Explore Grow & Shine

 Everyday literacy is incorporated into our routine. We plan activities that involve writing materials such as markers, crayons, pencils, and chalk. We also read and tell stories using books, puppets, and felt boards. Other literacy activities we provide that promote letter recognition include songs, matching letters, puzzles, bingo, and other activities with letter sounds and names. Having literacy incorporated in their routine helps children as they transition to kinder.

 Throughout the day children use math when they compare amounts, quantities and measurements. Categorizing, sorting, matching, and organizing items or information is also a way children develop their math skills. Some activities we do include, measuring, counting, categorizing, and  comparing different items. We plan activities that give them the opportunity to practice number concepts, counting, proximity, and distance. 

 Language acquisition is the way children learn to communicate and comprehend language. In our classroom children develop their language skills in almost every activity we do in our classrooms. From reading books and storytelling to rhymes and songs. Being around their peers, teachers, and in the classroom children also get to practice their language skills while having group conversations and asking open ended questions.  

 Part of our daily routine consists of outdoor play. Children have the chance to make friends and interact with each other while developing gross motor skills. This includes activities like throwing, climbing, crawling, jumping, running, and pushing and pulling objects. Children also have the opportunity to experiment with nature with planting, taking care of plants, collecting and playing with nature objects such as rocks, leaves, sticks, sand, and water.  

 Science is involved in our classroom as children explore with their senses as they experiment and transform materials. They also learn to compare and classify different objects. We provide balanced meals that give children the opportunity to taste new foods. In occasions we have cooking activities where children learn to prepare simple foods. Outdoors children learn about nature while planting, taking care of plants, and learning about a plants cycle.  

 Music and movement are an important part of our day. Children love to listen, sing, and dance to music. We sing songs, chants, and rhymes as well as play with instruments. We also like to incorporate yoga and finger plays into our music and movement time. During our music time children have the opportunity to dance with their friends, sing, or play instruments together. Music is a simple way for children to learn many things. 

 Fine motor is movements of small muscles like fingers, hands and wrists. Some activities that promote fine motor skills are tracing, drawing, beading, mixing, sorting, clipping, tapping, buttoning and unbuttoning buttons, stacking blocks, building with legos, braiding, scoping, and taking things apart. These will help children in the development of small muscles through small muscles coordination and control such as eye-hand, hand-hand, and finger dexterity. The development of thse skills will be specially important once children begin to write. 

 Gross motor is movements of large muscles in the arms, legs, and torso. Activities like climbing, jumping, running, skipping, hopping, bending, squatting, balancing, twisting, kicking, crawling, pulling, and pushing will help children in the development of large muscles. The majority of these gross motor activities will occur while they are outdoors. Outside we have tricycles for children to ride as well as balance beams to jump or balance on. They also have diffrent types of balls to kick, throw, or run with as well as diffrent equipment to climb and a lot of space to run around in.

 In our classroom we offer art activities like painting, drawing, molding, pasting and cutting. Children have the chance to explore materials, think, express themselves and create. Providing children a wide variety of materials such as papers, crayons, markers, glue, scissors, color pencils, dough, clay, chalk, tape and recycled materials will offer children the opportunity to explore and let their imagination run wild. Art lets children express themselves, be relaxed, and focused. There's no sample, pattern, or model they have to follow and there's no right or wrong way to do art.  

 Dramatic play is essential for a child’s development. In activities such as role- and imaginary play children develop language, problem solving and socialization skills. They also learn to take turns, about other cultures, to regulate their emotions, make choices, and symbolism. For dramatic play children use materials such as dolls, costumes, puppets, pretend house items such as furniture, dishes, foods, tools and clothes. They can also learn to be aware of other people their individual characteristics, viewpoints, ethnicity, and diversity. 

 Sensory play focuses on activities that involve children’s senses. We use materials like, sound tubes, playdough, water, calming bottles, sand, and musical instruments. Some activities we do include beading, feeling different textures, food tasting, and smelling herbs. Sensory activities may help them develop language and motor skills as well as  promote cognitive growth, attention span, and impulse control. It also fosters social interactions, encourages experimentation, brain development and nerve connection. 

 We provide a wide variety of blocks and manipulative toys of different materials and textures that we rotate. Some blocks and manipulatives we use are legos, magnitiles, string and letter beads, bristle blocks, keys and locks, wood blocks, foam blocks, puzzles, tower builders, and shape boards. Blocks and manipulative activities will help children develop social, spatial, language and math skills. As well as problem solving as they explore through size, sequencing, comparing, spatial relationships, and cause and effect.