A Taste of Douglas Park Preschool

                                           

Here at preschool the children will experience story telling,  dancing,  and puppets. They will enjoy sensory experiences and fine motor practice while painting, drawing and gluing. The children will watch science experiments and hear music, with opportunities to learn new songs.  Through all this fun, the children will still be learning about numbers, the alphabet, colours, shapes and much more!

Our preschoolers will learn to share and create friendships in a safe and secure classroom experience. Each child will learn about health, safety and caring for one another. We will introduce geography and learning opportunities surrounding culture and diversity. 

Each child will build confidence and a sense of self.  Everyone will be a part of a beautiful community ☺

Our preschool offers outdoor play EVERYDAY. We have science, math, literacy, drama and art! We will have group activities led by teachers with children at individual spaces, like science experiments, yoga, baking and music/movement.  The children will have time to explore, investigate, create and socialize at individual stations.

Our program follows an emergent philosophy whereby the teachers create curriculum surrounding children’s interests. We are passionate licensed professionals who strive to honour and respect the needs of each child. 

Our daily schedule includes:

Outdoor Play--Everyday! Aside from enjoying the playground and our community, the children will experience planned activities like treasure hunts, neighbourhood walks, art projects...

Group/Teacher Led Activities--story time, learning math concepts, language activities, science experiments, music and movement...

Individual Activities--a time to explore, investigate and create! A time to share, listen and cooperate.

Snack time – A time for conversation and  healthy eating

At Douglas Park Preschool, the children  participate in special field trips in our community throughout the Preschool year. In addition, we invite special guests to come into our program!

Some Areas of Learning...

Learning Through Art/Creativity

It can be difficult to understand how the mass of lines and colours a child creates is part of the learning processes. When children choose and gather paper, scissors, and crayons, they learn decision-making skills such as how to implement their ideas and how to follow through on a task. When children create with paint, they learn to mix colours and use their own ideas while exploring and discovering consequences.

Block Centre

When children place one block on top of another, they learn basic science concepts such as balance, size, and weight relations. When children make a barn for play animals, they learn to use their imagination and gain self-confidence to try their own ideas. Even clean up time promotes learning. Important beginning math skills are learned as blocks are sorted and classified.

                                                                

Dramatic Play Area

Social, emotional, physical, cognitive and language. Development is major in this play area! 

• Caring
• Nurturing
• Cooperation
• Role Playing
• Problem Solving
• Developing fine motor skills
• Children act out real life situations
• Developing language skill

                                                                      

Circle Time

When children listen and talk about a story, they learn to love books, remember a sequence and recognize that there is a beginning, middle, and end to books and stories. When children sing as a group they learn how to participate with others, to hear and repeat rhythms, and extend their memory. 

                                                                           

Math

To many adults, math is a difficult subject. However, if from an early age children have positive hands-on experiences, they learn math concepts in a non-threatening way and take what they learn from one concept and apply it to the next. When the children are investigating sea shells with magnifying glasses, they begin to recognize similarities and differences of objects. When children sort bear counters of different shapes and sizes they learn to classify.

                                                                                  

Science

In order for children to understand their world, they must have opportunities to explore and question, then actively construct their own knowledge. When children pour water into containers they learn to estimate quantity. When children investigate smelling jars, they learn to use their sense of smell in new ways.

                                          

Language and Literacy

Children’s ability to read and write emerges in a natural ways as long as they are exposed to a supportive literate environment: one that is rich in print, stories, and song; which, we support here at preschool. We create an environment that is rich in puzzles, magnetic letters, flannel boards, stories, which exposes children to the world of letters, words, sounds, symbols and meaning. Language is also heavily supported in all areas of the classroom. In addition, the four year old children will engage in the Fun Family Phonics program. 

Music and Movement

Music influences child development and provides an avenue for creative expression. It is a medium for self-expression, emotional development, creativity, social experience, and physical and perceptual development.