Curriculum
Daily Living
The exercises of daily living are the foundation of future academic learning. They encompass a great diversity of activities to help the child grow toward greater concentration and independence. In this area, the child has an opportunity to participate in caring for his environment. This includes a series of activities that the child sees done daily in his own home and would naturally want to imitate, such as: rag washing, sweeping, washing tables, washing dishes, etc. These activities enable the child to come to realize order and logic. They help to develop concentration (the key to learning), attention, carefulness, self-discipline, independence, muscular coordination, and the ability to complete an activity in its entirety. These activities (which the child enjoys and wants to imitate) encourage the thinking process, as well as refining manual dexterity. In using these materials, the child learns the skills necessary to help him to be responsible for himself and for his environment.
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The daily living materials make the child's neurological system adapt to the physical world. At a young age the child must begin to acclimate and fit himself into the patterns of the world around him so that he will feel comfortable and secure. To "fit in", the child must be allowed the freedom to use and experience activities and objects around him; those things we as adults use skillfully and therefore take for granted. As the child develops more skill and ability he will become increasingly more confident and thus more motivated, enthusiastic and curious about the things around him.
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Included in this area would be a series of games and role playing that help teach the child courtesy and manners. An attempt is made to help the young child begin to become aware of the needs of other and how to communicate with those around us in a polite and friendly manner.
The Senses
Through manipulation, the materials teach the child to perceive size and space, as well as experience each of her senses. The child explores dimension, shapes, color, texture, weight, aroma, taste, and their relationships. The materials isolate various qualities so that the child can experience each one individually. This area helps the child to train and refine her senses and to gain knowledge of the qualities that make up all objects in the world around her.
Language
The young child has a natural sensitivity for language development. Therefore, the language program is continuously woven into the daily activities of the group. The children are free to talk to one another, and there is always time devoted to discussion, poetry, songs, and interpretation of stories. The materials used aid the development of all three aspects of a child's language: speaking, writing, and reading. Vocabulary enrichment includes exposure to a tremendous variety of names, i.e., geometric shapes, animals, clothing, food, famous composers, relationships, and many more, following the child's natural curiosities.
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Learning to read and write requires the mastery of several skills. Each of these skills is pursued by the child in separate activities. It is only when he has mastered the separate skills that he is encouraged to unite them into the operation of reading and writing.
Mathematics
“Our aim is not to merely make the child understand, and still less to force him to memorize, but so to touch his imagination so to enthuse him to his innermost core.”
~Maria Montessori
Children are surrounded by mathematical realities such as order, number, shape, dimension, and weight. In using the daily living materials, the child develops the concepts of order and sequence, which helps him prepare for mathematical concepts.
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Mathematical concepts are isolated and introduced to the child in concrete form that they can manipulate for better understanding. We begin with one-to-one correspondence/counting,learning quantities, and symbols. We also take into account dimension, geometric shapes, and measure. The child progresses one step at a time to a more abstract understanding of the concepts of arithmetic.
Geography
Human beings have always lived in geographic situations, thus geography is a subject that is related to each of us. By studying her own particular societal group, a child can be made aware of the many varied ways people live. She can also be made aware of the many different peoples in the world and the various aspects of their lifestyles, both past and present.
The child has difficulty understanding the time relationships involved in past versus present, thus initially, we need to give her only the facts of how man lives and how life is experienced by peoples throughout the world. As the child grows and her sense of reason and logic develop, she will begin to wonder and question those facts. So, in order for her to explore and extend her knowledge and awareness of the world around her, she needs to acquire a foundation of factual information at the time in her development when she is most sensitive to absorbing it, between the ages of two and five.
Our geography study will begin with the concept of the world and the globe, then will focus on the continents. Each month we'll concentrate on a different continent. Visual aids will be used, such as pictures and artifacts; music and cooking shall serve to enhance the child's experience. Parents are welcome to contribute to our study by sharing their own nationality and heritage with the children whenever possible.
