Inspiring Love Of The Arts Through Play
discover joy in The Arts at M.AP.L.E. Learning & Fun, Jr. (or simply, Maple Leaf, Jr.) located in Lake Wylie, SC.
Inside Maple Leaf, Jr. you will find a unique indoor playground setting in which your child will be enriched through lecture, play and action-based learning of our core subjects — Music, Art, Poetry, Languages and, always, Entertainment (M.A.P.L.E.).
During our weekly M.A.P.L.E. sessions, your child will experience:
MUSIC
The Sessions:
We will cover pre-Rock & Roll genres such as Classical and Jazz. Your little ones will learn about different types of instruments, the sounds that they make and the musicians themselves.
The Benefits:
Through listening, singing or moving to the rhythm, children’s brains undergo a symphony of learning that includes increased problem solving and listening skills, improved memory and spatial reasoning. This learning can then facilitate their ability to regulate feelings, reduce anxiety, provide a means of self-expression and enhance emotional intelligence.
ART
The Sessions:
Your child(ren) will have the opportunity to see some of the great, historical works of art and learn about the artists that created them. They will also be given hands-on activities related to the session of the day.
The Benefits:
Introducing children to historical fine art establishes an early foundation for art appreciation. Visual analysis, imagination and creativity foster intellectual development through stimulation of both sides of the brain. This development, in turn, increases memory capacity and improves their ability to concentrate. Further, art history helps develop reading skills and introduces children to new vocabulary and concepts.
POETRY
The Sessions:
Children will step into the beautiful world of rhythm and rhyme created by poets throughout history. We will specifically emphasize children’s poems and the poets who penned them. Your little one(s) will expand their vocabulary and be encouraged to stretch their imaginations as they delve into each verse.
The Benefits:
Poetry is connected to aesthetics and beauty in the world. It enables children to see the endless possibilities of language as it shapes expression and creates meaning. Poetry helps develop literacy skills, improve memory and critical thinking skills, encourages
creativity, nurtures emotional intelligence and enriches vocabulary.
LANGUAGES
The Sessions:
Spanish, French, German and Italian are our focus languages. Children will learn common words, such as those related to family, colors and foods. We will additionally discuss the cultures of countries associated with the session’s focus language.
The Benefits:
Learning a foreign language improves memory and listening skills, enhances vocabulary and can help children better understand other cultures. Studies show that learning additional languages can also improve critical thinking skills and even delay mental decline and/or the effects of Alzheimer’s later in life.
ENTERTAINMENT
Entertainment is at the heart of our teaching and activities. It runs through our lectures and as your child(ren) play and learn in our indoor, themed playground, which offers a wide variety of unique, sensory rich and imaginative play structures as well as interactive floor projector games. Children will be able to slide down the cello slide and hit the high notes on the expansive sheet music rock climbing wall. They can enjoy a dip in our ink bottle ball pit or take an imaginary trip across Europe to see inspirational sites including our replica Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Eiffel Tower which are connected to Spanish and German style houses by an incredible crawl space. Our paint brush themed art center with sensory stations (currently filled with kinetic sand) is sure to be one of their favorites but, whatever they choose to do, they will remain immersed in The Arts and Entertainment.