Kings Valley Preschool

Physical exercise and fresh air are important for your child’s health and well being. We take children outdoors everyday so they can run, jump, swing, climb and use all the large muscles in their bodies. They run around, breathe in the fresh air, look at the clouds or catch a ball or a bug. They lie on the ground and watch clouds and birds or they climb high and look down. We also talk about the things children see, hear, touch and feel so they become aware of change in the weather, seasons growth of plants and animals.

Cooking is an important part of our curriculum. When children cook, they have an opportunity to learn about nutrition, to be creative and to prepare their own healthy snacks. Cooking teaches alot of academic skills too. When children learn to follow picture recipe cards, they develop skills they need to read and write. Measuring 1 cup of flour and pouring 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice into batter gives them a lesson in math. Whipping egg whites into meringue and melting cheese under a broiler are lessons in science.

When children cook, we talk alot about what they are doing and why. They are scientists, observing what happens to flour when we add water to it and predicting how high we should fill a muffin tin so the batter doesn’t overflow.

When we prepare the special foods of each family, your child learns to appreciate the cultures of everyone in our class. Perhaps you have some favorite family recipes that you would like to share with us. Please let us know so we can include you in our day. We’d like it, too, if you could come introduce the children to your child’s favorite foods.

Cooking is a very special part of our program. It is one of the few activities children get to do that is also done by adults. Children pretend to be grown-ups making meals in their dramatic play. They can read books and sing songs about food. But in cooking, children can actually behave as grown-ups.

What You Can Do at Home – Since cooking is already a part of your home life, think about involving your child. Including your child may take extra time, and there may be more of a mess than if you cooked alone, but there are many rewards. Your child will be learning literacy, math and science skills just by helping you. In addition, cooking sets the stage for lifelong healthy eating habits. When children help prepare their meals, they tend to eat better.

Start your child on simple tasks like stirring batter, squeezing lemons, adding spices or shaping meatballs. Discuss what you are doing together while cooking. Ask questions like these: What happened to the butter when we put it in the microwave? How should we get the flour into this cup? Did we get all the juice out of that lemon? Let’s push down on the lemon together and see what happens? The beauty of cooking with children is that they learn skills and have fun at the same time you are attending to a household chore. What could be better than that!

copyright 2002 Teaching Strategies, Inc. Permission granted to duplicate the material for use in Creative Curriculum Preschool.

Although you’re probably used to seeing your children splash in the bathtub and dig in a sandbox, you may be surprised to know that the Sand and Water Area is an important part of our school program. Both sand and water are natural materials for learning.

When children pour water into measuring cups, they are exploring math concepts. When they drop corks, stones, feathers and marbles into a tub of water, they are scientists exploring which objects float. When they comb sand into patterns, they learn about both math and art.

We encourage children to experiment with these materials. As they do, we ask questions to focus their thinking on their discoveries: Now that we’ve turned the water blue, what should we do with it? How did the water change when we added the soap flakes? What can wet sand do that dry sand can’t? What can dry sand do that wet sand can’t? How many of these measuring cups of water do you suppose it will take to fill this quart pitcher?

What You Can Do at Home – If your child particularly enjoys playing with water and sand, you may want to set up some play areas for these activities in your home. Water play can be set up at the bathroom or kitchen sink. Lay a large towel on the floor and if the sink is too high for the child, provide a stool or stepladder. Outdoors, you can use a small wading pool, tub or old baby bathtub. Give your child a baster, plastic measuring spoons and cups, a funnel and plastic or rubber animals and boats. Or for a novel experience, add soap flakes or food coloring to the water. And don’t forget about blowing bubbles with your child. Try using different kinds of bubble blowing frames. Plastic six-pack rings, empty berry containers, or an eyeglass frame w/o lenses make interesting bubble wands.

If a sandbox is not available outdoors, you might use a small dishpan as a miniature sandbox. Put an old tire in your yard and fill with sand. Collect small items such as shells, rubber animals, a very small rake, coffee scoops, measuring cups and spoons, sieves and funnels. Offered a few at a time can lead to many hours of enjoyment.

The opportunity to play with sand and water on a regular basis helps children to develop their minds and bodies in relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable ways.

copyright 2002 Teaching Strategies, Inc. Permission granted to duplicate material for use in Creative Curriculum Preschool.

Young children have many questions about the world around them. They ask: “Where did the puddle go? What do worms eat? How can I make my truck go faster? Do fish go to sleep?”

In our classroom, the Discovery Area is a place where children can explore and investigate to answer their questions. They observe, experiment, measure, solve problems, take things apart and explore the materials and living things we put out. They guess what will happen as a result.

In the Discovery Area children DO what scientists do – ask questions, plan and conduct investigations, gather information, construct an explanation and communicate findings. They also learn important concepts in science as they study plants, animals, magnets, properties of materials, light, shadows, how things work, rainbows, our body, our senses, how things move and change and more. In addition to learning science content, they learn how to solve problems together and how to communicate with others.

What You Can Do at Home – Young children are curious and love to investigate. You don’t need to be an expert to help your child learn about science. Science is all around us – from making bubbles in the bathtub to boiling water on the stove. Your enthusiasm and positive attitude about science will be contagious. Get in the habit of wondering out loud (”I wonder how that ant can carry that big piece of food. I wonder why your shadow is sometimes small and sometimes big.”)