Science: Biology/Botany/Zoology
Experience and exposure to aspects of biology, botany, and zoology make the young child aware of all life that exists around him. Scientific phenomena is explored through specific experimentation where a concept is realized, and also through daily life activities i.e., the phenomena of day/night, change of seasons, and of the weather.
Outdoor Environment
The outdoor environment is experienced in forms other than just as an area of play. The most important of those forms is aiding the young child in developing a nature awareness:
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Increased sensitivity to the needs of others and to the natural environment
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Concern for man's relationship to the environment
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Realization that only man among all living creatures can determine the quality of the environment - for better or worse
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Desire to do our part to live with nature
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Everything has a right to live, just as we do
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Because every living and non-living aspect of the environment fulfills a particular role or purpose, everything is beautiful in its own way
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The fact that we do not understand something does not mean we should kill or eradicate it.
The child will come to this "nature awareness" by experiencing activities and games that will make him more aware and sensitive to nature.
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Feeding the birds and squirrels is an activity that will also enhance the child's outdoor experience.
Indoor Environment
Science lessons may be planned in advance or allowed to develop spontaneously from the expressed interest of the children. A child has many questions, some unable to be answered directly i.e., "Does a goldfish sleep?"; "Where does a fly go when it rains?"; "Why does popcorn pop?"; "What is thunder?"
Through simple experimentation the child can participate in discovering the answers to many of her questions.
The indoor science emphasis is divided into three categories: living things; energy, fields and forces; and change.
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Living Things (people, animals, and plants)
Plants have a variety, both flowering and leaf. Consider the different leaf shapes and plants with different needs, such as the cactus - which needs very little water - as opposed to the philodendron, which grows in water.
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Animals include five categories: fish, bird, reptile, mammal and amphibian. Each month we'll focus on a different animal group. Through pictures, stories, and discussions, the child will begin to develop an awareness of the needs and differences of these various animal groups
2. Energy, fields and forces
The concepts of energy, fields and forces can be difficult. They can seem nebulous, as they are difficult to define, touch, or measure. They do, however, affect us in every way and at all times. The experiments are designed to increase the child's awareness of the effects of gravity, magnetism, electricity, sound, and light have upon him and his environment.
3. Change
Changes are occurring everywhere and at all times. However, unless they are sudden or irregular, they are often overlooked. The investigations that the child participates in are to help him become aware of the changes occurring in himself and his environment.
Physical Education/Creative Movement
This program takes into account the changing moods and needs of each child as is evidenced by his movements and behavior; the activities harmonize with varying needs as they arise. Activities range all the way from sitting quietly while swaying gently to an appropriate rhythm to a running-jumping activity involving use of the whole body. Through the stimulus of a steady rhythm beat or simple rhymes and tunes, the child is led into a wide variety of creative activities based on natural developmental movements and growth patterns.
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In most of the activities, the child is free to explore and originate his own way of moving to the suggestions being offered. In some, however, direct imitation is called for to offer a different type of experience. Opportunities are also provided for pantomime and dramatization.
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The following areas will be touched upon in this program:
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Elements
Space - noticing spatial relationships
Time - controlling the speed of our movements
Flow - balance and coordination of body movements
Force - experiencing control of our muscles
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Locomotive Skills
Ways to move (manner of moving i.e. slowly, quickly)
Direction of movements
Moving whole body
Moving hands and arms only
Moving legs and feet only
Moving fingers only
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Non Locomotive Skills - Kinesthetic Awareness
Child becomes aware of how he can control his body outwardly. As he does he is also learning how his body can feel inwardly.
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Manipulating Skills
Ball handling
Hula hoops
Bean bags
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Posture and Balance
The child learns about postural control and refines her ability to balance and move with ease.
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Music and Movement
Spontaneous movement
Body percussion - rhythmical movement, clapping, etc.
