Below you will find the 16/17 school year curriculum. For the most part, this curriculum covers the world outside of our classroom.
Some of the ways we will introduce this in our classroom:
1.) Next month we will be introducing a “Value of the Month”. Some of these will include: Friendship, kindness, respect, love, empathy, honesty, integrity.
2.) Books! Lots of them to help gain insight to the many feelings/emotions that can sometimes hinder positive interactions between children and/or the classroom environment.
3.) Community involvement – each year we have two important events that all of the children have the opportunity to participate. We adopt a family for the Children’s Hospital “Holiday Giving” program. We also support sick children and their families by sponsoring the St. Jude’s Trike-a-Thon. These are both great organizations that really make a difference!
4.) Recycling – for years the earth has been depleted too fast to sustain ahealthy balance. The earth’s natural resources are being consumed at a rate that reinforces the idea that we are living for today and the future generations will be paying for the consequences. The children will participate by using recycling bins in the classroom. We have also added a compost bin (by the gate on the playground) so we can expand our capability to reuse classroom garbage.
5.) The Peace Blanket – this year we have a “peace blanket” in our classroom. When two children encounter a problem that is difficult to resolve, they can work it out by placing the peace blanket on the floor. Each child has a turn expressing their feelings by taking turns by holding a (cloth) dove. This is a positive way to teach conflict resolution and problem solving.
6.) We have our own plot at the pea patch! (Located up the path on Community Center property) We can take the children through the season of gardening each year.
We start the month of October with the Universe. We are taking the child from the “Big Picture” and moving steadily down from:
Universe
Planets
Our Earth – including the lithosphere
Continents
Our continent – including Canada , Mexico And USA
Washington
Mercer Island (and surrounding cities – Bellevue & Issaquah)
All the way to “Our bodies” including our five senses, feelings, etc
Throughout the year we will have three continents we will focus on:
North America
South America
Australia
The children will have the opportunity to explore new and different cultures. It is our goal to aid the child to have an understanding and appreciation for those who are different from us.
We will also be studying botany along with other subjects: seasons, holidays, etc.
*Music, Spanish and yoga are also incorporated into our curriculum