Themes, Themes, Themes
Our 2012 - 1013 Curriculums
SEPTEMBER, 2012
ME AND MY FAMILY
Every preschooler loves to show off what they can do. This month will allow them to explore different things they can do, important personal safety information, as well as discuss families of all shapes and sizes.
FABULOUS FALL
Leaves are falling all around; red, yellow, orange and brown. What else is happening in the world during this fun time of year? Math, science, arts and crafts are used to explore different aspects of fall.
Letters: M, F, A Numbers: 1, 2
Shape: Circle Colors: Red & Yellow
OCTOBER, 2012
COMMUNITY HELPERS
Who are the important people in our community? This month curriculum will help your preschooler explore who are some of the important people in our community and how they help us.
PLENTY OF PUMPKINS
Big ones, fat ones, little ones, round ones! They come in all shapes and sizes but they all start out the same. Explore how they grow from a little seed into one of our favorite Halloween decorations.
Letters: H, O, P Number: 3
Shape: Rectangle Colors: Orange & Black
NOVEMBER, 2012
USING MY SENSES
Preschoolers see, hear, taste, smell, and touch the world around them every day. This month makes science fun as they explore and recognize the importance of their senses and why we should be thankful for them.
GIVING THANKS
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. It is a time for pilgrims, turkeys, friends, and family but most importantly it is a time for giving thanks! What is your preschooler thankful for?
Letters: L, E, G Number: 4
Shape: Square Colors: Brown & Orange
DECEMBER, 2012
RHYME TIME
Children love to play with words and what better way then with a rhyme. Rhyming is not only fun; it is an important prereading skill! In this learning box, we will meet some classic characters from the world of rhyme.
CELEBRATING THE SEASON
Bright lights, fun foods, singing songs, and pretty packages. . .
December is such an exciting time of year for preschoolers to celebrate family traditions from around the world. There is even a fun gift project included!
Letters: K, J, S Number: 5
Shape: Triangle Colors: Gold & Green
JANUARY, 2013
SNOW DAYS
What to do on a snowy day? This learning box will not only allow your preschooler to discover the fun of a snowy day, but also help them discuss what kinds of clothes should be worn in any kind of weather.
DAY AND NIGHT
As the sun moves across the sky, we watch shadows grow and shrink. At night we watch the stars twinkle and the moon change shape over time. What else can we find in the sky?
Letters: I, N, Y Number: 6
Shape: Crescent Colors: White, Blue & Yellow
FEBRUARY, 2013
LOVE IN THE MAIL
Valentine's Day is a day for sending love. One way to do that is in the mail! With this learning box your preschooler will explore how mail gets from one place to another.
WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE!
Fairy Tales can be a fun way to teach preschoolers important skills; such as not to talk to strangers! This learning box will also use one of the fairy tales as a springboard for some important lessons on dental health.
Letters: D, X, T Number: 7
Shape: Heart Colors: Pink, White & Red
MARCH, 2013
TEDDY BEAR PICNIC
Oh no, the teddy bears are having a picnic. What do you think they should eat? This learning box includes fun arts and craft activities that help preschoolers learn about nutrition.
WELCOME TO THE WILD WEST
As the sun moves across the sky, we watch shadows grow and shrink. At night we watch the stars twinkle and the moon change shape over time. What else can we find in the sky?
Letters: V, W, C Number: 8
Shape: Star Colors: Grey, Brown & Red
APRIL, 2013
A WALK IN THE RAINFOREST
There are all kinds of "things" living in the rainforest. Come with us on an exciting adventure through the rainforest and discover some of these wonderful surprises. What do you think you will find?
IN MY GARDEN
What can you find in a garden? This learning box will have your preschooler exploring some of the different aspects of the garden: wiggling worms, sprouting seeds, blooming flowers, growing fruits and vegetables, and of course mud!
Letters: R, Q, U Number: 9
Shape: Oval Colors: Purple, Green & Brown
MAY, 2013
COLORS OF THE RAINBOW
Wow! Look at all of those colors in that rainbow! We will make science and math fun as we explore the wonderful world of color.
BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES
Bugs a plenty, bugs galore! The world is full of bugs. Come with us as we explore the world of the creepy crawlies, the fascinating fliers, and the beautiful butterflies.
Letters: B, Z Number: 10
Shape: SEMI-CIRCLE Colors: REVIEW ALL COLORS
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CHECK BACK TO SEE WHAT SUMMER TIME WILL BRING!
From Home to School
Two of the most important places in a young child’s life are home and school. As they explore both, children will discover what makes each place unique and different and also what is similar. Valuable social skills are intertwined with fun experiences as children not only learn how to make friends with peers but with the adults who play various roles in their environments. Best of all, they will learn about the most special part of home and school: themselves!
