In The Classroom: Pre School

Here is some information about the North Hampton Jolly Jaguars Preschool!

Curriculum Roadmap

Preschool Student Handbook

Preschool Standards and Benchmarks

Just Playing, a poem by Anita Wadley

The Jolly Jaguar Preschool provides a safe and nurturing environment which promotes the social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development of young children in a child-centered environment.  We believe that all children have diverse natures, interests, and capabilities that should be developed to their full potential.  We accept the challenge to address each child as an individual.  We are dedicated to providing experiences which are developmentally and cognitively appropriate to ensure that all children are challenged and inspired.  Our integrative approach focuses on the process of learning which will give the children the tools to help them become successful and responsible learners. 

We believe that children learn in an environment which is safe, supportive, and based on trust and respect.  We acknowledge the necessity of physical and emotional well-being as a foundation for all learning.  We value diversity and appreciate differences.  Each child is an integral part in a community of learners.

We believe in the power of teamwork and value the entire community's role in educating our children.  We value communication and a partnership that comes together to listen, share knowledge, and plan in order to achieve our common goals.   

WHAT DO WE DO IN PRESCHOOL?

Self-Help Activities are integrated throughout the day and foster independence as children learn to take responsibility for their personal belongings, classroom materials, and the environment.

Circle Time is a group time in which we share our ideas, plans, and observations.  Circle Time activities are designed to stimulate children's thinking, enrich their language and social skills, develop their listening skills, and expand their attention spans.

Story time is designed to help children develop an appreciation and enjoyment of literature.  Reading activities enhance children's vocabulary and comprehension skills as well as expand their understanding of concepts and content.

Music Activities promote children's listening skills, creative expression, and social skills.

As children move to the beat of the music, they explore and practice important developmental skills.  Singing helps children develop new vocabulary words, practice words they already know, create and imitate sounds, recognize and repeat patterns, and compare sounds to each other.  Large muscles are developed as children express the mood of what they hear with their body movements. 

 Gross-Motor Activities give children the opportunity to use their muscles – as well as their imaginations – as they engage in fun, healthy exercises, such as running, jumping, and climbing.  Outside play promotes physical development such as balance and coordination skills and body awareness and control.  As children play outdoors they are developing control over their bodies and movements.

Fine-Motor Activities help improve small muscle development and eye-hand coordination.  Eye-hand coordination is a critical skill. Children need their hands and their eyes to learn to work together. If they are to write, color, button, zip, and cut they must be able to have the two working together accurately.  Some common items found in the fine-motor/manipulative center include beads and laces, puzzles, and Legos.  Crayons, markers, and scissors located in the Art Center also help to develop these skills.

 Art Activities help children creatively express their thoughts and feelings.  They help reinforce fine-motor skills and concept development in areas such as colors, shapes, and size relationships.  Our art activities focus on the process of the task and not on the final product.  Art is about encouraging creativity in children.  Open-ended art activities and materials give children opportunities to develop their own ideas and use their own designs.  In doing this, they develop creative thinking skills and they learn to problem solve. 

 Math Activities offer children hands-on opportunities to develop problem solving skills and such concepts as counting (rote and one-to-one correspondence), sorting objects by one or two attributes, and matching/identifying simple shapes.

 Science Activities offer children many hands-on opportunities for observation, exploration, investigation, making predictions, and experimentation.  Through simple activities children build a foundation for future scientific learning.

 Literacy Activities provide children with meaningful interactions with books and print.  Books give children the opportunity to respond to various forms of literature, to follow simple story lines, to predict outcomes, and to retell a familiar story.  Children develop their literacy skills (reading, writing, speaking, and listening) by reading books, writing stories, retelling stories using props (e.g. puppets and flannel board pieces), and listening to a variety books on tape.

 Dramatic Play Activities help children express themselves, role play, practice life skills, improve social skills, build vocabulary, and solve problems through interactive and imaginative play.   

 Block Play gives children experience with many different concepts, such as shape and size discrimination, spatial relationships, number skills, balance, organization, cause and effect, and classification.  Cooperative play skills, problem solving, and creativity are also promoted in block play.  Through block play and block construction children experiment with their own ideas-growing, learning, and developing skills in the process.  

 Sand and Water Activities allow children to experiment with textures and the properties of different substances.  These activities also promote the development of other skills, such as math, science, language, and fine-motor.

 Snack Time encourages healthy eating habits and provides children with the opportunity to try new foods.  Social skills and polite manners are also promoted during snack time.