Goals for 2's and 2 1/2's

The main goal for the 2 and 2 1/2-year-old is smooth transition from the one on one parent/child relationship to a group/teacher situation, and to feel safe and happy away from parents.

School is a place to learn:

to share
to use words to settle conflicts
to "wait" and take turns
to sit for a short story
to participate in music
to walk quietly in the hallways
to follow directions given by teachers
to separate from Mom and Dad with few tears
to follow 1 - 2 step instructions
to play with each other with appropriate interactions
to express in words your needs/wants/feelings
to follow playground safety rules
to become familiar with and use art supplies: glue, paint, playdough, crayons/markers/pencils
to be comfortable with some new experiences during the year
to snack together
to help put classroom toys away

It is our purpose to help each child have a positive, happy first experience at school that will develop into a lasting love for and joy in the educational process.

Goals for 3's

The major goals for the three year old are to feel that school is a fun place to be, to learn that teachers and classmates care about them, and to know that Mom will always come back at carpool time and take them home.

School is a place to learn:

Taking turns
Sharing
Talking to each other about things that happen in our lives
Caring about our classmates and friends-

Cheering each other on when we accomplish new things
Comforting each other when we are disappointed
Helping each other (clip art work on the rack or easel, solve a problem, find something, cleaning up, make a transition adjustment, etc.)

Following a set schedule
Following directions
Listening when it's the teacher's turn to talk
Learning how to play (creative and interactive) with each other
Learning how to solve conflicts with others

If you would like a toy, ask the child playing with the toy if you can play with it next
If you need help doing something, ask a teacher or another student to help
If someone does something you don't like, tell that person about it, tell them you don't like it, and ask them to stop
If someone asks you to stop doing something they don't like, your job is to stop

Learning to speak up for self: being self-assertive
Following playground safety rules
Learning to sing and play games together
Learning to use our imaginations
Taking care of oneself

Hanging coat and bag on the peg with your name on it
Being responsible for items brought from home and for notes and work going home
Putting on your own coat
Taking care of bathroom needs be potty trained, can wipe self, flush toilet and wash hands
Sitting on one's own tuffet at circle time
Using manners at snack time and cleaning up your place when finished

Staying together as a group when in transition from one place to another
Sitting on carpool letter while waiting for parent's turn to pull up
Beginning control of pencil, crayons, markers, scissors, glue and paint
Exploring many different art materials and mediums
Developing a love of books and reading
Learning some facts about:
Colors, shapes, seasons, weather, holidays & traditions, bears, birds, bugs, planting, the circus, our flag, community helpers, the farm and the 5 senses

Through each of these experiences, our goal is to instill in each child a desire to question, explore and learn in a positive manner and to develop a continuing "love for and joy in" his educational journey.

Goals for 4's

Learning social skills; such as, making new friends, following directions, and peacefully resolving ones own conflicts (conflict resolution) are the main focus at Greenwood Forest Children's Center.

Learning to take care of personal needs such as bathroom needs, keeping up with possessions, be-coming able to put on coats and snap, button, zip and tie, and "clean up" one's own territory are also of prime importance. Consequently bags, cubbies, coat hooks and sinks at child level, art dry-ing racks, and easily accessible storage for specific items are a convenience but also serve a dual purpose.

However, your four year olds will begin learning about things in a few additional areas. Remem-ber, this may be the first time that some children are introduced to these skills and some concepts are not expected to be mastered this year. Be patient, they are just beginning a lifetime journey of education.

LANGUAGE:
Write and recognize name
Introduce upper and lower case letters
Introduce the phonetic sounds they make
Encourage language, by the teacher reading fiction and nonfiction books at story time, and telling flannel board stories
In the book center - the child explores books and flannel boards on their own
In the listening center books "on tape" are shared
Introduction to writers and illustrators and learning they can "do it also"

MATH:
Introduce numbers 1 - 10
Number recognition
Number to object correlation (by the touch method of counting)
Simple math games that include grouping, graphing, sorting, colors and shapes, and math language concepts, such as largest-smallest, more-less
Calendars

SCIENCE:
Introducing science through our environment -
air takes up space and makes things move
sink and float
transportation
magnets
how plants grow
magnifying glasses
weather and seasons
insects
dinosaurs
life cycles
forest animals, farm animals, and household pets
balancing/weights
5 senses
our body
shadows
ocean-shells and ocean life
age appropriate experiments related to daily themes evaporation

SOCIAL STUDIES:
Learning about our world through our holiday customs
Learning about other cultures; such as, Native Americans and Eskimos
Community helpers
Phone number and address
Historical people, such as, Washington and Lincoln

ART:
Colors - primary and secondary
Basic shapes recognition
Fine motor skills - glue, scissors, pencils, paint brush, stencils and which hand they will use
Creative art and self expression through many media (i.e. finger paints, brush painting, playdough, GAK, combinations of many materials)

Goals for T's

A transition class provides a period of time when children have an opportunity to grow self-sufficiently. During this year, the expectations for these children are formative, providing opportunities for growing in self confidence, fine tuning strengths, and working to improve individual skills. This program encourages growth in social and emotional skills, and development of cognitive, gross motor, and fine motor abilities. During this year children become more aware that school is great and learning is FUN!

GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:
Develop gross motor skills with opportunities to balance on balance beam, jump on mini-trampoline, roll on tumbling mat, and build upper body strength on exercise bar
Build an ability to take turns with games such as bowling, dodge ball, and Velcro ball throw
Strengthen coordination through jumping rope, bouncing and rolling balls, and walking with high-steppers
Encourage eye-hand coordination, social interaction and sharing, language development and problem solving by trial and error through play with large and small blocks, woodworking, water table table play, and puppets

FINE MOTOR SKILLS:
Develop eye-hand coordination, visual discrimination, fine motor control, and expression through art activities
Practice using small muscles to increase hand strength by assembling puzzles, playing with manipulatives, and geo-boards
Practice name, letter, and number writing, encouraging proper hand position
Improve scissors cutting skills to achieve forward directions on a line

COGNITIVE SKILLS:
Strengthen work habits by completing tasks, trying challenging activities with teacher encouragement, and talking and speaking clearly
Develop math skills by exploring patterns and geometry, sorting and classifying, counting, comparing and measuring, graphing, and numbering
Explore the world of science to develop observation, prediction, and problem-solving skills
Expand language skills through large group settings where the child will have the opportunity to share knowledge, examine new concepts, and ask or answer questions

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS:
Encourage courteous, thoughtful, and attentive behavior to others
Teach cooperation by encouraging them to think in terms of group needs, and by working and playing well with others
Build self-control through using words to settle differences, learning concern and respect for other people and things, and share and play cooperatively with others.