our
CURRICULUM
learning
Whether we are in our classroom, a museum, a planetarium, or outside, we strive to make learning an exciting and enriching process. Our school is designed and staffed to meet the developmental needs of an active preschooler. To promote individual growth, we create experiences that will complement children's natural interests and abilities. Our number one curriculum goal for our children is to instill a love of learning that will last a lifetime.
social & emotional growth
Our staff supports a child’s social/emotional development through respect and caring. It is our intention to provide a safe and welcoming environment where children will be comfortable being themselves. We practice active listening and promote kindness and acceptance of others. Through role modeling and positive reinforcement, we help our children fine-tune their communication skills. We build classroom communities by applauding everyone’s accomplishments and embracing the mess as we learn along the way. Our number one social/emotional goal for our children is to foster respect for themselves and others.
physical development
We plan activities throughout the week that will help our children develop their fine and gross motor skills. In addition to outdoor walks and play, DASA Preschool students have daily access to indoor gymnasium equipment. These activities compliment the movement and music instruction that occur in the classroom. For small motor development, opportunities to work with tools, writing implements, building blocks, and varied classroom manipulatives including pipettes and tweezers, serve to strenghten this important developmental area while integrating our STEAM based curricumlum into instruction. Our number one goal in this area is to provide our children with many choices to develop their emerging physical skills.
creative arts
Participation in the visual arts provides children with an opportunity to express themselves creatively and to help them use their developing skills to represent emotions and experiences. Through the study of artists, illustrators, and authors such as Georgia O’Keefe, Mo Willems, Eric Carle or Jackson Pollock, children begin to gain an appreciation for individual and cultural identity and expression. Our number one goal relating to the visual arts is to provide our children with opportunities to express themselves in unique and personal ways, without fear of judgment or criticism. We follow the philisophy of process art where students focus on the experience of creating art rather than the end product. To learn more about process art, please refer to the following article from the National Association for Education of Young Children. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/feb2014/process-art-experiences
curriculum development
Topics of study for the children at The Discovery Academy of Science & Art Preschool primarily revolve around STEAM and include the classroom, outdoor experiences, and visits to local museums. Each year the staff helps to choose five or six topics of study and then teaching teams plan activities and projects based on the age and interests of the children in their classes. Activities and projects are planned with developmentally appropriate practice in mind A sampling of themes may include Simple Chemistry, Simple Physics, Intro to Museums, Dinosaurs, Rocks and Minerals, Astronomy, Native American Culture, Art and Artists, Photography, Light and Color, Architecture, Movement, and Sound, Animals and Environments, Botany and Human Biology. We leave room in our planning for emergent themes to develop. Emergent themes reflect the interests of the students, families, and staff and if needed, extra time is devoted to the exploration of these topics.
