Play centers are essential components of the program and begin in Unit 1, Week 1. Students in Pinecone Path experience play centers twice each day.
Play centers provide hands-on experiences, exploration, and opportunities for playful learning, peer interaction, and practicing literacy skills learned in class. They also integrate the unit's topic and reinforce whole-class and small-group instruction.
Pinecone Path provides suggested activities for seven types of centers in each unit: art, blocks, dramatic play, math, reading, science and sensory, and writing. The unit Teacher’s Manuals include Play Center Connections tables that suggest activities and accompanying Strive for 5 conversation ideas that support instruction.