Art and Blockbuilding

- promotes social, physical, emotional and intellectual growth

- small muscle skills ( scribbling, drawing, painting, molding clay)

- hand-eye coordination

- children learn responsibility (cleaning up, sharing, respect of others belongings)

- express emotions(pounding in woodworking, kneading play doh)

- express feelings in paintings

- explore, experiment with different materials and tools

- learn concepts such as colour, size, texture and shape

- uses visual and tactile senses

- as a teacher you must be creative, foster independence, ask questions, praise

- 3 distinct phases- scribbles, basic forms and first drawings

- many supplies can be found at home

- basic tools are brushes, scissors, cookie cutters, easels, paper, paint, crayons, chalk, markers, glue

- colouring books can stifle creativity

- keep clean up tools where children can reach

- materials should be stored neatly, in easy reach of the children. Each item should have it's own place

- painting can be done with brushes, fingers, string, salt, veggies

- play doh, plasticene and clay are used for molding

- cutting- first in a straight line, then curves- use safety scissors, provide left handed scissors

- blockbuilding- hand-eye coordination, strengthening muscles. They first fill containers, then stack blocks, then simple bridging, then enclosures and finally, intricate structures

- sand and water are sensory experiences, they are relaxing, and encourage social interaction. Containers should be provided for poring, smoothing and molding sand and for poring water. Bubbles, snow, food colouring and shaving cream can be used at the water table

- children enjoy woodworking, especially hammering. Tools should be light weight and child safe

Storytelling

- involves reciting or reading

- develops a love of books and reading

- helps children understand themselves and others, develops listening skills, form ideas, increase vocabulary, understand that printed words have meaning, that we read from left to right

- use stories that draw on their own experiences and backgrounds

- stories provide models of behaviour

- helps with later reading skills

- is a form of relaxation

- 2 main groups- picture(pictures, single words, simple plots) and storybooks( contain pictures, more complex words and plots)

- family life stories help in social development

- children like animal stories

- older children enjoy fairytales( most preschool children cannot separate fact from fiction)

- illustrations should tell the story without words and should be large, colourful, realistic and attractive

- only introduce a few new words at a time, use repetition, rhythm and rhyme

- books should be durable so children can use them

- the length of the story will vary with the age of the child

- avoid stereotypes, sexism, racism

- use props, have a definite beginning and ending

- use draw and tell, tapes, puppets, flipcharts, slides, flannel boards

- books should be stored and displayed where children can reach

Play and Puppetry

- dramatic play- a child imitates another or acts out a situation

- socio-dramatic play- involves several children playing together to act out the situation

- puppetry allows children to imitate others and express feelings(projection- placing feelings and emotions he feels onto the puppet)

- Stages of play: a. solitary play- play by themselves at a young age

b. parallel play -typical of two-year-olds, children play beside but not with each other

c. cooperative play- playing with their peers, socio-dramatic play begins, personification begins(giving human traits to nonliving objects)

- stages of material use: a. manipulative- a child handles props (screw

and unscrew a bottle top)

b. functional - the child will use the item as intended (feed the doll with the bottle)

c. imaginative - do not need real props, use substitutes (use a stick for the baby bottle)

- role-playing - mimic other people

- physical growth - children are active, sweeping, shoveling, running

- social growth - try out social roles, learn about behaviour, learn to get along and share

- intellectual growth - use imagination, develop language, learn named of items

- types of puppets - hand, mascot, me

Manuscript Writing

- Manuscript writing is a simple form of calligraphy

- Simple strokes do not require sustained small muscles control like cursive

- Letters are unconnected basic strokes

- Children learn letters have different forms

- Words are made up of letters

- Letters represent sounds

- Words go from left to right and top to bottom in English

- Letter/sound associations

- Spelling of words is associated to their sound

- Hand-eye coordination is muscle control that allows the hand to do a task the way the eye sees it

- Use unlined paper and pencils, markers or crayons that fir their hands

- Young children often reverse letters

- Children like to make their own name

- Teachers should encourage children to scribble and write, get them to put their name on work, use name tags, label classroom items, try skywriting, use alphabet models, chalkboards and charts

Math

- focus on exploration and discovery

- usually taught informally during other activities

- learn shape, colour, order, size, amount, first, last

- use "more than", "less than"

- learn to classify sets

- learn to copy patterns

- learn to recognize shapes and numbers

- use words such as all, none some

- assessment is by observation

- items to include- magnetic shapes, alarm clock, scales, light and heavy objects, buttons for counting, puzzles, charts

- classification- grouping ideas or objects into categories based on one thing ex: colour