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Rest and Relaxation
Sensory motor growth and perceptual skills are developed. Games require: imagination, careful listening, and flexibility to change from one stimulus to another.
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Game and Rhythm Activities
Farmer in the Dell, Loopty Loo, Mulberry Bush, etc.
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Group Games
Outdoor: Cat and Mouse, Colored Eggs, Tag/freeze, Mr. Fox, relay races, etc.
Indoor: Simon Says, Doggie-Doggie, Hot potato, Musical Chairs, The Secret Envelope
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Body Awareness
Naming body parts, awareness of the functions of the body parts, ability to move within his environment.
Art
Art has no nationality. It can be adapted and adjusted to suit any child. It is the creative mainstay of early childhood education.
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With the understanding that performance is infinitely more valuable than the end product, honest and innovative efforts on the part of the child are to be appreciated without pressuring the child to attain specific results. The child who becomes totally absorbed in the process of creating often finds self-satisfaction in terms of emotional growth as well as artistic rewards. This self-satisfaction in turn has a positive effect on the total learning experience.
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The most important single element in a successful art program is variety. The art program includes the following:
I. Form - two dimensional, three dimensional, linear and mass
II. Color - hue and value
III. Design
IV. Techniques
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A. Drawing (crayon, markers, chalk, colored pencil)
B. Painting
C. Attachments (glue, hole punch, paper clip)
D. Paper (use of scissors, arranging cut paper, geometric shapes, collage)
E. Sewing (threading a needle, sewing cards)
F. Weaving
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Art projects will complete each month's geography and science experiences, as well as reflect the holiday(s) that occur in any given month.
In addition to the projects each month, a different well-known artist and one of his works will be featured i.e. Paul Cezanne "Portrait of the Artist". The young child begins to develop an awareness and appreciation of the history and development of art.
Music
Musical games, finger plays, rhythmic activities, songs, and percussion band make up a large part of the preschool program. All of the activities involve some kind of action. The young child learns in a variety of ways, but his learning is inseparable from movement during the early years. Combining vocal and physical action demands a special kind of thought, along with a
coordination of the mind, the voice, and the body. And so with each activity, a different pattern of response is called for, depending on the directions for a song or game. We want to help the child develop a physical control of his body; thus helping him to acquire the skills necessary for rhythm control and to aid in the development of coordinated movement.
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Aside from the physical musical experience, the child is exposed to various styles of music; for each continent and culture studied monthly, music from that specific region is played. Each month also features a famous composer and one of his/her most familiar pieces of music i.e.. Peter Tchaikovsky "Waltz of the Flower," from Nutcracker Suite. Music is related to human beings. The young child can come to know that man is a creator of music.
Nutrition and Health/Cooking
In this day of convenience foods, many children have only a limited knowledge of foods; where they came from, and how to prepare them. Few children today have the opportunities to shop for, prepare, and serve food. Children enjoy the smells and appearance of food; they enjoy handling it. Like adults, they get pleasure from its textures, colors, and tastes.
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They also enjoy the social contact of cooking and eating with other children. We all have pleasant memories associated with food: of family dinners, holidays, visits with friends and relatives, etc. The same kinds of feelings can be realized for children in simple, everyday experiences with food.
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Good nutrition, happy meals and snack times, and the inclusion of food preparation and nutrition education for the young child are important to the child's welfare and growth as well as her social and emotional development. My aim is to promote better health and nutrition for the child. Nutrition is taught by using the basic four food groups. With frequent repetition and daily practice, the young child can learn which foods are in each group, what nutrients they contain, and how to combine them for good nutrition.
Holidays
Quality child care will be provided without regard to race, color, religious creed, ancestry, national origin or sex. Therefore, the children have the opportunity to learn about and to experience as many holidays as is possible. Parents are invited to share information about holidays that are part of their family's tradition and ancestry. Knowledge about the vast world around us and the many different peoples in it can only sere to make each of us more complete, sensitive human beings.