• Our School
• My Home
• Special Me
• Playing and Making Friends
Harvest Time
From seeds to plants, harvest time is a special opportunity for growing minds and bodies to see how nature grows just like we do! Children’s closest interaction with the harvest is through all the yummy foods they eat. Exploring foods will lead to investigations of how food travels to our favorite restaurants and to our kitchens at home, meeting all the people who grow it, sell it, and cook it along the way. Our taste buds will be sizzling with all the tasty samples that we make throughout Harvest Time.• Where Do We Find Food?
• How Does Food Move From Place to Place?
• How Does Food Grow?
• How Is Food Prepared and Enjoyed?
Terrific Tools
Experience with tools is a big part of children’s learning. Anything can be a tool, not just the ones that exercise motor skills. An exploration of popular tools will show how they can be handy anywhere in school or at home, inside or outside. In Terrific Tools, children will meet familiar people and the tools they need to get the job done. They’ll also discover some other things they would not think are tools, like minds, hands, and voices.• Tools Make Work Easier
• We Use Tools Inside
• We Use Tools Outside
• Some People Use Special Tools
Sensational Senses
Without trying, children endlessly use their senses to explore their ever-growing world. This topic focuses individually on the senses and opens opportunities to children of how to use their senses that they may not have yet considered. We’ll feel our way through our familiar environment, learning that we all have different preferences and everyone has his or her own ways of sensing things. The cold touch of ice, the sweet scent of fruit, and many tasty flavors are awaiting children with Sensational Senses.• Eyes See
• Ears Hear
• Mouths Taste and Noses Smell
• Bodies Touch
Trucks and Big Machines
Trucks and big machines are a common sight in a young child’s world, but what do they do? In this topic, we’ll examine how these machines are used to help in our daily lives. Dramatic play opens a lot of opportunities to experience how trucks and vehicles not only help move people from place to place but also transport a lot of items that we use and see every day. By pulling, pushing, crushing, and traveling, we’ll investigate how big machines help make work easier to build our homes, deliver our mail, and take us on vacation. Join us on our ride with Trucks and Big Machines!• Trucks Deliver
• Trucks Help
• Big Machines Do Big Jobs
• Trucks and Big Machines Have Different Parts
In the Grass
A world of wonder waits right below our feet. It’s fun to play and roll around in the grass, but it also serves a lot of important purposes. We’ll go underground and investigate the critters that live under it as well as those that use grass for food and shelter. Grass is also very important to people as it helps us grow food, and we can use it help other plants grow. A big outdoor adventure is awaiting us as we discover what to do and what can be found In the Grass.• All About Grass
• Grass Can Be a Home and Provide Shelter
• Grass Provides Food
• People Use Grass in Many Ways
Digging in the Dirt
Children have an innate ability to make dirt fun, but there is much more to it than just playing. This topic introduces how important dirt is to many animals and also to people. Hands-on activities will have us fine tuning motor skills as we dig, dump, and fill. We’ll also learn how animals use dirt for hiding, making tunnels and nests, and protecting themselves. Best of all,we’ll find all sorts of treasures as we explore from the roots of our flowers to dinosaur fossils and gemstones. It’s sure to be a fun time when we’re Digging in the Dirt.• What Is Dirt?
• Dirt Is Different in Different Places
• Animals and Dirt
• People and Dirt
Let’s Pretend
Imagination is one of the most special tools of a young child. In this topic, children will go on a guided tour of their minds by pretending to be their favorite animals, book characters, and other things. We’ll use our voices, bodies, and ideas to go on many adventures without ever leaving the comfort of our own minds. Our exploration is only limited by what we think of next. We’ll also have a chance to practice our emotions to learn to handle feelings and social situations before they happen. Join us as we discover all we can be in Let’s Pretend.• I Can Use Sound to Create and Imitate
• I Can Use My Body
• I Can Show What I Am Thinking
• I Can Use Stories
Up in the Sky
There’s a lot going on in that big, blue sky. From birds and bugs, planes and balloons, to the moon and twinkling stars, there are so many topics to capture children’s wonder. Children’s imaginations will soar as we learn what makes flying creatures so special, how do we make machines fly, and where does weather come from. We’ll even try a few take-offs and landings ourselves. Children will find themselves winding and twisting in barrel rolls of fun with all our adventures Up in the Sky.• Way Up in the Sky
• Weather
• Natural Things in the Sky
• Human-Made Things in the Sky
Splish and Splash
Water, water everywhere with a new discovery at every turn! This topic will expand on children’s familiarity with water, taking the fun beyond the bathtub and the puddles outside. We will explore how people use water not just for drinking and washing but also for sailing boats and growing food. There’s another world to explore with all the different sea creatures that rely on water just as much as people do. Through some wet and wild fun, children will grow in respect and understanding of water as they are exposed to this precious resource in Splish and Splash.• Places to Splish and Splash
• Things You Do That Make a Splash
• Things That Move in or with Water
• Animals That Splash