Early Childhood Touchstone Experiences

At Green Acres, we know that children acquire knowledge best when what they learn connects across disciplines and subject areas, as well as to what students already know. That's why, when students are studying a topic, the music, art, dance, science, and Spanish teachers use those topics to create lessons in their own disciplines that relate to those themes. For example: During a Kindergarten unit on reptiles, students have the opportunity to closely inspect the science classroom reptiles and engage in activities to learn about the characteristics of reptiles; the language area has books and offers opportunities to write about their experiences with these creatures; a visiting expert presents an assembly on reptiles; art includes materials to design reptiles; and relevant songs are introduced during group time.

Inspired by the interests of students, teachers include children’s ideas to help determine themes and activities related to the curriculum. For example: When a Pre-K child shared his enthusiasm for garbage trucks and his love of I Stink by Kate and Jim McMullan, a transportation theme emerged in the classroom. This curiosity fueled the investigation of all things that move. Teachers shared pictures, photographs, and books. Children created docks, runways, and parking lots in the big block area and made paper airplanes and boats that could float. The culminating project was the creation of a garbage truck that visited various Green Acres buildings to help recycle and compost.

Kindergarteners write and share original stories during a special time in the schedule called "Authors' Chair." Dictating stories for transcription frees students to focus only on the creative writing process (as opposed to manual writing). Kindergarteners are proud to share their stories with their homecorner friends. Through discussion and listening to their peers’ stories, children begin to understand the elements of a compelling tale. Authors are happy to call on their classmates to answer questions and hear feedback. Audience members practice respectful listening skills and turn-taking while discussing characters, story lines, and illustrations. Learning to provide feedback in a constructive manner is another important piece of this process. 

For over 30 years, the Kindergarten curriculum has included the "Kindergarten Store." This part of the program offers rich opportunities for social and mathematical development. The "store" is stocked with recycled items, such as small toys or stuffed animals and unbreakable garage sale treasures, as merchandise. The currency used for the store is keys; no real money is used. Ahead of time, the children decide on a reasonable price for these items (from one to ten keys), and then they have an opportunity to buy goodies. Each visit, the "banker" (a student’s job) gives each child five keys. Some children spend all of their keys each visit, while others love to save some or all of their keys for future purchases. Each student has the opportunity to visit the store and "shop" many times!

Yearly traditions and class routines provide opportunities for students to learn and grow cognitively and creatively. Some are opportunities to integrate subjects and skills in one engaging activity, while others are opportunities to explore and engage with new materials and experiences (field trips, creek walks, woodworking). These traditions include:

• Woodworking
• Celebrating 100s Day
• Kindergarten Store
• Creek Walks
• Field Trips (zoo, theater, Audubon, Black Hill Regional Park)
• "Wacky Wednesday"
• Stuffed Animal Day
• Kindergarten Favorite Songs Concert