Academics
Numbers:
1-5 for 3 years olds. We work on recognizing, identifying, 1 to 1 correspondence, and sequencing;
1-40 for 4-5 year olds. We work on recognizing, identifying, 1 to 1 correspondence, and sequencing;
1-100 for 5-6 year olds. We work on recognizing, identifying, and sequencing;
The above skills are developed through a variety of manipulatives, games, and number boards;
For kindergarten, counting by 2s, 5s, 10s, money values, telling time, adding, and intro to subtraction.
Patterning:
Understanding what a pattern is;
3 year olds: Identifying and continuing an A-B or A-B-C pattern and learning to create their own patterns;
4-5-6 years olds: More complicated patterns accomplished through stringing beads, blocks, and other manipulatives;
Duplicating patterns over-the-top as well as side-by-side and creating new patterns and using a large variety of manipulatives.
Alphabet/Reading:
Learn three different alphabet songs;
3-4-5 year olds: Point with 1 to 1 correspondence to alphabet chart while saying or singing alphabet;
3-4-5 year olds: Place individual letters over their match on an alphabet chart;
4-5 year olds: Using chart for reference and order the alphabet beside the chart;
4-5-6 year olds: Order alphabet with no reference chart;
4-5-6 year olds: Name upper and lower case letters;
4-5-6 year olds: Begin to understand that letters have names, come in uppercase and lowercase variations, and each have a unique sound or “letter language;”
4-5-6 year olds: Memorize Junior Phonics sound chart, including sign language;
PreK-Kindergarten: Beginning reading skills including 100 sight words, word families, sounding out simple words, and matching them to pictures;
PreK-Kindergarten: Engaged in a take-home reading program as well as an in class reading program.
Sign Language:
Understand that each letter of the alphabet is represented by a certain hand shape or position;
3-4-5-6 year olds: By watching a teacher, can duplicate all 26 hand signs;
4-5-6 year olds: Can, with no assistance, sign entire alphabet;
3-4-5-6 year olds: Sign monthly songs and finger plays;
4-5-6 year olds: Sign Junior Phonics alphabet chart.
Miscellaneous Concepts:
*All children are introduced to the concepts of rhyming, opposites, same and different, and demonstrating understanding through games.
Colors: Recognize and name: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, gray, pink, and white;
Shapes: Recognize and name: circle, square, triangle, oval, star, heart, diamond/rhombus, rectangle, and octagon.
Fine Motor:
*Developed through the use of manipulatives such as puzzles, pegs, blocks, and beads.
4-5-6 year olds will become familiar with the starting point, as well as the direction and flow, of alphabet letters and numbers;
4-5-6 year olds will trace their names, alphabet letters, and numbers;
4-5-6 year olds will practice writing their names, beginning with an uppercase letter and followed by all lowercase letters;
5-6 year olds (kindergarteners) will practice independent writing.
Major Motor:
We walk, run, hop, skip, gallop and dance, both with and without music;
We play active games in the fellowship hall;
We utilize our outdoor play structure: swinging, climbing, sliding, crossbars and trapeze;
We ride tricycles, jump rope, hula hoop, play hopscotch, and enjoy other outdoor games.
Music:
All children will learn approximately 4-6 new songs or finger plays monthly, including appropriate sign language. Memorizing songs helps in acquisition of academic and social concepts as well as self-expression, music appreciation, and self-confidence;
We often play classical, soothing, or quiet music during jobs. We dance and move to all varieties of music, especially on rainy, cold days.
Art:
*Projects can focus on a particular story or are based on units of study such as back to school, harvest, Christmas, winter, family and love, spring, etc.
Building listening and following direction skills;
Cutting;
Gluing;
Painting;
Assembly and part/whole concepts.
Science:
Awareness of our environment and monthly experiments demonstrating concepts in nature, physics, chemistry, air, and water.
Average Daily Schedule:
*The following are accomplished in varying orders, depending on the time of year.
Children arrive and receive hand sanitizer (magic hand wash);
First 60-75 minutes of class time is designated for open job rotations including 3-4 of the following: puzzles, patterning, art project, number awareness task, alphabet awareness task, writing or tracing, hidden pictures, color or shape matching, sign language task, manipulatives;
Group time: 15 minutes: singing, sign language, movement and music;
Story Time: 15 minutes;
Snack Time (with prayer): 15 minutes: good table etiquette;
15-45 minutes for physical education and recess.
CHRISTIAN ETHICS/Social Development:
Our over-all school philosophy is the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you.
We encourage the development of living by the Golden Rule through incorporating the Fruit of the Spirit into our monthly curriculum. Each month, we study and put into practice one of the following: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
We talk about how we can “live” each fruit, learn a song that demonstrates this, and memorize a simple Bible verse related to the fruit-of-the-month.
Christmas and Easter are significant times of teaching Biblical truth and building on the basic foundational blocks of the life and teachings of Jesus. The true reason for these Holy Days is always first and foremost in our celebrations!
This is a science lesson about mixing colors for the 3 and 4 year olds.
Our colors are "walking!"