Emergent Curriculum

An Emergent Curriculum begins with observation of children and their interests. It is the learning explorations that develop as a result of the interaction of the particular people in a particular place at a particular time. The curriculum emerges from the interests and dialog of the individuals in a learning environment, and therefore, is not predetermined. Both adult and child initiative may influence curriculum directions.

In Emergent Curriculum, activities and projects develop through teachers’ careful observations of children’s work and communication, and subsequent decision-making about appropriate directions and time frames. Below is a taste of activities we do at Terra Luz. 

PLAY
Children experience the most profound development through play. Imaginative play is strongly encouraged with puppets, dolls, blocks of various shapes and sizes, wood cars, wood play kitchen with pots, pans, plates, cups, wood food, tea set, baking materials, and more. Dramatic play stimulates role play and social interaction. It enables children to reenact experiences in the world in order to understand and explore their meanings. Outdoor play such as running, playing in sand and water, making mud pies, digging through pebbles, and exploring are vital experiences for every child and help refine gross and fine motor development. Encountering and exploring nature is also an important part of our approach and we’re a firm believer in the “No Child Left Inside” philosophy.
 

CREATIVE ARTS
Some form of art is experienced every day. Children will be offered hands-on experiences with languages such as clay, paint, wire, sketching, collage, photography, and more.

Project Work: Preschool children can use a variety of graphic and other media to represent and thereby communicate and express ideas at a much younger age then we have customarily assumed. Project-work is refers to in-depth studies of particular topics undertaken by groups of young children.

Treat Work Seriously: We display the children’s work with care and respect, and even at this young age, it conveys to them that their work is important.

MUSIC
Music is played every day, usually for long periods of time. Music selections reflect different genres and cultures as well as traditional nursery rhymes. Battery-free musical instruments are available and we love to sing songs (and in Spanish too!). Andrea also has been studying the djembe and there will be exposure to this awesome drumming also.

PART OF THE ECOLOGICAL MOVEMENT
We continue gardening and harvesting during the fall and spring seasons. The ripening of vegetables and fruit is fascinating, and the sense of hard work and accomplishment that comes with rushing to the garden to check the swelling growth in their fruits and veggies, is a great experience for the children. We also compost and recycle/reuse for projects. Environmental awareness will come naturally to children when it is integrated into their early childhood years in their classroom and home.

 HANDWORK
Opportunities for fine motor skills are given with lacing of large beads, cotton reels and manipulating puzzles. As the children get older, they will be introduced to woodworking and simple embroidery.

Children also help with simple housekeeping and practical life skills (helping set the table, clearing their dishes, crumb sweeping, etc).

SPANISH
Although, the primary language used is English, Andrea incorporates Spanish with simple conversation, board books, songs, and music. We love to sing songs in Spanish!

LITERATURE/LITERACY
We all know children who love to read have a distinct advantage in all aspects of their life. Every day, the children listen to stories read aloud and have the opportunity to sit with board books and “read”. Books encourage language, communication, and emergent literacy. We never drill or teach children in isolated ways (i.e. teaching 20-30 minutes of academic each day such as the alphabet, days of the week, etc.) Literacy is introduced in the context of children’s play. Children will learn the alphabet in a way that is meaningful and purposeful to them. For example, phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle begin with the letters in the children’s names, without worksheets.

Teachers help children’s language development by naming objects and actions to develop vocabulary and context, beginning in English and progressing to include Spanish; playing rhyming, name and word games to introduce and strengthen phonemic awareness and letter sounds; making books and dictating stories.

MATH
Math concepts and skills include: sorting, categorizing and patterning; shapes, sizes and spatial relationships using developmentally-appropriate manipulatives such as puzzles and pattern blocks; counting and comparing (greater than, less than, equal to).

SCIENCE
Children can discover light, shadow, transparency, color, size and projection using light tables, sensory tables, and overhead projectors; chemistry concepts when cooking to explore, measure and pour, foundations of botany, zoology, ecology when observing plants and animals and actively exploring the outdoors.

CULTURAL/SOCIAL  STUDIES
Through stories, music, food, and celebrations, children will be introduced to the similarities and unique differences of children everywhere. We focus on celebrating families, cultures, and traditions; fostering an appreciation of multi-cultural art, music, and literature.

PRESCHOOL YOGA
Yoga is weaved into our program and is lead by one of our  wonderful teaching guides, and certified yoga kids facilitator, Krista Phillips.

Benefits of yoga
Improves focus and concentration
Improves balance and coordination
Helps children to calm their minds and bodies
Increases strength and flexibility, and improves overall fitness
Improves gross motor planning skills
Improves socialization skills and boundary awareness
Increases sensory integration
Improves memory and reading retention
Promotes creativity