TOP OF THE HILL PRESCHOOL
OF OAKWOOD
4 Year Old Class
Philosophy
Preschool children learn best through play and socialization. Our room is set up to be hands-on, child-centered and user-friendly. Working in small groups allows for more one-on-one time with students, while the rest of the class can play, explore the materials in the room, and interact with
each other.
For Four's, our main goal is to promote social skills and self-help skills. Upon completion of the year, the children are ready to learn in a school setting. The room is full of materials that expose our students
to the academic side of school. Our small group activities highlight pre-reading and pre-math skills.
Virtual Tour of the 4's Classroom
Curriculum
Our developmentally appropriate curriculum emphasizes:
Social and Emotional Growth
Learning to take turns and communicating feelings is a big part of a child's day at school. During free-play, children have the chance to interact and mingle together. Children practice speaking to the whole group during Circle Time.
Children are encouraged to express their feelings in an appropriate way by learning to use their words.
Physical Growth:
Small motor skills are encouraged with use of coloring and writing materials, cutting activities, play dough and tools.
Large motor skills are enhanced with outdoor and gym play, as well as, organized group activities such as parachute play.
Cognitive learning
Monthly themes are used to make learning fun. Each class period contains at least one or two teacher-facilitated activities related to the theme. One activity is usually an art choice, the other activities may be math-related, science-related or alphabet related and many involve cutting with scissors. We have many materials in the room related to math, science, reading and writing.
Each school day we talk about the calendar, including the month, day and date. As a group, we count the days posted on the calendar.
The name of each child is held up every day to see who is
here, by the end of the year, most of the children recognize all the names. Songs and finger plays are part of our end of the day Circle Time.
Daily Routine
Our daily routine provides consistency so your children feel comfortable at school. Children have fun in free play, learning centers, art, snack time, gym/outdoor play, story time, songs and finger play.
Enrichment
Yuri Shibata, Certified Music Therapist, provides monthly music classes.
Wright Memorial Librarian, Karen Mills, visits and reads to the class and leads fun activities.
Lutheran Church of Our Savior’s Pastor, Stefan Rickman, meets with the students for chapel time.
Discipline
We have a positive approach to discipline.
We encourage the children to take care of small differences using words, without involving the teacher.
Redirection is used, as well as, removal from the situation in repeat-problem instances.