children all year long. We will be offering 10-week sessions starting in October. Parents can apply to drop their children off 1, 2, 3 or 4 days a week Monday - Thursday from 9 a.m. – noon.

Children will explore the Arts, the Sciences and the Environment through play and guided inquiry lead by Public Programs Manager Heather Posner and other veteran members of our education staff.

Enrollment is still available for our winter session beginning Janaury 9th.

For more information, please contact Heather Posner at (415) 339-3982 or hposner(at)badm.org.

This program is designed for young children to develop creative thinking as they explore the Arts, the Sciences and the Environment through play and guided inquiry at the Bay Area Discovery Museum.

Our methods are drawn from the Museum’s unique educational philosophy which allows children and adults to construct learning together:

The Bay Area Discovery Museum is the leading children’s museum dedicated to developing creativity in all children; nurturing future generations of creative thinkers and innovators. Our goal is to develop the many facets of childhood creativity and play. Our trademark approach emphasizes open-ended, child-directed, discovery-based activities, in which there are infinite ways to play, discover, and create—not a single, ‘correct’ way as determined by adults. We cultivate creativity as children who visit the Museum explore, discover, immerse, imagine and make connections.

Providing opportunities for children to learn through play takes precedence over the need to teach specific educational content. Our goal is child-directed play, creating conditions for adults to let children make choices, take risks, and spend the time they need to construct their own understanding of the world. Our programs are designed to be fun for children and to allow parents, caregivers and Museum staff to join children as facilitators, researchers and collaborators.

Our delightful place-based exhibitions are the backdrop for un-facilitated play and programs that offer concrete experiences to deepen a child’s understanding of the local environment and the diverse communities that live here.

We employ developmentally appropriate practices that incorporate knowledge of child development with flexible activities and curriculum that appeal to a wide range of ages and abilities.

We emphasize the process in activities that allow children to connect ideas and build their own structure through experimentation and repetition, developing and evaluating their own theories.

Our curriculum is open-ended: activities are intrinsically motivating, allowing for active engagement, sustained involvement and multiple outcomes.

Not-a-School Daily Activities

“The Child is the curriculum.”- Bev Bos

Daily activities are designed based on the children’s interests using an emergent curriculum model and developed to nurture social and emotional development by maximizing opportunities for collaboration and encouraging pro-social behavior. Children and Educators will create a community of learning together as they engage in art, science, music, and literacy activities, go on outdoor adventures around Fort Baker and play in the Museum Exhibits. Mondays when the Museum is closed to the public, children enrolled in the program will have exclusive use of the exhibitions.

We are inspired by best practices in the field of Early Childhood Education such as Bank Street College, the Reggio Emilia approach, Bev Bos at Roseville Community Preschool and Constructivist theory. Our peers in the informal learning community The Portland Children’s Museum Opal School, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis Preschool and the Smithsonian Early Enrichment Center have served as crucial inspiration in the development of this program.

Typical Daily Schedule

9:00 – 9:30: Arrival and projects
9:30 - 9:45: Group gathering
9:45 – 10:15: Projects
10:15 – 10:30: Snack
10:30 - 11:30: Adventures (Beach visits, hikes, playing in the exhibits)
11:30 - Noon: Closing rituals and dismissal

All primary caregivers and children enrolled in the program will be invited to attend a practice class the week before the program begins. This will give families a chance to meet each other, and get to know the instructors. Children who may need more opportunities to prepare for being dropped off are welcome to spend time with instructors prior to the beginning of the program by arrangement with the Public Programs Manager.

Parents are welcome to join us each morning from 9:00 – 9:15 any day their child is in the program.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Not-A-School.