Philosophy & Curriculum

Philosophy & Curriculum

Philosophy:

We believe each child is unique and learns at his/her own pace. It is through play that the child organizes experiences and gives meaning to the world. It is also through play that all the individual elements of the child ~ social, emotional, cognitive and physical ~ work together. Children learn through “hands-on” play, ultimately storing experiences on a sub- conscience level. Children seem to recognize things more easily and certainly when they touch them rather than just see them. We provide a variety of activities in areas such as math, science, art, daily living, dramatic play, music and movement, language, gross motor development and more. These activities will help in the development of the whole child while he/she is developing at his/ her own individual level. Each child is regarded with respect and encouraged to respect the differences of others.


Curriculum:

MATH: Activities in this area include counting, sorting, 1:1 correspondence and base ten number concepts. The math area helps to develop fine motor skills, logical thinking and language development. It also helps with the development of concentration and coordination.

SCIENCE: We encourage children to observe, compare, experiment, invent, discover and wonder about physical objects and events. This area helps to develop curiosity while making the learning experience especially enjoyable. Through the use of a water table, children explore the properties of pouring, gravity, mixing mediums, weight, volume and the concept of sink and float. This table can also be used for cornmeal, flour or shaving cream play. This provides opportunities for tactile exploration. It also helps in the development of fine motor skills, as well as creating the opportunity for dramatic play. Science and nature classes are taught by the staff weekly.

ART: Art is a daily activity. Children can express themselves creatively through different mediums. Children explore textures while creating patterns, collages and more. We will provide many different tools for art exploration. For example, paint can be applied with brushes, feathers, sticks, strings, straws, q-tips, cookie cutters, etc.


DAILY LIVING: In this area, activities are set out that use materials and/or utensils that one might use throughout the course of a day. Examples of these materials are ice trays, tweezers, cotton balls, spoons, beans, rice, cups, bowls and more. The activities include pouring, scooping, spooning, sifting, etc. These activities will help children begin to develop coordination and concentration as well as aid in the development of their fine motor skills.

DRAMATIC PLAY: We have a special area set up for dramatic play. This area contains materials and props in which children can create any environment they choose. Dramatic play leads to narrative development while it also helps the child gain mastery over his/her own world. It also helps the child in social development as children begin to create “worlds” together.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT: During the Music and Movement circles, children use instruments in a spontaneous manner, to help them to develop an appreciation for sound, volume, tone, rhythm and tempo. Other activities during this circle include dancing, musical games, creative movement, listening activities, physical development and more.

LANGUAGE: Language permeates our classrooms as the children discover the names of objects or activities, as well as learn to communicate their feelings and needs with their teachers and classmates. Activities in the language area include matching objects to pictures, spatial relationships, classification, opposites, sequencing, patterns, puzzles and initial sound boxes.

GROSS MOTOR DEVELOPMENT: Outside, we have large and small climbing structures, bicycles, play house, sandbox and other activities which help in the development of the large motor skills, such as running, jumping, climbing and balancing.

AND MORE: Little Village Preschool school provides a “library” area, block area, dramatic play area and classes foreign language, art & science. Currently, we are teaching Spanish.