Preschool Curriculum

CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING!

This preschool classroom is an active, hands-on learning environment. Using the Creative Curriculum we work to foster a positive attitude towards learning and give children the skills needed to be successful learners. Independence, social competence, and self-regulation skills are a key focus of our program. The Illinois Early Learning Standards are used as developmental indicators, with report cards issued three times a year. 

Creative Curriculum provides a wonderful opportunity to design a learning environment uniquely suited to the way preschoolers learn. Our classroom is filled with intentional, meaningful learning experiences that build on the prior knowledge of each student. One primary goal is for preschoolers to be actively engaged in self-directed learning experiences. Once students have successfully engaged in classroom activities and learning experiences we strive to have conversations with them that extend their learning even more.    

What Do We Do In Preschool?

• Circle Time is our large group gathering.  Daily circle time activities include the Pledge of Allegiance and review of the “Helpers” for the day. Additional circle time activities are designed to stimulate thinking, expand children’s attention spans, and focus on self-regulation skills.  We also gather as a large group for daily story time as well as a wrap up and review of our day.
• Journaling gives all preschoolers time to focus on “writing”.  Children are asked to draw a picture and then dictate to teachers about that picture. 
• Choice Time makes up the most of our day.  During this time, children are busy visiting interest areas in the classroom that are specifically designed to promote learning in each area of development as well as the content areas of literacy, mathematics, science, social studies, the arts, and technology.  Interest areas include:
  • Art helps children create and represent their ideas in a visual form. Children explore the characteristics of materials, sometimes to enjoy the process of creating and other times in order to represent something they have observed. Creativity and self-expression are encouraged.    
  • Toys and Games include traditional board games as well as puzzles, collectibles, and open-ended toys like LEGOs and interlocking links and cubes. Opportunities to learn problem-solving skills and creativity, patterns, sorting, and classification skills abound.
  • Dramatic Play helps children to express themselves, practice life skills, improve social skills, build vocabulary, and solve problems. Creative and imaginative play is encouraged.
  • Blocks allow children to explore concepts such as shape and size discrimination, spatial relationships, balance, organization, and cause and effect.  Representing experiences in blocks provides further learning opportunities.   
  • The Library is filled with books for children to explore, as well as puppets and a listening center.  Throughout the classroom, and in particular here, children will develop an appreciation and enjoyment of literature.  When children are read to regularly and encouraged to look through books on their own, to listen to stories, and to make up their own stories, they develop motivation and skills to read and write. (We also visit the school library once a week!)
  • Computers are valuable learning tools and one area technology is integrated into the classroom. Activities are provided that allow children to learn at their own pace.
  • Sand and Water allow children to experiment math as they measure, science as they observe objects float or sink, and math and art as they make patterns in the sand.
  • The Discovery area is filled with interesting materials to explore with their senses and to wonder about. It encourages children to investigate and explore. Shells, plants, seeds, magnets, lenses, and rocks are examples of some materials found here.
• Music strengthens children’s listening skills and creative expression.  In music, children can explore sound, volume, tempo, and rhythm.
• Movement and Outdoor Time (Playground or Gym) gives children the opportunity to run, jump, climb, and play to help support learning.

Children have use of the school library, gym, and playground.

• Assessment: Parents receive report cards 3 times per school year.