Curriculum

We follow The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool. The Creative Curriculum® for Preschool is a comprehensive, research-based curriculum that features exploration and discovery as a way of learning, enabling children to develop confidence, creativity, and lifelong critical thinking skills.

This curriculum addresses goals in the four areas of development:

• Social: to help children feel comfortable in school, trust their new environment, make friends, and feel they are a part of the group.

• Emotional: to help children experience pride and self-confidence, develop independence and self-control, and have a positive attitude toward life.

• Cognitive: to help children become confident learners by encouraging them to try out their own ideas and experience success; and to help children acquire learning skills such as solving problems, asking questions, and using words to describe their ideas, observations, and feelings.

• Physical: to help children increase their large and small muscle skills and feel confident about what their bodies can do.

To accomplish these developmental goals, our classroom schedule includes ample time for children to work in interest areas. We encourage children to be active and creative explorers who are not afraid to try out their ideas and to think their own thoughts. Below is a list of several centers that are available each day in the classroom.

ART

Art is an important part of the Creative Curriculum. Every day, children find a variety of art materials available on our shelves. Drawing, painting, pasting, molding and constructing are not only enjoyable

but also provide important opportunities for learning. Children express original ideas and feelings, improve their 

coordination, learn to recognize colors and textures, and develop creativity and pride in their accomplishments by exploring and using art materials.

When children are engaged in art activities, we talk with them about what they are doing and ask questions that encourage them to think about their ideas and express their feelings.

We are just as interested in the creative process as we are in what the children make. We say things that we will encourage children to be creative and confident, such as "Tell me about your picture" instead of "Is that a house?"

"It looks like the play dough is sticking to your fingers. What could we do to make it less sticky?"

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME: Art is a very easy way to bring your child's school life into your home. Children love to bring home their art products to share with the most important people in their lives. Take time to talk with your child. Here are some things you might say: "Tell me about your picture."

"How did you decide which colors to use?"

"What do you like best about it?"

"Should we hang it up in a special place so we all can enjoy your work?"

You can help your child appreciate art right in your home. When you look at books together, talk about the illustrations with your child. Discuss the art on your walls in your home

Art is something your child can do at home in almost any room. You might designate a drawer in the kitchen or living room as an art drawer, or use a bookshelf or sturdy cardboard box. In this space include crayons, markers, paper, a pair of child-sized, blunt-edged scissors, glue and a separate box for collage materials. A child’s mind is much more creative and artistic than any coloring book allows.

BLOCK PLAY The hardwood and foam unit blocks you see in our classroom are one of the most valuable learning materials we have. They come in exact sizes and shapes. For this reason when children build with them they learn math concepts such as the number of blocks that fill a certain space. They compare the height of their building and learn about geometric shapes (triangles, squares and rectangles). When they lift, shove, stack, and move blocks, they explore weight and size. Each time they use blocks, children are making decisions about how to build a structure or solve a construction problem. 

Children often use blocks to recreate the world around them - a road, a house, the zoo. They work together and learn to cooperate and make friends. We encourage children to talk about what they are doing to promote language development. We also talk with children and ask questions to expand on their block play. For example, we might say: "I see you built a tall house. How do people get to the third floor?"

"Where do people park their cars when they come to visit your store?"

"Would you like to make a sign for your building?" The questions and comments make children more aware of what they are doing and encourage them to try new ideas. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME: *When you take a walk in your neighborhood, point out roads and interesting buildings.

*You may want to purchase table blocks, colored wooden cube blocks or cardboard brick blocks to have at home. You can also make a set out of milk cartons or other boxes that come in different sizes.

*Identify a place where your child can build and play with the blocks safely. Props such as clothespins, small plastic animals, cars and trucks will extend your child's play and inspire new ideas. The settings your child creates can be used for pretend play as well.

Toys and Games

Toys and games include puzzles, various table blocks, small construction materials such as Legos, board games and collections of objects (including shells, bottle caps and buttons). When children use toys and games, they explore how things work; learn to be creative and use their imaginations; strengthen and control small muscles in their hands; work cooperatively and solve problems; and learn math ideas and concepts.

