The preschool children are nurtured within their own distinct classroom, but are also included in the school community, joining the whole school for weekly sing-along sessions, attending performances put on by other classrooms, and playing with a wide range of children on the playground. Older children often participate in the preschool classroom, coming in individually to read to younger children, or to show a skill or activity, as occasions occur.

The preschoolers enjoy weekly visits from our French teacher. They do much listening and interacting with games and movement as they are introduced to colors, numbers, animals, foods, clothing and other topics of interest. Other weekly events include a trip to the library to borrow books and meetings with specialists in visual art, music, and movement

The Preschool Classroom

The classroom is set up in a harmonious way. Areas are clearly defined and activities are in place when the children arrive each day. There is a separate space for housekeeping activities and dressing up, and one for block building. An easel is set up for painting. A woodworking bench for hammering, sawing and building, and a sandbox that may be filled with a variety of materials are often available to encourage sensory exploration. There are books to look through, as well as paper and drawing utensils, real clay from time to time to work with, Play-Do and rolling pins. To this rich, but organized environment, the child is welcomed each day. The materials may vary somewhat depending upon the season and other activities, but these basic materials are the real stuff of the preschool curriculum. In the course of the preschool year, the child's work with these materials will grow in mastery and self-expression.

The Preschool Day

The preschool day is organized in such a way as to provide a sense of routine and to allow for active and restful periods. When the children first arrive, they are greeted individually and enjoy an hour of work with the materials in the classroom, as detailed above. The children are free to choose their own areas of interest, but the teacher provides guidance so that the flow within the room is comfortable.

A limit of children at one time at such areas as the block and housekeeping nooks allow for all the children to have ease of access to materials. After this first work of the session has taken place, the children are ready to join in a circle for songs, a story and snack. Then it is time to go outside to explore in what we like to think of as our "outdoor" classroom. We go outside in most weather, a light rain included. Children need to wear comfortable warm clothing that can take a bit of sand and mud.

We stay outside for thirty minutes, sometimes longer if the children are wishing more time. When we come inside, the children come to the circle again for our theme time. We explore together our current topic of interest. This may involve looking at signs of the season, learning about transportation, studying a community helper such as the fire fighter, exploring a holiday, or learning about our bodies, new babies in our family, farm animals, whales, or the rain forest. Our topics may vary from those within our classroom to others further away. Each topic is chosen to reflect something real in the child's world. A display of items related to the topic helps to hold our interest and to be a place to highlight related materials. We talk about what we are learning, show pictures, and read books related to the theme. Creative dramatics has a place here.

After our group times of theme and related activities, the children have a quiet settling down time when they draw in blank notebooks. At this time, the children are encouraged to tell the teacher a story about their drawing if they so desire. These stories are recorded in the children's books and are important records of their developing mastery of oral language.

In summary, our preschool program maintains those standards upheld by the classic tradition of a developmentally appropriate early childhood education. We realize that while technology and times have changed, young children have not. We believe that the best way to prepare children for a challenging future is to give them a secure beginning from which to proceed.