Our Curriculum

Emergent Curriculum and Project-Based Learning

The project approach, modeled after the municipal preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, is a renowned educational approach based on children’s learning through play, art, music, technology, parent participation and modern day documentation and research. It is through play that young children construct their early knowledge and develop the critical thinking skills that enable them to become independent, socially responsible and intellectually competent individuals.

Using an emergent curriculum that builds upon the the interests of children, teachers facilitate children’s learning, encouraging them to take an active part in constructing their ideas and knowledge. It is our philosophy that the critical thinking skills gained through play, constructing, imagining, experimenting and dialoguing with others prepare children for a life long love of learning.

Our focus is on the following skills when we are planning, interacting and guiding young children…

Language Arts
Reading Readiness: matching and differentiating, sequence of events, phonetics, picture clues, comprehension and word families.
Writing: recording individual story dictation, printing when a child is ready. Talking: vocabulary, telling a story. Listening: sound discrimination, comprehension

Mathematics
Comparing, grouping, counting, recognizing sets and value quantities, measuring, sorting, classifying, shapes, graphs.

Science
Experimenting and observing, plant care, interacting with nature. Encouraging observational studies with love for questions.

Current Events
Daily calendar, weather, daily news, where appropriate

Music and Dance
Creative movement, instruments, international music

Physical Activity
Climbing, swinging, balancing, throwing and catching ball, jumping, riding, running, sliding, skipping, riding bikes, pedaling and navigating our large playground.

Block Building
Imaginative creations, concepts of balance and size, organization of design.

Dramatic Play
Role playing, interacting with housekeeping materials.

Self-Help Skills
Hand washing, toileting skills, dressing self, safety procedures, healthy eating, manners, clean-up and responsibility for classroom.

Sensorial Play
Playing with playdough, clay, floam, water, riverbed loam, pebbles, sand and other materials is a important aspect of learning at this age.

Social Skills
Recognizing and verbalizing feelings, conflict resolution skills, problem solving, empathy, cause and effect.

Infant/Toddler Program

We use the RIE approach by Magda Gerber in our Infant/Toddler program. Based upon respect, the RIE approach helps raise authentic infants/toddlers who are competent, confident, curious, attentive, exploring, cooperative, secure, peaceful, focused, self-initiating, resourceful, involved, inner-directed, aware and interested. Read more on our Infant/Toddler page.