Classroom Approach
At The Children’s Village, the most important learning goal for our children is to learn through play. The classroom uses the Project Approach, which allows the children to focus on one theme per month. Our curriculum incorporates all nine domains of the Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards:
Physical Health and Motor Development
Children develop their gross and fine motor skills by using the playground on a daily basis as well as manipulative activities such as stringing beads, finger painting, coloring, and playing games in the Technology Center. Snack time provides a good opportunity to illustrate for the children the importance of proper hygiene and have them cultivate self-sufficiency in avoiding bacterial illnesses through proper hand washing.
Social and Emotional Development
Our teachers model good practices in social and emotional development for children and help them develop these skills in their own interactions. When there is a disagreement between students, the teacher models appropriate dialogue to help children learn to resolve issues through verbal communication rather than acting out physically. Teachers make every child feel accepted, giving children the confidence to take risks, feel good about themselves, and respect their peers.
Language Development
Development of language and communication occurs every day in many areas. Children are constantly listening and responding with peers during Circle Time, Learning Center Time, Snack/Lunch Time and Outdoor Playtime. The teacher will prompt students to elaborate on ideas in order for them to expand their verbal skills.
Literacy
Our classrooms offer print-rich environments and many opportunities for reading and writing. Early writing encompasses inventive spelling and helping children learn to recognize and write their names through repetition. Early reading focuses on phonics, letter recognition, and rhyming words. Children learn that the printed word is all around them, including the Internet, highway billboards, traffic signs, and video games as well as books. We encourage parents to carry this learning outside of school and to their home by exposing their children to the written word in everyday settings as well as by reading stories.
Cognitive Development
The children’s cognitive skills develop naturally as they are exposed to a variety of Learning Centers within the classroom. Peer interactions allow the children to realize that there are different solutions to every problem. They can learn by trial and error, compromise, and understanding things from another’s perspective.
Math and Science
We help children recognize that math and science are a part of their everyday lives. They use several different types of manipulatives for one-to-one correspondence, sorting, classifying, and categorizing. During Circle Time, children learn patterns, time measurement, and number recognition by using the calendar. Science learning is also integrated into calendar time, with discussions focusing on the seasons and weather patterns.
Social Studies
The children are able to understand how they relate to their family and community. They also begin to learn the concept of time (past, present, future) and place (geography). Some social studies activities include counting the days until a special event or holiday and locating where zoo animals originated from on a map.
Creative Arts
Creativity is always welcomed and encouraged in the classroom. There are no set outcomes of what a project should look like or a particular way it needs to be constructed. Learning takes place through process, not product. The children are free to use the materials in unconventional ways. Music is part of Circle Time, with daily songs, poems, and free dance as part of transition time.
All art activities tie in with the monthly theme. We use a variety of materials, including newspaper, paper towel tubes, sequins, magazines, ribbons, and construction paper, to name a few. The supplies are always changing so the children can be as creative as they want to be in this center.
- Physical Health and Motor Development
- Social and Emotional Development
- Language Development
- Literacy
- Cognitive Development
- Math and Science
- Social Studies
- Creative Arts
Physical Health and Motor Development
Children develop their gross and fine motor skills by using the playground on a daily basis as well as manipulative activities such as stringing beads, finger painting, coloring, and playing games in the Technology Center. Snack time provides a good opportunity to illustrate for the children the importance of proper hygiene and have them cultivate self-sufficiency in avoiding bacterial illnesses through proper hand washing.
Social and Emotional Development
Our teachers model good practices in social and emotional development for children and help them develop these skills in their own interactions. When there is a disagreement between students, the teacher models appropriate dialogue to help children learn to resolve issues through verbal communication rather than acting out physically. Teachers make every child feel accepted, giving children the confidence to take risks, feel good about themselves, and respect their peers.
Language Development
Development of language and communication occurs every day in many areas. Children are constantly listening and responding with peers during Circle Time, Learning Center Time, Snack/Lunch Time and Outdoor Playtime. The teacher will prompt students to elaborate on ideas in order for them to expand their verbal skills.
Literacy
Our classrooms offer print-rich environments and many opportunities for reading and writing. Early writing encompasses inventive spelling and helping children learn to recognize and write their names through repetition. Early reading focuses on phonics, letter recognition, and rhyming words. Children learn that the printed word is all around them, including the Internet, highway billboards, traffic signs, and video games as well as books. We encourage parents to carry this learning outside of school and to their home by exposing their children to the written word in everyday settings as well as by reading stories.
Cognitive Development
The children’s cognitive skills develop naturally as they are exposed to a variety of Learning Centers within the classroom. Peer interactions allow the children to realize that there are different solutions to every problem. They can learn by trial and error, compromise, and understanding things from another’s perspective.
Math and Science
We help children recognize that math and science are a part of their everyday lives. They use several different types of manipulatives for one-to-one correspondence, sorting, classifying, and categorizing. During Circle Time, children learn patterns, time measurement, and number recognition by using the calendar. Science learning is also integrated into calendar time, with discussions focusing on the seasons and weather patterns.
Social Studies
The children are able to understand how they relate to their family and community. They also begin to learn the concept of time (past, present, future) and place (geography). Some social studies activities include counting the days until a special event or holiday and locating where zoo animals originated from on a map.
Creative Arts
Creativity is always welcomed and encouraged in the classroom. There are no set outcomes of what a project should look like or a particular way it needs to be constructed. Learning takes place through process, not product. The children are free to use the materials in unconventional ways. Music is part of Circle Time, with daily songs, poems, and free dance as part of transition time.
All art activities tie in with the monthly theme. We use a variety of materials, including newspaper, paper towel tubes, sequins, magazines, ribbons, and construction paper, to name a few. The supplies are always changing so the children can be as creative as they want to be in this center.