Science – Children learn about the physical world by being questioned and encouraged to wonder about their personal observations.

Social Studies – Children learn about typical human behaviors and relationships.

Art – Children learn self-expression via a variety of creative media. They learn that the process of self-expression, rather than the product, is more important.

Music – Children have experiences and participate in both unstructured and structured (teacher-directed) activities.

Literature and Language – Children explore books independently and listen and learn through group story times.

Physical Education – Children discover what their changing bodies can do.

Concepts: Math, Numbers, Letters – Children will be exposed to numbers and letters through academically age-appropriate activities.

  • Nature table – rocks, shells, plants, insects, etc.
  • Exploring wonders of light through prisms, sunshine, and shadows
  • Observing, caring for, and playing with class pets – guinea pigs, hamsters, fish, or perhaps other animals
  • Experimenting with balances, weights, and sorting and classifying objects
  • Experimenting with magnets, soap bubbles, magnifying glass
  • Exploring natural phenomena out-of-doors on the playground
  • Experimenting with colors – eye droppers and colored water, etc.
  • Exploring animal habitats such as the ocean, pond, rain forest, and arctic
  • Learning about who hibernates and migrates.
  • Discovering the unusual world of nocturnal creatures

  • Sharing materials, toys, taking turns, and getting the teacher’s attention
  • Using materials freely, but without waste to embrace the concepts of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
  • Respecting the rights and feelings of others
  • Understanding one’s rights and how to stand up for them
  • Learning to accept and appreciate differences in a culturally diverse environment
  • Learning and following everyday routines
  • Respecting limits imposed for the good of the group

  • Exploration of paint, play dough, paper and paste, chalk, soapsuds, wood, etc.
  • Expressing creativity in other ways – block building, dramatic play, language and music
  • Opportunity to express one’s positive feelings as well as providing a safety valve for tensions and aggressions
  • Exposure to and experience with fine art and famous artists

  • Experimenting with instruments, listening to and differentiating sounds in their environment
  • Matching rhythms and volume to create music
  • The use of songs, games and finger-plays to encourage language development
  • Painting while listening to various styles of music
  • Listening to various types of music at quiet time
  • Listening, singing and moving to music as an expression of emotions and concepts

  • Developing an enjoyment of books
  • Widening the children’s vocabulary and knowledge beyond the “here and now”
  • Encouraging fun with language – rhyming games
  • Stimulating their verbal expression, encouraging expression
  • Recording of experiences with the group
  • Creating original stories as a group
  • Opportunities to dramatize stories

  • The child’s only goal in physical activity is to have fun
  • Furthering large and small muscle development
  • Vigorous play inside and outside
  • Children’s personality development is influenced by their physical skills and their feelings about those skills
  • Encouraging physical activity in dramatic play, art activities, music, games, etc.

Children will be exposed to numbers and letters through academically age-appropriate activities.

It is important to build concepts regarding numbers and letters, not just repetition without understanding. This is accomplished through concrete hands on and awareness types of exposure such as: sequencing, patterning, matching, lotto games, puzzles, letters to trace, counting, measuring, weighing, graphing, etc.

When children ask about their name, we suggest printing using both upper and lower case letters. If you put your child’s name in the upper left hand corner of the paper, your child will have plenty of space to copy. This will also reinforce left to right eye movement that is basic to reading readiness.

Many children do not have the small motor development to print their name and numbers. This development has to come with time. Please be assured your child will develop small motor skills and be capable of doing many fine motor tasks at his/her own individual rate of readiness. Be patient so that this learning experience will be positive and stress free.