At Campus Kinder Haus we believe children learn best when they are engaged in hands-on learning activities. These activities must support a range of development, as each child approaches the activities from their own developmental stage. We utilize both pre-developed curriculum that is research-based as well as teacher-created curriculum that is based on the children's interests and development. Below are the pre-developed curriculums that we utilize to enrich our daily learning experiences.
Math Their Way
Developed by the Center for Innovation in Education. This hands-on curriculum brings abstract math concepts down to concrete class, small group and individual math activities.
Everyday Math
Developed by the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. Also a hands-on curriculum, this takes Math Their Way to the next step for our Kindergartners. It makes math meaningful by rooting it in real-life situations.
Lively Letters
Developed by Telian-Cas Learning Concepts, Inc. This phonics program assists children in connecting letters with their sounds using pictures, story cues, hand cues and oral kinesthetic cues. Children strengthen their ability to differentiate letter sounds that are similar (as in P and B) by focusing their attention on what their mouths and voices are doing for each letter.
Reading Rods Phonics
Developed by ETA Cuisenaire. A multi-sensory phonics program, Reading Rods focuses children on developing phonics and word analysis skills.
D'Nealian Handwriting Readiness
Developed by Donald N. Thurber. This writing program supports children's recognition of letters as well as their ability to properly construct the letters. Children use their kinesthetic, visual, and auditory senses as they learn their letters.
Activities Integrating Math and Science
Developed by the National Science Foundation. These activities follow the seasons of the year to support children's natural curiosity of the world around them. Children are taught to observe, make comparisons and predictions as well as problem solve.
We believe that children need curriculum that focuses on their individual development. Thus, the child is at the center of our integrated curriculum. His or her developmental needs and interests become the basis for our units of study. Teachers select various themes based upon the interests expressed by the children in their classes and then develop activities that will address the children's developmental goals. The theme will be woven throughout the week's curriculum. For example, if a unit of study is about the circus, the children may be introduced to the letter C, count peanuts for elephants, paint pictures of clowns, walk the tight rope, sell popcorn & peanuts, read and write stories, or be a costumed actor at the Big Top! While all of these activities focus on the children's interest in the circus, they also address significant developmental goals.
Each day children will be offered opportunities to express themselves creatively. A child's creative art or craft work represents serious effort and exploration on the child's part, and it is important to respect their work. We focus on the experience of creating the art, rather than the finished product. You may not be able to immediately decipher what the goal was, but be sure to ask your child for an explanation of what he or she did. Most often, children can tell you exactly what they were thinking about when they were creating their artwork. And, be sure to pick up your child's artwork at the end of each day so that he or she knows that their work is respected.
