ART
Every day, children can choose from a variety of art materials, including tempera paints, water colors, markers, crayons, collage, stamping, sponging, and more. Our art choices can be seasonal, as when we make autumn wreaths using beautiful leaves we collect, or painting with frozen colored ice cubes in winter. We want children to feel completely comfortable exploring the materials without fear of the "right" way to do it. We encourage their natural creativity by commenting on particular aspects of their work, rather than a generic "that's beautiful" response to each child's work.
Science
Studying the beauty of fresh snowflakes
Science takes many forms here at Circle of Friends, from studying pond life to learning about our Solar System. Science often begins with a question, or a great book. We encourage questions and open ended exploration. Reading books about outer space can lead us to wonder about gravity and other forces. We have studied gravity by dropping paint drops for varying heights with a dropper, and noticing the different splashes made on the paper below. We create our own constellations by using sticky stars on dark paper, and imagining our own stories in them as we connect the dots. We set up a space ship, complete with helmets, cameras, keyboards and more, so children can imagine themselves as astronauts and space explorers.
Spring curriculum always includes studying life cycles of various insects and water creatures. Again, we incorporate many aspects of experience and curriculum into one theme. When we do butterflies, we observe caterpillars making cocoons. We try to imagine what it is like to be a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly by wrapping ourselves in a toilet paper cocoon, then bursting free to fly!
Spring curriculum always includes studying life cycles of various insects and water creatures. Again, we incorporate many aspects of experience and curriculum into one theme. When we do butterflies, we observe caterpillars making cocoons. We try to imagine what it is like to be a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly by wrapping ourselves in a toilet paper cocoon, then bursting free to fly!
Literature
Children have many opportunities to read and be read to every day. We have an extensive collection of quality children's literature, including Big Books. Reading is a joyful and comforting part of our daily life. In addition to learning that we read for pleasure, we also learn that print helps us convey meaning to others. When we set up a "flower shop" or "restaurant" in our dramatic play area, we encourage children to create their own signs, tags and menus.
Math
Children are naturally curious about math, and we believe it is important to weave math experiences and concepts into hands on activities that are fun and meaningful. We incorporate math into the first theme of each year, when we learn about "Me and My Amazing Body" We learn to measure how tall we are, and how much we weigh. Since children love to use the measuring tools, they begin to wonder what else they can measure, and how. We put out measuring tapes, rulers, yardsticks, scales. They are playing, and learning at the same time. Math is also incorporated naturally into our cooking experiences. We chart the recipes that we follow, so children are exposed to the concepts of fractions, measuring, and timing, all while making yummy treats! Throughout the year we find math in our daily life!
Dramatic Play
Our dramatic play area changes throughout the year, from a kitchen/housekeeping area to a doctor's or veterinarian's office, to a space ship, and more!
Making cookies
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Time for a check up!
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Princesses reading books
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"The Earth goes around the Sun..."
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