PRE-SCHOOL PROGRAMS
CUB CLASS
This class is for children ages 3 to 4. All students need to be fully potty trained in September when school begins. The Cub program focuses on social behavior, learning to get along with others, and sharing. This class can be the child’s first formal experience. Unlike a daycare experience that is typically all-day free play, this 3-4 class is routine-based and structured. A routine helps the children know what to expect during their day and helps them adjust to a school routine.
Areas of educational focus begin in the cognitive thinking stages and progress to the critical thinking stages with “hands-on” activities and process-oriented projects. The children do their work and produce projects that demonstrate their developmental abilities. The curriculum is based on age-appropriate activities and lessons build upon each other as the week progresses.
CONCEPTS and SKILLS covered over the year include colors, shapes, number concepts, patterning, listening, fine motor tasks (cutting, tracing, etc.), and name recognition.
UNITS are developed each month and change depending on the abilities and needs of the students. Some units include: All About Me, Manners and Sharing, The Farm, Animals, Nursery Rhymes, and Seasonal Changes & Holiday Celebrations.
DRAMATIC PLAY and BLOCK BUILDING are part of the child’s “work time” experiences, which helps them make positive choices and get along with others. Social interaction and problem-solving are prioritized and learned through play.
ART PROJECTS and COOKING PROJECTS are a large part of the daily routine. Our students learn by DOING– lessons are taught through an art experience or a cooking experience.
BEAR CLASS
The Bear class is for children 4 years to 5 years of age. This class is usually the second-year experience for most children and builds upon the Cub class experiences. These students are getting prepared to enter Kindergarten the following year. We focus on extending their attention span, critical problem-solving skills, making positive choices, and concept development. Completing projects on “their own” and finishing the task is stressed through “hands-on” activities and unit work.
CONCEPTS covered over the year are upper/lower case letter recognition, number recognition, counting, patterning, rhyming skills, fine motor development (writing, cutting, tracing), letter sound recognition, and pre-reading skills.
UNITS vary depending on the class development and change each year so returning students learn new things. Some units covered in this age group are; Transportation, Five Senses, Solar System, Famous Authors, Animal Habitats, Seasonal Changes, and Holiday Celebrations.
ART PROJECTS and COOKING EXPERIMENTS are part of the daily routine. Cooking becomes a math experience and art expands on the unit the class is learning.
LITERATURE is chosen depending on the unit or season we are studying. Children are encouraged to listen and understand the concepts presented through the stories we read. The students in this class create their books and write in journals to collect their thoughts and feelings.
