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Preschool Programs Open Time Areas
Play is children's work and it is through play that children
learn. Ideally our open classroom environment is set up in a variety
of learning and play centers that allow each child time to explore
on their own each day.
ART - It is here that conceptual and perceptual development
occurs. We provide stimulating open-ended materials to promote
creative thinking. Materials used and ways of using them are varied
here and include easles, clay, watercolors, fingerpaints and many
other supplies.
MANIPULATIVES - This areas provides an opportunity to develop and
fine tune fine motor skills. These include eye/hand coordination,
size concepts, sequencing, visual discrimination, spacial
relationships, one-to-one correspondence and many others. The water
table, wood doll house, brio and town center tables are included in
the resource materials for manipulatives. Woodworking is also a part
of this center and works on the coordinations of all the above
mentioned skills.
HOUSEKEEPING - This area provides a safe space for each child to
"pretend or act out" the events in his/her life experiences. It
lends an opportunity for role model behavior between children and
the many adults in their lives and to learn the "give and take"
necessary for cooperative social behavior.
OUTSIDE - Outdoor play is very important for all of our children.
Coordination, balance, cooperativeness and large motor skill, large
muscle use are expanded and developed. Bikes, organized games and
using both playgrounds with equipment from our resource closets as
support msterials for this development is useful in this area.
DISCOVERY - Known as our science, math and social studies area.
The idea is that everything is EXPLORED here. The child is able to
understand his/her world of home, neighborhood, school, and then the
larger community around them by exploration. This is all done by
touching, seeing, talking, observing, and exploring, exploring,
exploring.
SMALL BLOCKS - In this area each child is able to integrate their
ideas of their world into buildings and building. Play here promotes
problem solving, cooperativeness and a feeling of success with
completion. Creative play items join our wood structure items as
support materials.
OPEN ART - Many of the same developmental processes of Art come
into play here with the opportunity of the child choosing the
materials to work with instead of the teacher. This area works with
fine motor skills and the development of eye/hand coordination
skills which are so important for the pre-primer skills of reading
and writing.
BIG BLOCKS - Big Blocks provide the same opportunity as small
blocks with the child's view of his/her world and the creative way
to transfer what he/she knows into big block structures and building
using their large motor skills to accomplish that.
SNACK - Snack is provided for all of our children during our
opentime. It is another opportunity for family style dining and an
opportunity for the development of cooporation, self help skills and
manors.
LANGUAGE ARTS - Language time, story time, dictation, is a vital
part of our children's day and their development for successful
communication skills. Talking and sharing with teachers and their
peers about common subjects is important. The experience of learning
and practicing listening and contributing to group discussions is a
valuable life skill. Their words are IMPORTANT. Reading stories,
dictating children's stories, acting out plays and stories
themselves and/or with puppets is an important part of our Language
Arts program. Music and movement are also an encouraged method of
language development. Language dictation through our computer lab is
also used in this area |
After: the edited text.
Preschool Open Time Areas
Play is children's work and it is through play that children
learn. Our open classroom is set up with play centers for children
to explore.
Art is a place for conceptual and perceptual development.
We provide stimulating, open-ended, varied materials to promote
creative thinking. In Open Art, children -- instead of
teachers -- choose the supplies. Artwork supports reading and
writing readiness.
In Manipulatives, children develop fine motor skills: they
learn eye-hand coordination and visual discrimination and they learn
about size, sequencing, spatial relationships, and one-to-one
correspondence. Children may work with water tables, a wooden doll
house, Brio and town center tables, and woodworking materials.
With grown-up clothing and props available, Housekeeping
is a safe space for children to pretend or act out events in their
lives. This is an opportunity for children to imitate adult behavior
and learn the "give and take" necessary for good social behavior.
Coordination, balance, cooperation, and large motor skill are
developed on the Playground. Slides, climbing equipment,
bikes, and balls are available.
Discovery is our science, math, and social studies area.
Here, children touch, see, talk, observe, and generally explore.
Sand and water tables are part of this area.
In Blocks, children integrate their ideas of the world
into buildings and building. Play here promotes problem solving,
cooperation, and a feeling of success with completion. Children may
choose between Big Blocks and Small Blocks.
In Language Arts, children listen to stories, dictate
their own stories, act out plays, and use puppets. In doing these
things, they learn to listen and contribute to group discussions.
Music and movement also happen here.
Snack is provided for all children during Open Time. Here,
family-style dining helps children learn cooperation, self-help
skills, and good
manners. |