The kinds of questions you ask and statements you make when your child is exploring will help develop his scientific thinking skills. Here are some exmples: What do you think will happen if…? I wonder why…? How do you think we can find out…?  Look for opportunities to develop your child’s scientific thinking during everyday activities: while playing with toys, taking a bath, helping to bake cookies, playing in the backyard or going on an outing. Remember, you don’t need to know all the answers! It’s a good sign if your child is curious, wants to discover everything, asks lots of questions and wants more answers. We welcome you to come and visit our Discovery Area with your child.

copyright 2002 Teaching Strategies, Inc. Permission is granted to duplicate the material on this for use in Creative Curriculum Preschools.

The book corner is a very important part of our classroom and of your child’s life. It’s where children gain the foundation for reading and writing. It’s also a place where children can relax and enjoy the wonderful world of children’s books.

We encourage children to look at books, listen to taped stories, retell stories and to scribble and “write” throughout the day. Sometimes children dictate stories to us, which we record in “books.”

Art is an important part of our curriculum. Every day, children find a variety of art materials available on the shelves. Drawing, painting, pasting, molding and constructing are not only enjoyable but also provide important opportunities for learning. Children express original ideas and feelings, improve their coordination, learn to recognize colors and textures plus develop creativity and pride in their accomplishments by exploring and using art materials.

When children are engaged in art activities, we talk with them about what they are doing and ask questions that encourage them to think about their ideas and express feelings.

We are just as interested in the creative process as we are in what children make. We say things that will encourage children to be creative and confident, such as: Tell me about your picture instead of Is that a house you made? It looks like the playdough is sticking to your fingers. What could we do to make it less sticky?

What You Can Do at Home – Art is a very easy way to bring your child’s school life into your home. Children love to bring home their art products to share with the most important people in their lives. Take time to talk with your child. Here are some things you might say: Tell me about your picture. How did you decide which colors to use? What do you like best about it? Should we hang it up in a special place so we can all enjoy your work? You can help your child appreciate art right in your home. When you look at books together, talk about the illustrations with your child. Discuss the art on the walls in your home.

Art is something your child can do at home in almost any room. You might designate a drawer in the kitchen or living room as an art drawer, or use a bookshelf or sturdy cardboard box. In this space include crayons, markers, paper, child-sized, blunt-edged scissors, glue, tape and container of collage materials. A child’s mind is much more creative and artistic than any coloring book allows.

Toys and games include puzzles, various table blocks, small construction materials such as Legos, board games and collections of objects (including shells, bottle caps and buttons). When children use toys and games, they explore how things work; learn to be creative and use their imaginations; strengthen and control the small (fine) muscles in their hands; work cooperatively and solve problems; and larn math ideas and concepts.

When children use toys and games in the classroom, we encourage them to talk about what they are doing. For example, we might say: Tell me about the design you made. How did you get those rings to fit together? You’ve picked out all blocks that look the same. Can you tell me how they are the same? These questions and comments are designed to help children develop their thinking skills.

The hardwood unit blocks that are used in classrooms are one of the most valuable learning materials we have. They come in exact sizes and shapes. For this reason when children build with blocks they learn math concepts such as the number of blocks that fill a certain space. They compare the height of their buildings and learn about geometric shapes (triangles, squares and rectangles.) When they lift, shove, stack and move blocks, they explore weight and size. They learn about engineering when trying to balance and design a structure. Each time they use blocks, children are making decisions about how to build a structure or solve a construction problem.

In the Dramatic Play Area, children take on different roles and recreate real-life experiences. They use props and make-believe to deepen their understanding about the world they live in.

The ability to pretend is very important to your child’s development. Children who know how to make believe develop a good vocabulary, which is important for reading. They learn to cooperate with others, solve problems and are able to think abstractly – all important skills for success in school. When children pretend, they have to recall experiences and re-create them. To do this, they need to picture their experiences in their minds. For example, to play the role of a doctor, children have to remember what tools a doctor uses, how a doctor examines a patient and what a doctor says. In playing the doctor or other roles, children learn to cooperate with others and to share their ideas.

When children make believe, we might ask: Is your baby sick? What are you going to do? Are you the storekeeper here? I need to buy some food. What are you cooking for dinner tonight? It smells so good. We talk with children and participate in their play to extend their thinking.

What You Can Do at Home – You can encourage the same kind of pretend play at home that we do at school simply by playing with your child and providing some simple props. A sheet over a table creates a house or a hideout. A large empty cardboard box can become almost anything – a pirate ship, a doghouse, a castle or a train. The nice thing about dramatic play is that it requires only your imagination. Here are some simple ways to encourage your child’s learning through dramatic play:

* During bath time, include plastic boats, cups and rubber dolls then play pretend.

* Save food cartons, make some play money and play store with your child.

* Read stories together and involve your child in acting out different parts of the story.

* Collect some old clothes your child can use to dress up and make believe.

* Say to your child, “Let’s pretend we’re going on a train ride. What do we need? Tickets? Suitcases? Do you want to collect the tickets?”

It is important to use any opportunity to add writing to your play. It gives words a purpose and meaning – a beginning step to reading. When you engage in pretend play with your child, you are teaching important learning skills and you are spending valuable time together.

copyright 2002 Teaching Strategies, Inc. (permission was granted to duplicate the material on this page for Creative Curriculum Preschools)