When children use toys and games in the classroom, we encourage them to talk about what they are doing. For example, we might say:

“Tell me about the design you made.”

“How did you get those rings to fit together?”

“You’ve picked out all the blocks that are the same. Tell me how they are the same.”

These questions and comments are designed to help children develop their thinking skills.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME:

You play an important role in selecting toys and games that are safe, interesting and age appropriate for your child’s abilities. More importantly, research shows that the most creative children are those who have adults involved in their play. Here are a few ways that you can be involved in your child’s play with toys and games.

*Observe. Watch as your child plays and notice his abilities and interests.

*Play. Follow your child’s lead and join in his play.

*Imagine. Keep in mind that there’s more than one way to play with a toy. Be creative!

*Enjoy. This isn’t a time to drill your child or test him on what he knows -just have fun being together, talking and playing.

Good toys do not have to be expensive. You might collect various small objects such as buttons, seashells, rocks, and plastic bottle caps. Make suggestions such as sort all the buttons that are the same color or all the beads that are the same size. Encourage your child to tell you about the design he or she is making or to explain why things belong together.

Dramatic Play

“Housekeeping” and “Family Living Center” are just several names for the Dramatic Play Center. In this area children take on different roles and recreate real-life experiences. They use props and make-believe to deepen their understanding about the word in which they live.

The ability to pretend is very important to a child’s development. Children who know how to make believe develop a good vocabulary, which is important for reading. They learn to cooperate with others to solve problems, and are able to think abstractly- all important skills for success in school. When children pretend, they have to recall experiences and re-create them. To do this, they need to picture their experiences in their minds. For example, to play the role of a doctor, children have to remember what tools a doctor uses, how a doctor examines a patient, and what a doctor says. In playing the doctor or other roles, children learn to cooperate with others and to share their ideas.

When children make believe, we might ask:

“Is your baby sick? What are you going to do?”

“Are you the store keeper? I need to buy some food.”

“What are you cooking for dinner tonight? It smells so good.”

We talk with children and participate in their play to extend their thinking.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME You can encourage the same kind of pretend play at home that we do at school simply by playing with your child and providing some simple props. A sheet over the table creates a house or a hideout. A large empty cardboard box can become almost anything - a pirate ship, a dog house, a castle or a train. The nice thing about dramatic play is that it requires only your imagination. Here are some simple ways to encourage your child’s learning through dramatic play:

*During bath time,

include plastic boats, cups and rubber dolls and play pretend.

*Save food cartons, make some play money and play store with your child.

*Read stories together

and involve your child in acting out different parts of the story.

*Collect some old clothes your child can use to dress up and make believe.

*Say to your child,

“Let’s pretend we are going on a train ride. What do we need?”

When you engage in pretend play with your child, you are teaching important learning skills and you are spending valuable time together!

LIBRARY

The library area is a very important part of our classroom and of your child’s life. It’s where children gain the foundation for reading and writing. It’s also a place where children can relax and enjoy the wonderful world of children’s books.

We encourage children to look at books, listen to stories, retell stories and to scribble and “write” throughout the day. Sometimes children dictate stories to us, which we record in “books.”

We read stories to the children every day. Reading introduces new ideas, helps children learn to handle problems that come up in life, and mostly encourages them to develop a love of books. As children listen to us read, their own reading skills begin to develop. Here are some of the things we do as we read:

We point to pictures and ask: “What do you see?”

We encourage children to predict what will happen next: “What do you suppose will happen now?”

We encourage children to repeat words, rhymes and phrases they’ve memorized.

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME:

Research has shown that reading to your child every day is the most important thing you can do to help him/her to learn to read and write. When your child sits next to you as you read, he/she begins to connect books with good feelings. Here are a few more things you can do with your child at home.

*Encourage your child to talk about the stories you read.

*Ask questions like, I wonder what will happen next?” or “I wonder why…”

*Try to relate the story to something in your child’s life.

*Visit the library and check out books that interest your child.

*Give your child paper and pencils, crayons or markers and him/her experiment with writing. Don’t worry if it’s just scribble!

When you take time to read to your child every day, you are doing the very best thing to help your child grow up to be a successful reader!