Curriculum

Literacy

Books! Stories! Music! More Books! Learning to read is tricky! There are lots of skills to learn before it makes sense. We drench children in pre-reading and pre-writing activities so, when they are ready to read, they feel successful and excited! Rhyming, letter sounds, counting syllables, feeling how sounds are made, listening for sounds… That’s where the magic happens!

Numeracy

Count EVERYTHING! How many are there? How many are left? More, less, next, first, if, then, guess…. “Put these in order”. Bigger, smallest, equal, enough, heavier… Who is the tallest? Why did the ice melt? Do you think it will sink or float? ALL of these concepts and more, set the foundation for math and science. It’s fun. It’s engaging.

Personal and Social Responsibility

Above all, early education is about learning how to; get along, be a good friend, follow rules, discover joy in being part of a group, play with others, and take care of our stuff and each other. It’s about setting the stage for a balanced life. “Wisdom is not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at preschool” Robert Fulgum

Creative Expression

“Coloring outside the lines is a fine art.” Kim Nance Our classrooms are filled with opportunities for creativity. Art is a process of discovery. Dress up and role play activities let children practice what they see happening in the world around them. Music and dance feed the soul. We encourage and celebrate it all.

Physical Skills and Well-being

Move Your Body. Wash Your Hands. Cover Your Cough. Take a Deep Breath. Through exploration of personal health related themes and field trips, children are exposed to, and develop an appreciation for physical health. Examples of themes include, dental/oral care, yoga studio, Dr. clinic or Vet clinics, baby care, and nutrition.

Citizenship and Identity

How are we the same? How am I unique?Discussing individual and group similarities, differences and preferences helps children develop awareness of themselves as unique individuals and accept other’s uniqueness. “We all live with the objective to be happy; our lives are all different and yet the same” -Anne Frank

Environment and Community Awareness

Who doesn’t love a fire truck? We use specific themes and outings to expose children to community workers, such as fire fighters, police officers, dentists, and grocery store workers. Daily discussion about the weather, science experiments, and art exploration are used to enhance learning.

Play Laugh Learn

We are a Play-Based Preschool

“Play is really the work of childhood” -Fred Rogers

We believe in free exploration and exposure to a wide variety of toys, activities and games that match the child’s current developmental skills. However, there are many approaches to early learning and we draw the best from them all - why wouldn’t we?

Give it a try, if it works, keep it! What works for one group may not work for another. Teaching, like learning, is all about patience and practice.

The Montessori Method promotes the use of everyday items and activities to promote basic skills. We get great ideas and inspiration for toys and activities from this method.

The Reggio Emelia Method prioritizes being flexible and responsive to the child’s interests and motivations. This method offers us lots of ideas for how to set up our classrooms and activities.

The Waldorf Method focuses on the whole child: head, heart, hands. Learning is unhurried. The goal is to foster interest, wonder and enthusiasm. We are reminded to slow down, go with the flow and follow their lead. Early learning is ‘emergent’ NOT an ‘emergency’.