Schools

Briarcliff Nursery School Celebrates Fall

The school held an open house and offered seasonal hands-on activities on Saturday.

From Briarcliff Nursery School:

Scores of happy children frolicking around Briarcliff Nursery School’s two-acre playground is a typical scene for this learning center. But Saturday was Briarcliff Nursery School’s Fall Festival, and the outdoor fun soared several notches as families, teachers and alumni enjoyed art projects, pumpkin decorating, homemade baked goods and great conversation, growing the bonds among all who attended.

Children engaged in activities such as ball art, where golf balls took the place of paint brushes. The children covered golf balls with paints, placed their canvas (paper cutouts such as acorns and leaves) within a box, and rolled the painted balls around to create their masterpiece—an example of an activity which grows fine-motor skills, gross-motor skills and fosters the discovery that colors can combine to make new colors. In addition to other art projects, the children enjoyed the crisp fall day playing on the large grounds.  

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Looking around the playground, one can’t help but to notice the abundance of hugs from children to teachers. Briarcliff Nursery school’s littlest alumni ran to their former teachers, arms wide open for the biggest embrace.

"Fall Festival is our homecoming," shared Cathy Labick, President of the school and mom to three alumni and one current student. "Our graduates come back to enjoy the great energy of our school, and their parents love to visit with teachers and friends. It's a great annual event, for our newest families, alumni, teachers and for prospective families to see our community and grounds."

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Briarcliff Nursery School is celebrating it's 65th year in the community this year, and spent the month of August renovating the school with new flooring, lighting, ceilings and cabinetry to maintain a warm, nurturing environment for the students. But the heart of the school remains it's philosophy of learning through play.

“We understand that young children acquire knowledge when they are actively engaged in concrete hands-on experiences,” explained Eva Levine, Executive Director.

The school’s philosophy exemplifies how knowledge is constructed, rather than copied, and takes place through the child’s active participation. Briarcliff Nursery School’s program provides both a nurturing and stimulating environment that promotes the physical, social, emotional and intellectual development of young children. 

As the beautiful fall day wrapped up, families departed with their young artists' decorated pumpkins, beautiful artwork and happy hearts from a fun day.  


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