Preschool Schedule
Classroom Components
Our activities each day are centered around various themes. These themes incorporate all areas of learning and development and last between 2 days and 2 weeks. Included here is information to help familiarize you and your child with our program and its components.
CIRCLE: Shortly after arrival, the children participate in circle time, which can last between 15 and 30 minutes depending on the group of children participating. Circle may include music, finger plays and/or movement exercises, and it is also during this time that we allow for structured enhancement of the following areas with activities offered through our OWL program and based on the Massachusetts Pre-K Common Core State Standards:
- Reading Readiness: Stories relating to our themes are read daily to reinforce reading readiness skills and to develop an awareness, understanding and an enjoyment of reading and literature.
- Math: Discussion of the calendar and the weather, as well as, activities based on the Standards, introduce and reinforce various math concepts such as measurement, grouping, patterning, estimation, time, shapes, 1:1 correspondence and number recognition.
- Science & Social Studies: Science and social studies concepts are explored during circle through observation, books, discussion and simple experiments.
- Concept Development: Pre-academic skills such as imitation, classification, visual memory and problem solving are enhanced through various early learning activities.
Skills introduced during circle are then reinforced during small group learning sessions and incorporated into our learning centers during free play.
FREEPLAY: Play provides the ultimate curriculum for the advancement of all developmental areas. At various times during our day, the children may choose to “play” in any of our classroom learning centers and engage in their activities. Depending on the day and theme, these centers offer follow-up to circle activities and may include arts and crafts, painting, sensory table, dress-up, pretend play, blocks, play dough, puzzles, writing, listening, books, iPads, game and science centers.
ART: Art activities will be offered to the children daily and will also relate to our themes. Activities in arts and crafts contribute greatly to fine and gross motor development, as well as, allowing the child to experiment with color and express him or herself creatively.
WRITING: Along with our art activities the children will also be working on fine motor/pre-writing and readiness skills through our Learning Without Tears; GET SET FOR SCHOOL program. In this multisensory approach, readiness activities incorporate music and movement and include lessons that address general readiness, alphabet knowledge, letter/number recognition and formation, counting, drawing, shapes, and colors.
SHARED READING: Language and reading readiness are reinforced through our OWL program which helps to develop print awareness and early literacy skills. Poems, books, group story writing and listening activities are all incorporated into this area of learning. Letter recognition and letter/sound correspondence through our Lively Letters program are also included during Shared Reading with our older children.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT: An extended period of time is given specifically to music and movement each week. It is based on rhythm, rhyme and traditional and contemporary songs for young children.
FRIENDS & FEELINGS: Character education is reinforced through our Second Step and Social Thinking programs which are social and emotional learning programs that use hands-on, activity-based lessons to teach essential social skills, such as emotion management, impulse control, conflict resolution and empathy.
SHARING: Sharing occurs on designated days during the month for each child and allows the children individual opportunities to share a special item from home. It is an important time for the children to develop skills in expressive language and listening. It also develops self-esteem and serves as a direct link between home and school.
COMPUTER & iPADS: Our classroom has a computer especially designed for preschool age children, along with several iPads. Each includes developmentally appropriate programs that focus on language development and early learning. Check out some our favorite apps: Monkey Preschool Lunchbox, Endless Alphabet, Alpha Tots, Shape Builder and Handwriting Without Tears: Wet Dry Try
COOKING: Periodically cooking is offered for the children and will generally relate to our themes. Through cooking activities, children enhance readiness skills in the areas of reading, math and science while they follow recipes, measure, mix, and experiment with various ingredients. (Due to safety and health requirements, cooking activities include non-edible recipes such as play dough)
PLAYGROUND: Each day, weather permitting, the children are taken outside. It is during this time that the children have the greatest opportunity for gross motor development. Our motor room provides the children with opportunity for movement on rainy days.