In order to assist your child in becoming proficient in English, we recommend that you place your child in an English speaking environment, which nurtures their development and gives them ample opportunities to practice English by using it in practical situations. Here at Learning Tree, our aim is to create an atmosphere which allows our students to be comfortable enough to attempt to speak in English and develop socially without feeling threatened.
We believe that the ages 2 to 4 are important stages in life for developing positive perspectives of ourselves and the world around us, as well as acquiring languages. We plan to achieve this through love, patience, understanding, and by giving each child the adequate care and individual time they need. We hope through this approach that our students will develop a positive attitude toward themselves and their ability to learn. In turn, this will allow them to become life-long learners, as well as develop their understanding of the world.
Curriculum
Circle Time
This is a time when we come together as a class and greet each other. It is an important opportunity for the students to speak individually in a safe and inclusive atmosphere. In addition, we sing songs that help the children learn the alphabet and get them started on Phonics. We also let the children express their personalities through dance so that they can build their confidence. Through a variety of speaking activities, we hope that each child can find their own voice.
P.E.
Since our school is conveniently located near a park, we will be taking the children there sometimes. During this time, the children will be playing games that will help improve their English skills, while having fun, and of course improve their gross motor skills.
Speaking
The goal of speaking class is to teach the children realistic English skills. While we will always be speaking to the children in English, we must help them develop their own speaking skills so that we can communicate equally with each other. Each term we will start with basic vocabulary and grammar and build on these throughout our time together. Especially during this time, we will only let the children communicate to us in English. Although this might be difficult at first, eventually the children will become more confident in speaking and will be able to speak more freely in school. Native or nearly-native speakers will also learn correct grammar and standard American pronunciation. Even native-speakers make grammar mistakes as children, and we will be there to guide them and help them learn how to express themselves clearly.
Reading
Level 1: Students are introduced to phonics sounds. Level 2: Students will learn how to read 3-letter words. Level 3: Students begin to read difficult words, containing blends and long vowels, as well as “Sight Word Readers.” Level 4: Students begin to read beginner level books.
Writing
Level 1: Students learn how to hold a pencil and make straight and curved lines.
Level 2: After building this hand strength in Level1, students begin tracing and writing letters independently.
Level 3: Coordinated with our phonics reading class, students learn to write beginning and ending letters and short vowel sounds.
Level 4: Students learn how to write larger words that contain blends and and long vowel sounds.
Level 5: Being able to spell a large number of words, students begin learning grammar and writing their own sentences.
Theme Study
We have several theme topics throughout the year. We will introduce the children to the world of science by teaching easy to understand ideas. We will talk about the weather, body parts, the five senses, textures, an d even start a garden with the kids. Our main focus is to teach the children vocabulary and show them elementary science concepts. We also want the children to become aware of the world around them and try to communicate this awareness in the English language. The children will learn about moods and emotions, good manners, families, jobs in the community, transportation and street signs.
Music
During this time, we will teach the kids different songs, dances, rhythm with castanets, the do, re, mi scale and even how to express themselves through music. We want our students to not only love, but appreciate music, and we feel that our music program will help them achieve this.
Story Time
Everyday we carefully choose stories that connect to the theme of the month. This is an integral time when we ask our students questions about the story and help them learn new vocabulary and grammar. Using the books, we want the children to learn to empathize with the characters and to realize the importance of positive behavior.
Life Skills
While English teaching is our main focus, at this age, it can not be our only goal. We also work on helping the children learn manners that range from sharing to sitting quietly to learning when to separate play time from study time. In addition, since our students are also here for lunch time, we help them improve their eating skills and even teach them the importance of cleaning up after themselves. Beyond these basic skills, we aim at creating an environment in which we celebrate the differences of others and encourage our students to see how various cultures are dependent on each other, and through this understanding, our students can begin to appreciate the world that exists beyond our walls. These are all essential skills that the children will need at every phase.
Arts and Crafts
In our school, arts and crafts is not just a time for the children to produce a great work of art, but is a time for the children to develop a wide variety of fundamental skills. These skills include for Little Sprouts, learning how to color how to paint and how to glue. Furthermore in Big Sprouts, how to use scissors, how to fold and how to mold. Not only will this help them cultivate important skills, but it can help them have confidence in their own creativity and expand their imagination.
Math
It is never too early to introduce children to math. Our introduction includes teaching shapes, counting, sorting and grouping, writing numbers, and patterning. During this time, we want the children to begin thinking about numbers in English and learn how to organize and sort simple colorful items. For those who are good at math, we will teach addition and subtraction according to their progress. We respect each child’s individual ability and fully support their potential.
Time Table
Little Sprouts: 3days/week – 5days/week Big Sprouts: 5days/week
Your child will be placed in a class with students of his/her age.
Little Sprouts: 2 years old by April 1, 2024 Big Sprouts: 3 years old by April 1, 2024
To avoid having students with different English levels together in the same class, we will place students taking English language classes (Speaking, Reading, and Writing) based on their English ability. We offer 4 levels for each language class. Speaking: Basic Speaking Skills, Beginner Speaking I, Beginner Speaking II, and Intermediate Speaking I; Reading: Alphabet Recognition, Phonics I, Phonics II, and Beginner Reading; Writing: Writing Readiness, Alphabet Writing, Phonics Writing I, and Phonics Writing II.
Tuition & Fee Information
Entrance Fee
Kiba/Tsukishima 78,000 yen
Tuition
(Please refer to the table below for tuition + other fees.)
You must select the days of the week that your child will attend. If your chosen day coincides with a national holiday, you can make it up on another day. If you sign up for 5 days a week, there can be no makeup days and the cost is already deducted from the total tuition. Spring Term excludes Golden week. Fall Term excludes Autumn Break.
Healthy school lunch
Everyday, we provide a healthy balanced school lunch for your child. ※1 year lump sum is for April to March.
Healthy snack
Learning Tree is making homemade organic snacks for our students. Preschoolers and kindergarteners can get the snack at 2:00pm. Afterschool students can receive it when they arrive at school.We will not use any processed materials. ※1 year lump sum is for April to March.
Extended Hours Nursery Pass
For working mothers, we can take care of children from as early as 8:00am, and they can stay as late as 6:45 pm. This is an optional program separate from our preschool and kindergarten.
Time slots (1)8:00-8:45 (2)8:45-9:45 (3)13:45-14:45 (4)14:45-15:45 (5)15:45-16:45 (6)16:45-17:45 (7)17:45-18:45
In addition, we also offer an Extended Hours Nursery Pass during summer school and winter school. Please consult us for details.
Bus route and Fee
We have a school bus service to pick up and drop off your child. If you would like to use this service, please consult with our staff so that we can adjust the bus route accordingly. We will try bring the bus route as close to your home as possible. This fee is fixed for all students; it’s not prorated for the number of commuting days. If you live more than 8km from our school, the bus fee is double the regular fee.
LTonline
Theme videos, Song videos, Craft videos, P.E. videos, Story videos, IXL account for online math support,Photo Gallery, LT Connect (our photographic community), Access to event live streams and recordings, Access to the LT Library at Cafe Lulu, and Access to their class online.
