Gray Barn
The pre-kindergarten program for children ages 4 and 5 is a planned program of thematic units. Each theme is built upon a series of hands-on activities, which are integrated throughout all subject areas and learning centers. Children will learn math, science, vocabulary, reading and social skills, all disguised in forms of play and experiences. Four and five year olds are eager to learn new things, therefore we allow them to do so through teacher and peer interaction in both large and small groups. Children learn best by doing and we give them ample opportunities to do so. The curriculum focuses on developing your child’s skills in several areas, including: language arts and literacy, mathematics, science, social and emotional development, gross and fine motor development.
Activities in the Gray Barn include:
Reciting poems, singing songs and sharing stories, calculating and measuring, identifying differences in the world, identifying feelings and emotions, in themselves and others, and learning about sharing and generosity. Dramatic play; practice counting bears or blocks; learning about people, plants and animals; participating in shared activities with peers; practicing balance, jumping and throwing; participating in family style dining during snack and lunch; and learning about patience and manners. Children learn to recognize print through identifying their names on their coat hook, participating in question of the day, using the job chart, graphing the weather, using the light switches, identifying faucet temperatures, "reading" books, being read to and recognizing the labeled play areas and bins.
Connecticut Early Learning and Development Standards:
Our program focuses on your 4 and 5-year-old child’s primary areas of development. Scroll over the standards below to learn more.
Our program contains activities seeking to promote early literacy skills, including alphabet letter/sound recognition, phonics, and comprehension as part of the larger social engagement program. Your child will be immersed in a print-rich environment, surrounded by award-winning children’s literature, which helps prepare them for kindergarten.
Cognitive skills are the foundation of learning and knowledge. The activities are designed to prepare your child for elementary school. Children will be encouraged to recite finger plays and nursery rhymes, retell stories in their own words, make comparisons, and explore and make discoveries.
Our activities are designed to increase children’s independence, further developing their confidence and abilities in order to prepare them for kindergarten. Teachers encourage the children to play a responsible role in the classroom community with assigned jobs and taking responsibility for their actions. Children learn to solve problems by using words or asking for help. Along with puppet and role play, we use the Second Steps curriculum to help children identify their emotions and read other people's body language.
Your child will practice important math skills, such as classifying, identifying shapes and numbers, counting, and basic addition and subtraction
We address all gross motor skills, which include jumping, running, throwing and catching a ball, and climbing playground equipment. Children will be encouraged to dance and participate in noncompetitive races. Fine motor skills are strengthened by playing in the ever changing activities in the sensory table, by stacking small blocks, daily access to the easel and play dough or Gloop and practicing writing their names with finger paint/shaving cream.
Teachers will provide many hands-on opportunities for the children to explore weather, plants, animals, sounds, light, ramps, textures, and other essential science topics through Peep and other resources.