- matching - a form of classification involving putting like objects together

- sorting - separating objects based on unique features

- sets - groups of objects alike in some way

- rote counting -recitation of numbers in order

- rational counting - attaching a number to a series of grouped objects

- a number symbol is a numeral

- children learn space, time, volume, size and temperature concepts

Science

-science is the study of natural processes and their products

- for exploration, experimentation activities should be hands on

- the teacher provides a rich and inviting environment

- science answers why, what, how

- involves observing, exploring, measuring, comparing, classifying, predicting and discovering

- uses all senses

- a lot of learning takes place in unplanned ways while on walks outside

- science area should be near a kitchen for heat and water

- animals, foods, play equipment such as teeter-totters and plants may be used

- be sure all items are safe and that the children have the skills to use them

- use open-ended questions

- develop the senses - feeling, hearing, seeing tasting

- use colour, water, the body, the air, the weather, field trips

Social Studies

-Children learn about themselves, other people and the world around them

- develop self-respect, self-control, independence, sharing, how to relate to others

- learn about the roles people have in society

- learn to appreciate the past and how it relates to the present

- themes are used in teaching

- use community resources

- incidental learning - learning experiences that occur as a part of an ordinary day

- perceptions - ideas formed about an object or relationship as a result of what they have seen and learned

- culture- traditions, language, beliefs and customs- influences a child's thoughts, feelings and behaviours

- social studies curriculum should be multi-cultural

- children are more likely to focus on differences than on similarities so as a teacher you will need to focus on the similarities

- use intergenerational concepts- portray all age groups positively

- ecology is the study of the chain of life - children can learn about the planet, beginning with their own neighbourhood

- teach about change - the seasons, growth of a baby, fruit ripening

- geography - how to get around the school, the block, how are food comes from the earth

- plan field trips around the community to places that provide service -library, museum, police station

- celebrate holidays - do not start too early as children get confused when they wait too long

Food and Nutrition

- nutrition concepts will help children develop good lifetime eating habits

- schedule a quiet activity before eating

- have child-size tables and chairs

- eat with them if possible

- encourage self-help

- expect accidents - be prepared with napkins, cloths and brooms and encourage children to help clean up messes

- children enjoy cooking experiences - promote language, math, science skills and concepts( shape, size, stir, mix, temperature, following a recipe, thinking skills)

- children learn to work as a team when preparing and serving foods

- be sure the cooking area is safe and clean and always supervise

- use short clear instructions, often with pictures

- use unbreakable utensils

- limit the # of children at one time, usually 6 is enough to handle

- plan well in advance and have all supplies ready

- teach that clean-up is a fun and important part of cooking

- when tasting discuss texture, temperature, sweetness etc

- encourage good eating habits, manners

- serve small portions, children's appetites vary

- let children help set the table ( talk about middle, left, right, next to and beside)

Music and Movement

- Music builds creativity, helps express feelings, builds language skills, children learn to memorize, to sing different notes, to compare loud/soft, fast/slow

- They develop physically as they move and play instruments

- They build positive self-concepts

- They learn that mood can be expressed through music

- Children like to listen to music, sing, dance, use rhythm instruments

- The music centre needs room for movement, mats for sitting, a place for instruments that children can reach, pictures of dancers, singers, instruments

- The teacher should be creative, encouraging and actively participating

- Be enthusiastic, smile, enjoy the activity, encourage participation

- Choose songs that tell a story, have repetition, have appropriate vocabulary, have a strong rhythm, have a range of one octave or less and have moods children can mimic.

- Create new songs using a familiar tune (Good Morning Train)

- 3 methods a) phrase method-have children repeat short sections until

they know the complete song

b) whole song method- for short songs, they listen while

you sing the song, then they sing with you, repeat

c) combination - teach key phrases, when they know

those sing the whole song several times until they are

familiar with it

- use piano, guitar, rhythm instruments for accompanying singing if wanted

- rhythm instruments include sandpaper blocks, sticks, drums, rattlers, shakers, bells, cymbals, tambourines

- fingerplays, chants, dance are of music

Field Trips

- field trips build observation skills, vocabulary

- children learn about their environment and the community

- learn to follow directions and be in a group

- field trips are multi-sensory

- first trips should be short and close by to familiar places

- select a trip based on your theme, budget, weather and transportation

- theme walks are done close to the playschool

- use resource people such as grandparents, local police, firemen

- tell the children what to expect and rules for behaviour(sitting down on bus, staying with your buddy etc)

- visit the place first, learn where bathrooms are, look for dangers, check parking etc

- get permission slips

- plan a trip bag - kleenex, band aids, garbage bag, telephone #s, money for pay phones or a cell phone

- child-adult ratio should be low, based on the age of the children

- plan a follow-up activity