Three year Old

Learning takes on new meaning in the three year old room, as three year olds are developing skill that encourage curiosity and build on the knowledge and skill they developed so far. Children are given the opportunity to experiment and explore their world at a new level, building on past experiences and introducing new skills all fit into a room designed around age appropriate activities for a three year old.

DRAMATIC PLAY : Language is developing quickly at this stage, and dramatic play helps in the process, telling stories with puppets is a favorite thing to do with your friends in the dramatic play area when your three.

ART : Art allows a child to explore their creativity and there is nothing like the reaction you will get the first time a three year old mixes the colors yellow and red and finds out they make orange.

PUZZLES and MANIPULATIVE AREA : Critical thinking and problem solving are the skills used in this area. Sorting, matching, counting, and string beads are some of the things you might see going on in the manipulative area. Pre-Math skills are being introduced.

LIBRARY : Pre-reading skills are developing while they are reading a favorite story to their teddy bear Quiet time is important to them and Teddy. Listening to poetry or being read to give the children the experience of the joy of the written word, and encourage reading.

MUSIC AREA : This area develops the speech and language of three year old children. Movement to music gives children a physical outlet to sooth anxieties or it can develop motor skills as we buzz around the room to the Flight of the Bumble Bee.

SCIENCE : Its all about hands on experiences with this age group! They mix colors, plant seeds and exploring where animals live. A three year old has lots of questions and needs lots of answers to keep the going.

Wee People recognizes the many cultures that make up our world today. We have chosen to include the study of Critical Thinking and problem solving in this area. Foreign language is also included in our curriculum. Children in our three year old program will build on the skills they learned in the two’s program, and will expand the knowledge of Spanish with the introduction of numbers and colors.

This is just a sample of what goes on in this class, Stop in and see for yourself if this is the learning environment you are looking for your child. We believe you child will love to learn in the Wee People Three year old room.

 Four Year Old and Pre Kindergarten Programs

Wee People Fours are busy preparing for Kindergarten. Although ABC’s and 123’s are important, and are the basis to our program, we believe it is equally important to give your child the confidence that will help them to excel all through school. How do we do this? We give children the opportunity to make choices, involve them in the classroom duties, and encourage self motivation.

Social Skills such as getting along with others and making friends are an important part of there development Talking with each other, learning to be responsible for their things, and cleaning up help to develop these social skills.

The classroom is arranged like most other pre-school rooms but there is less time for free play. Children are engaged in activities that encourage problem solving, writing, reading, math and science. Both large group and small group activities are used, and some one-on-one time is built in to help with any problem areas your child may encounter. We believe strong pre-reading and pre-math skills will help make the transition into Kindergarten easier for your child. We work on alphabet recognition, beginning letter sounds, along with recognizing and writing their names. Picture journals are introduced in this class and the children are encouraged to dictate stories and experiences to their teachers, and assistants. Throughout the year, they are encouraged to write their thoughts and we never make corrections. This encourages them to develop their own writing skills. Play is still an important part of a four year olds development so time is given for them to explore and play in the different centers through out the room. Computers become an active part of your child's day in the four year old room. Class instruction as well as free time to explore games and educational soft ware are available. This is the class where we introduce our GEMS science program. We are proud to offer the GEMS Program. The GEMS program can make a significant, measurable difference and impact in the student’s learning. It improves student - teacher understanding and the practice of inquiry. GEMS has demonstrated capability of reaching all students, including historically underrepresented groups, special education and gifted students, in a wide variety of settings and regions. It also fosters positive attitudes and motivation of students in science, mathematics and has considerable additional evidence of effectiveness and success.

All our programs are geared to the individual needs and abilities of the child. Our activities and teachings are planned to help develop a positive self image in each child. The program includes:

Creative Arts; Computer; Music; Field Trips; Rhythms; Cooking; Language; Outdoor Play; Development; Science; Perceptual Training; Tumbling; Social Studies; Foreign Languages; Snack Time; Gross Motor Activities; Book and Stories; Number/Reading; Dramatics; Math and Reading Readiness; Puppetry; Audio-Visual Aids; Sand and Water Play, Listening Skills and Woodworking.

The many varied activities listed above are integrated into the numerous units taught throughout the school year keeping in mind what is developmentally appropriate for the age group.

Wee People recognize the many cultures that make up our world today, so we have chosen to include the study of a foreign language in our curriculum. Children in our Pre K programs will continue to build on the skills they have learned in the past. They will be introduced to language about body parts, song, games and dance. The children will also begin to study the customs of the Spanish culture in this program.

With all this and much more going on in this class room, we believe they will develop an I can do attitude.