Principia's Acorn Program supports Christian Science parents and their young children through the age of three.

Led by the Acorn staff, seminars are held for parents of infants, one-year-olds, and two-year-olds. Each seminar is centered on a topic pertinent to the age of the children. Discipline, eating, methods of teaching, and family traditions are typical topics. Each seminar starts with a brief sharing of metaphysical ideas and continues with the sharing of practical ideas. Parents may also ask current questions.

Held in conjunction with seminars, play-ins are for the one-and two-year-olds. All parents and children play together for the first 45 minutes. After juice and cookies, either the parents of the one-year-olds or the two-year-olds meet for their seminar while the other group of parents watches the children. Play-ins include singing, active and quieter play, and learning centers.

Parents and babies attend an hour-long seminar together every other week. Parents sit on the floor around a blanket while babies play on the blanket, eat, or sleep. The seminars begin with a singing time. Seminar topics are tailored to meet the needs of parents with a baby under one year old.

A variety of age-appropriate toys are available to be checked out.

For the two- and three-year-olds, co-op is a first preschool experience without their parents who take turns serving as the assisting teacher. Children learn to play with others, share their parents with their friends, sit quietly in group settings, participate in singing games, and learn many more important skills to help them when they enter preschool. Children may attend one or more days a week.

The Pre-School occupies a well-equipped building of its own, surrounded by shady lawn and play areas. In addition to three classrooms, the Pre-School building houses an all-purpose room and hot-lunch kitchen and provides access to playgrounds and equipment for each of its three levels: nursery, junior kindergarten, and senior kindergarten.

Each level is staffed with a teacher and an assistant who focus in their work with children on spiritual, moral, social, intellectual, and physical training. Parents are an integral part of this training.

Nursery children (three-year-olds) study nature; care for pets; create dramatics; play musical games; and take field trips to such places as the World Bird Sanctuary, Town and Country Fire Station, and the St. Louis Zoo. Their teachers help them learn to listen and follow directions, to develop selflessness, self-reliance, and self-control.

Children (four-year-olds) learn to work independently, as well as in cooperation with others. Their teachers help them improve their language skills and learn through music, art, science, literature, and math, and through Pre-School's own pony-riding program.

Children (five-year-olds) concentrate on reading and math readiness and increased independence in social skills. They write each day, in simplified form, illustrating their stories with their own artwork, and immerse themselves in the culture of another country for six weeks, sharing their discoveries with others.

For more information about
Principia's Early Childhood & Acorn Program:
Information Request Form
800-218-7746, ext. 3162
enroll@prin.edu