Subjects in Depth

ART: 

What we do at school: 

Picasso once said, "Every child is an artist." I believe this to be true. A child is not hindered by what he or she "thinks" is art. They create what they want and what flows out of them. During a typical school year, you will find that we have lots of art projects where the child is expected to follow specific guidelines to meet an end goal. (i.e.: glue two triangles on the sides of a square to make a bird with wings) If the child doesn't follow said directions that art project won't turned out as planned. I try to encourage children to talk about what their goal is for each project. Perhaps they want to make the bird shape. Then I will help them reach that goal. Or on the other hand, perhaps their goal is to create something new. In that case, I let the child create what they wish. Creativity should not be stifled by what adults think is the "correct" way to do art. Each child should be proud of his or her creation regardless of what others think of it! We also do a lot of art that is "open" art, meaning there is no right or wrong way to do it. Each child can create with a variety of mediums whatever their heart desires! The main goal is to instill each child with a set of skills and new experiences that will prepare them for kindergarten. 

What can you do at home? 

When your child shows you a piece of art they created, instead of saying, "Wow! I like it!" or "Good job!" Try one of the following: 

"It looks like you worked really hard on this piece!" (This shows that you recognize their hard work but does not determine weather the piece is good or bad in your opinion.)  

"Wow! How do you feel about your picture? Are you proud of it?" (This allows the child to give themselves praise and find pride in the work they do regardless of what others may think of it.) 

"Tell me about your picture!" (This shows your child that you are genuinely interested in their art and want to learn more. Sit with them for a minute and really look at it. Be engaged. Show interest.)

"Thank you for being you!"  or "I noticed you put a _____ here. Tell me about it." (Point out things that are unique about your child's picture or details you may have noticed. Let your child give a verbal description of what they made. Not only is this good social skill/language practice but it gives your child a chance to explain why they did things and find pride in it.)

Let your child do chalk, paint, crayons, scissors, glue, glue sticks, tape, sewing, leaf rubbing, markers, spray bottles, and anything you can think of! Let them get messy! 

MATH:

What we do at school: 

I believe that a strong foundation in basic math will lead to greater success down the road when things get more complicated. We practice counting, one-to-one correspondence counting, number identification, understanding what each number represents (which number is larger?), shapes, sequences, patterns, writing numbers correctly, grouping numbers, skip counting and finding math in every day life. We practice it while doing our cooking classes, talking about how a butterfly develops (First, second, third, last) and we do math in almost every activity we do.  I believe children should learn about math when they don't even know its happening. Real life math is the best kind of math. 

What can you do at home?
Make math part of your every day! Have your child help you cook and count the number of cups put into a recipe. Share some crackers and take turns eating a few then counting how many are left. Have a race down the street and talk about who came in second, third, etc. Use words like "plus" or "minus" while playing games or picking up toys. Make math a part of their vocabulary.

Be sure encourage effort not correct answers. Build your child's confidence and self worth when you know they have tried hard, regardless of getting the correct answer.

READING:

What we do at school: 

What is education without reading? Not much. If your child struggles in reading they are more likely to struggle in every subject as they progress through school. At Childs Play Preschool, reading is our main focus. Don't get me wrong. I am a firm believer that a child's work is their play. I also believe that pushing literacy skills on a child that is not ready can do more damage than good. In fact, some of the most academically successful countries don't even teach reading until the third grade. A child's ability to track from left to right properly does not even develop until they are about 8 years old. However, in the society we live in, reading is a crucial part of being successful, even early on. My goal is to create foundations for your child to be successful in reading. We are phonics based. I don't focus very much on the name of the letter but what sounds the letter makes. Think about it. When do you need to know that a "B" is called a "bee" or a "W" a "double -u." Unless you are spelling, you don't need to know that. And spelling is secondary to reading. I spend at least 15-30 minutes a week one on one with each child to help them get a base understanding that those little scribbles make sounds. The program that I use is guaranteed to have your child reading at a second grade level in no more than 100 lessons. 

What can you do at home?:

Ask your child, "Whats that sound?" Help choose sounds you know they understand. Help them be successful. Your job isn't to try and trick them! 

Read to them. Can I repeat myself? READ TO YOUR CHILD!!! Children who are read to daily out-perform their peers clear through college. Besides being incredibly educational, you might just find it a time to sit down and just be with them. Did you know that in 1920 parents spent an average of 4 hours with their child every day? In 2015 it was estimated that parents now spend an average of 12 minutes with their child every day. Ouch. Put down the phone and pick up a book. 

Let your child catch you reading. Show them how much you love to read! And what a gift it is. I once heard a story of a grandfather who was teaching his granddaughter how to read. And the very first book he got her had some honey smeared on the front. He asked the granddaughter to lick the honey off the book and always remember that reading is sweet. 

Have them help you make grocery lists and check them off, find street signs, buttons on the remote. Give them opportunities to understand that reading is how the world functions. 

WRITING

What we do at school: 

Writing and Reading go hand in hand. If a child can recognize the shape of a letter he or she can also practice writing it. Every letter in the English alphabet is made of of the same shapes: Big line, little line, big curve and little curve. We use our bodies and our friend, "Mat-Man" (A man made of foam pieces) to help us understand the shape of a letter. Miss Ali uses the same words every time to describe how to write a letter. This allows children to be more successful and perform the task that is being required of them. 

Miss Ali is also certified to teach the "Handwriting Without Tears" program. This entails a great deal of training and helps children be successful using a method that has been tested over many years. We do writing with all kinds of writing utensils. Sometimes we use chalk on the ground or use our fingers in the snow. Sometimes we trace, outline, move rice around or enact a certain letter. We also sing songs about starting our letters at the top, what is a word, sentence, etc., and how they should be spaced when writing. 

What can you do at home?:

Break all your crayons. I know it sounds silly. But making it more difficult for the child to hole the crayon makes them use the correct pinsor position and makes for an easier transition to good handwriting and beautiful cursive. 

Make sure they know they are doing a good job. Perhaps they wrote the letter "D" backwards. Remind them they made a great effort and commend them for remembering the shape. Then gently remind them the correct direction a "D" faces and express your confidence in them that they can do it right! 

There is a book I read to my students that says, "Rule 1: You are Smart! Rule 2: You can get it! Rule 3: You belong, so Rule 4: Don't forget it! 

SCIENCE

HISTORY