Life is a daily adventure when you are a preschooler at John Milledge Academy. Our program provides plenty of choices for your child to explore and grow. Preschoolers are given opportunities to play as they learn in a stimulating educational environment. The sounds of children laughing and playing are the sounds of children learning. In our Pre-Kindergarten Program children discover, explore, and learn through thematic units. Each unit is comprised of lessons or activities that set learning expectations or acquired skill objectives for the students. Our goals and objectives are designed to help children develop skills in the area of Language Development, Science and Technology, Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Math, Social Skills, Work Habits and Creative Music and Art.
Kindergarten readiness is also practiced throughout the school year. We encourage each child to have a backpack to carry things home each day. We encourage independence at this point and in time they will handle their own belongings. We begin learning very important character building values. We have a scheduled time each week for Library, Music and Physical Education.
Thematic units help children access their individual learning styles while providing opportunities for creativity and enrichment. Our curriculum allows for flexibility and thematic units may vary each year depending on the interests of all of our students.
Examples of Themes:
- Early Literacy and Math
- Seasons and Sign Language
- Weather and Calendar
- Music and Movement
- Colors and Shapes
- Nature and Habitat
- All About Me
- Birds and Insects
- Exploring Your Community
- Holidays and Special Day
Language Development
- Listens to and follows directions
- Exposure to Alphabet: Letter Names and Sounds
- Recognize, spell name or names of friends
- Recognize letters and numbers
- Predicts stories from pictures
- Retell the main events in a story
- Identifies letters of the alphabet
- Repeats simple rhymes, poems and fingerplays
- Engages in conversations with friends
- Increases vocabulary through everyday communication, activities, stories and/or books
- Concepts of print: left to right direction, holding a book right side up
- Discusses books that have been read and pretends to read
- Looks and uses books appropriately
- Recognizes familiar symbols and shapes
- Dictates to describe familiar people, places or objects
Science and Technology
- Explore science tools: Magnets, prisms, magnifying glass, etc.
- Experience the world through nature walks, gardening and exploration
- Observe weather, plant life and the four seasons
- Explore the world with the five senses
- Learn about animals, the homes they live in and the food they eat
- Measure and mix ingredients through cooking activities
- Identify basic colors and explore color mixing
- Use computer programs to create pictures
- Use a computer mouse and touch pad
- Use the internet to explore kid-friendly websites
Gross and Fine Motor Skills
- Hold a pencil, marker or crayon correctly
- Write name or names of friends
- Write letters and numbers
- Begins to draw pictures
- Develop fine motor skills: play dough, scissors, writing, Legos, etc.
Math
- Introduce Numbers 1-10
- Counting objects to 10
- Use one-to-one correspondence
- Sort by color, shape and size
- Compare and measure
- Identify Shapes
- Recognize patterns and can repeat them
- Demonstrate awareness of time: Day and Night, Class Schedule
- Explore Money with Games and Pretend Play
Social Skills and Work Habits
- Practice using manners
- Share personal information: first and last name, age, birthday, school name, city, state and country.
- Participate cooperatively in small and large group settings
- Work with a group or a partner on a variety of projects
- Identify and describe personal feelings, needs and interests
- Adjust to new situations
- Demonstrates appropriate trust in adults
- Recognize their own feelings and manage them appropriately
- Communicate his or her needs
- Demonstrate independence
- Take responsibility for actions and well-being
- Respect and care for classroom environment and materials
- Follow classroom rules and routines
- Engage in play with other children
Creative Music and Art
- Sing traditional songs and songs that enhance the curriculum
- Participate in movement song and dances
- Participate in dramatic play and dramatize familiar stories
- Act out movements and sounds that enhance the curriculum
- Use a variety of art materials: crayons, paint, water color, colored pencils, markers, chalk, and clay
- Experiment with mixing paint colors