Kay Hastings - Daily Preschool Experiences: For Learners at Every Level

Contents

Daily Preschool Experiences

For Learners at Every Level

Kay Hastings, Cathy Clemons, April Montgomery

Dedicated to Jim and MadisonMy Joy & My Inspiration

Dedicated to my husband, KellyThank you for your unconditional love and support and to my son Brandon. You are the true happiness in my life and I love you more than words can say.

Dedicated to John, Albert, Russell, Kenneth & John Stephenall my boys tall and small.

And, to all our friends and our families who stood in the gap and made it possible for us to accomplish this educational endeavor.

2008 Kay Hastings, Cathy Clemons, April Montgomery

Printed in the United States of America.

Published by Gryphon House, Inc.

PO Box 207, Beltsville, MD 20704

301.595.9500; 301.595.0051 (fax); 800.638.0928 (toll-free)

Visit us on the web at www.gryphonhouse.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Kay Hastings, Cathy Clemons, April Montgomery

Illustrations: Mary Rojas

Reprinted May 2009

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hasting s, Kay, 1960-

Daily preschool experiences for learners at every level / Kay Hastings,

Cathy Clemons, April Montgomery ; illustrations, Mary Rojas.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-87659-010-2

1. Education, Preschool--Activity programs. I. Clemons, Cathy. II.

Montgomery, April, 1955- III. Title.

LB1140.35.C74H37 2008

372.21--dc22

2008006560

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Disclaimer

Gryphon House, Inc. and the author cannot be held responsible for damage, mishap, or injury incurred during the use of or because of activities in this book. Appropriate and reasonable caution and adult supervision of children involved in activities and corresponding to the age and capability of each child involved, is recommended at all times. Do not leave children unattended at any time. Observe safety and caution at all times.

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Introduction

We are so excited to share this book with you. The idea for this book came as a result of our search for a curriculum resource book that would meet the daily needs of all the preschoolers at our school. Our classrooms are like most. We have a wide range of learnersfrom beginning to developing to advanced. Within these levels, our children learn in a variety of ways and have a variety of interests. These are constantly changing. Some children might be beginning learners in math but advanced learners in art. They might be developing learners this week and advanced learners next week. We wanted a curriculum that would meet the needs of every child every day.

In addition to having activities that were differentiated, the curriculum also needed to be engaging for the children and serve as a necessary foundation for kindergarten. Most of the curriculum materials we found focused on traditional themes that are common in early childhood programs (self-concept, family, community helpers, and so on). But we noticed that they did not create a relationship or logical connection between these themes.

We also noticed that many activities did not incorporate the everyday experiences of the young child. Current brain research indicates that children learn best when they are encountering things that are meaningful to them, things that they can relate to their own real-world experiences. The research also states that it is extremely important for children to be able to see how the information they are learning is related to and different from what they already know.

We love children and are dedicated to providing the very best educational experiences and opportunities for them. Having taught preschool for over 24 years, our goal in writing this book is to share some of our own ideas with you. With this curriculum, you can meet the daily needs of each and every student in your class, and you can help build a strong foundation for future educational experiences. Your children will learn to see relationships and build connections between their own experiences and the skills, ideas and concepts that they encounter on a daily basis.

If you, too, are dedicated to providing the best educational experiences for every learner, and you are excited about learning alongside young children, then this is the perfect curriculum resource book for you. Your children will catch your enthusiasm and they will love learning every single day.

Kay Hastings, Cathy Clemons, April Montgomery

About This Book

Daily Preschool Experiences for Learners at Every Level

One major component of this curriculum is building connections between what children already know and the new information that they are learning each day. We also have connected the various academic content areas of Math, Science, Art, Language and Dramatic Play so that the children can begin to see the relationships between one concept, skill and idea and others related to it. To help the children make further connections, we have connected one day to another so that the topics of study are related and naturally build on one another.

Curriculum Organization

Early-childhood educators have the unique opportunity in many cases to be the first ones to expose children to different topics of study, ideas, and concepts that may be unfamiliar to them. In essence, the job of early childhood educators is to build file folders of information in the brains of the young child. As children encounter new information, they will learn to sort and re-organize what they are learning based on how it is alike and different from what they already know.

Traditional early-childhood and elementary education tends to present disconnected pieces of information to children in the subjects of Math, Science, Language, Art, and Dramatic Play without showing relationships or connections between these areas. This curriculum ties information together across academic areas and seeks to teach children a way of thinking that will encourage them to learn to see the relationships. This type of critical thinking and analysis will enhance their creativity and their problem-solving skills in all areas and benefit them throughout their lives.

This curriculum book is unique in that it is organized in such a way that the topics of study flow naturally into one another. It is easy to see that relationships are evident between topics of study and the academic areas. Attention has been given to seasons and times of year so that the topics flow logically in relation to time.

UNIT THEMES AND DAILY TOPICS OF STUDY