Curriculum Goals
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 considering the interests expressed by the children in their classes and then develop activities that address the children’s developmental goals. The theme is 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 pretend peanuts for elephants, paint pictures of clowns, walk the tight rope, sell popcorn, 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 are offered opportunities to express themselves creatively. A child’s creative art or craftwork 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 so you may not be able to immediately decipher what the goal was.
The emphasis is upon the process rather than the product. 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.
What We Teach
At Campus Kinder Haus 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.
1. Guided Math: Guided Math was developed by Laney Sammons. It encompasses whole group modeling instruction, followed by small group work. It encourages teacher/child interaction and allowing children to ask questions and explore topics.
2. Lively Letters and Sight Words You Can See: Lively Letters was 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.
3. SuperKids/Rowland Reading (Prep-K/K): The Superkids® Reading program is a core literacy curriculum for kindergarten through second grade that teaches all aspects of reading seamlessly integrated with the language arts. Built on scientific research and proven pedagogy, it combines rigorous instruction with highly motivating materials.
4. Writing Without Tears: Writing Without Tears was developed by Jan Olsen, an occupational therapist, in 1977. This curriculum draws from years of innovation and research to provide developmentally appropriate, multisensory strategies for early writing.
5. STEAM: STEAM is the combination of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. STEAM activities help support curiosity, creativity, and innovative thinking.
6. Journal Time: A daily, free-draw experience that encourages fine motor development and creativity. It also builds language skills and sets the stage for reading and writing.