*New* A-Ha! Little Wordsmith

In the Little Wordsmith Class, children will engage in themed activities similar to the A-Ha’s PlayLab but with a focus on developing literacy. In each weekly class, children will be introduced to a variety of books, nursery rhymes, songs and finger-plays intended to broaden their vocabulary, to develop awareness of rhyme and rhythm, and ultimately, to foster a passion for reading and language.

Through puppetry, big books, felt boards, dancing, singing and more, children will be immersed in a language-rich environment that will inspire and excite both child and attending caregiver. Parents and caregivers will become familiar with different methods (besides just reading!) for fostering language development. Finding your child’s own “spark” that ignites their passion for the written word is the key to building a child’s life long interest in reading.

*New* A-Ha! Little Scientist

Science is the process of inquiry—of raising and trying to answer questions about the world. Children are born scientists—they rely on creativity, problem solving, experimentation, and theorizing as their way of making sense of the world. The A-Ha! Little Scientist’s Class focuses on how children experience the world, interact with each other, pose questions, solve problems, and, in the process, construct knowledge.

Each Little Scientist’s Lab is designed to extend and deepen the concepts introduced in A-Ha! PlayLabs and encourage children to continue the interactive process of constructing knowledge. These Labs are rich with opportunities for exploration and discovery via open-ended games and intriguing problems that beg to be solved. The nature of the activities will challenge your child and his/her theories in unique ways, and these stimulating challenges will foster dispositions toward learning that will benefit his/her cognitive development throughout his/her education.

*New* A-Ha! Discovering Your Baby's Temperament

Babies come into the world pre-wired with characteristics that influence the way they experience themselves and the world around them. Their temperaments are as individual as their tiny finger prints. One may fall asleep the minute you put him in his stroller. Another becomes so excited it takes him twenty blocks to conk out. When a Fire Engine goes by one baby girl is riveted by the sound while her twin sister prefers to keep smiling at mommy. In this class we will explore the unique qualities that make your baby who she / he is and enjoy discovering the delights of nurturing their emerging personalities.

A-Ha! Little Artists

Introducing the A-Ha! Little Artist class, from the creators of the A-Ha! PlayLabs. Join our expert staff for in-depth art experiences designed around cool materials such as light and shadow, sand, mirrors & reflective surfaces, foam, fabric & beads, paper, balls & ramps, and other amazing materials from your child’s world. This class is a great compliment to our A-Ha! PlayLab classes because most projects will build on your child’s PlayLab explorations. They will create products with the Playlab materials and represent their understandings in a tangible take-home craft project.

Each art project will focus on a specific material and start with your child exploring its properties and possibilities. Your child will begin to capture and represent their ideas in the materials provided. Each project will challenge your child in its own unique ways. This process oriented learning helps children build deeper relationships with each material and how they relate to the world around them.

A-Ha! Developmental Baby Play

This class for pre-crawlers, 3 months and up, provides wonderful insights into understanding your child’s stage of development and offers simple and fun activities and games to play with your child that support their critical development and learning during the first year. Each class focuses on one area of development at a time and is designed for you and your child to participate in a set of activities that support physical, social & emotional, cognitive and language development. You will better read your baby's amazing leaps in development and learning during the first year of life and understand the role of play and PlayPartnering in the process. By the end of the first year, infants demonstrate a remarkable range of abilities. These amazing developments are not due to maturation alone. In the complex dance between nature and nurture, the relationship that you and your child develop plays a critical role in optimal learning. The materials and experiences you share can powerfully support this learning. Tuning into your child’s unique growth spurts and profile of abilities helps you to continually discover and engage his or her distinct strengths and interests.

A-Ha! PlayLabs - Crawlers

Weekly classes create play worlds full of surprises to discover, challenges to overcome and creative problems to solve. Each PlayLab is designed around a specific open-ended material—such as paper, clay, water, light & shadow or foam. PlayLabs rotate every few weeks so your child gets a diverse range of the most important play experiences for his age and stage. Our fun, specially designed activities gently stimulate baby's senses with special props, and themed materials. During group discussions, you'll share ideas and advice with experts and other new parents. A-Ha's trained and knowledgeable infant development specialists will be there to guide you every step of the way.

A-Ha! PlayLabs - ONEs

Experience our PlayLabs—rich immersive environments, designed to intrigue, stimulate and engage your child's play and learning. Skilled development specialists guide you through each creative and an immersive play workshop. Our specially designed experiences and activities draw out a range of learning. Discussion with other parents about the changes taking place in your child provides you with support during this exciting time.

A-Ha! PlayLabs - TWOs

Unleash your child's imagination in a world of hands-on discovery that includes exploration in a the exciting and stimulating environments. Your child's creativity will blossom and skills will soar with each new experience. Bring your 2-year-old and come explore and create with us today.

A-Ha! PlayLabs - THREEs, Multi-Age, Siblings

As your three year old becomes more active and acquires more language skills, his play takes on a whole new form. He wants everything to tell a story! He is also developing his own unique sense of humor! The experts at A-Ha! will help you maximize creativity and learning as your child enters this exciting stage of life. Come with your three year old for fun and laughs and bonding experiences both of you will treasure!

A-Ha! Practical Parenting Discussion Group

Join a relaxing and informative discussion about issues related to your child's development. This group is an opportunity to get out of the house and spend some time socializing and learning. Kids welcome if you have no back up care. The eight week semester will cover topics relating to your child’s development: how to best tune into and read your child; your role in your child’s learning and development and the importance of your relationship for learning; and the types of materials, environments and experiences best for quality play and learning. The kids who come will play in a small activity area while parents supervise and discuss the issues.