Aimee's Kid Ranch

	Our Preschool Program Offers... Development of Your Child's "Whole" Person Here at AKR we like to call this "Whole-istic" learning. While children learn best through experiences with hands-on materials, their environment is thoughtfully planned to include activities which develop skills in the following areas: Language and communication: Social skills are the number one determining factor in whether a child is successful when they reach their formal school years. Children need to be able to express their thoughts, emotions and ideas to others clearly through language. Our program is primarily literature-based at the preschool level (ages 3-5) and will focus on the following skill-building activities each day: *Creating take home books *Recording thoughts and ideas through journaling *Introducing new ideas through books *Chanting & Singing *Exploring books/sustained reading periods *Planned small group activities to extend knowledge of what was read *Word wall activities  *Individual phonics assessments *Beginning to identify sight words Social skills are gained through practice with materials while working with others. We strive to equip children with the language necessary to express their needs with words while supervised by an adult trained in conflict resolution. The goal is to teach the child to go through steps which become automatic in working out conflict (identify the problem, listen and be heard, reiterate what the other party is trying to say and come to a mutual agreement). These are steps every healthy adult should possess and we begin here, instilling them at a young age. Math and Reasoning Skills: Children are encouraged to problem solve, explore, reason and connect with the world as they investigate it. We offer concrete materials children can manipulate in order to weigh, compare, contrast and begin elementary pre-math operations. Some examples of these activities are: *Scales and sorting trays *Charting and graphing  *Puzzles *Spatial games *Cause and effect experiments *Daily calendar activities (learning sequence of events and beginning time concepts) *Cash register and money play *Board games such as Candyland and Mouse Trap *Explore one-to-one correspondence (ex: match a number 5 to a set of 5 items)  Science and Sensory: We have a whole building outside dedicated to the exploration of these activities, outside is a great place to examine insects, grow plants and care for our small livestock. Activities to explore a wide variety of media while working on pre-math/measurement concepts are available daily. Here are a few: *Sand, rice, beans, water and other media to explore with droppers, scoops and measuring cups *Connect with nature through growing plants and exploring their life cycles *Observe animals and learn how to care for them *Recognize sounds animals make *Explore items such as X-Rays and feathers with a lighted table *Experience mixing, measuring and cooking while creating snacks and dough for play *Explore health and safety concepts such as dental care, healthy eating and how germs spread Pre-Writing and Phonics: Strengthening small muscle groups in the hands are important for developing the skills needed for the many tasks that lie ahead of preschoolers. Soon, in school, they will be expected to write, cut and use many other items in the classroom which require accuracy and precision. Table manipulatives which build fine motor skills are offered as well as many activities to get small hands ready the big world: *Legos, blocks, train sets and other table manipulative activities *Alphabet "Fishing"  *Lacing games/dressing boards *Peg and rubber band boards *Puzzles and sorting *Practice cutting line patterns with scissors *Tracing name, letter, and number with dry erase markers Arts & Crafts: At AKR we offer 2 different types of art activities: the first is "child directed", the second is "teacher directed". While engaged in child directed activities, children will have the opportunity to create using open-ended materials (materials in which there are no particular way they have to use them), to create and express themselves. The other, teacher directed activities, will have a goal in mind, such as putting together a flower with construction paper. Here are some of the skills children will learn: *The appropriate use of materials (how to use glue, paint, brushes and other media) *Gain self-esteem and confidence through mastery of materials and display of art  *Further strengthen fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination  *Experiment with technique and application of materials Physical Development: AKR provides a safe environment and frequent opportunities for movement. here are some examples: *Dancing (to music inside with instruments, outside with streamers and flags, etc) *Songs and finger plays at circle time *Movement games (Hokey Pokey, Duck, Duck, Goose, etc.) *Opportunities for extended pretend play *Hopping, kicking, throwing/catching activities *2 hours of outside time daily for organized and free play (weather permitting) *Yoga 2x's per week! Technology: In today's fast paced world your child will, at some point in their not-so-distant future, be expected to be computer literate. We offer computer classes 3 times weekly (MWF). Here are some of the things we teach through ABC Mouse: *Basic computer skills (using a mouse and keyboard) *The ability to identify the parts of a computer, (mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc) *Understanding the cause and effect of the movements made using the mouse and how they correspond to the computer screen *Children learn how to work with one another while sharing the computer (2 per computer) *Children learn the do's and don'ts of using a computer safely *Each child has their own icon and program, as they work through programs on ABC Mouse they gain skills, are assessed and move through to the next level of learning   Natural Progression and Assessment Each child moves at his or her own pace. To ensure that everyone is staying on target (and as a way to make sure they are learning from the lessons), assessments are done weekly and at the milestone ages 3, 4 and the final assessment at age 5. If we see some skills that have not been attained through these assessments, additional activities will be added to strengthen the group as a whole. Each parent/family will also receive a weekly assessment which is sent home every Friday and outlines the skills we learned during the week. At AKR we believe that if there is learning but no assessment, there's no way to mark progress and we may as well just be babysitting... which is something we DO NOT want for your child during these important years of rapid development!   Program Summary  As your child leaves the toddler program and progresses to preschool at about 3 years old, we will continue with social, and language development while offering more challenging opportunities for development of the "whole" self.  We offer a mix of teacher and child directed activities in a literature-based environment. A well rounded assortment of activities are offered daily, skills are assessed weekly and yearly to ensure that everyone is on track and ready for Kindergarten.  By the time your child is 5 our goals for for him/her are to be a caring, empathetic, curious individual with a solid knowledge base, good physical skills and the ability to communicate clearly.