Kindergarten
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Bienvenue au Jardin Maternel!
The Teddy Bear Club bilingual preschool program extends through the kindergarten year. Our kindergarten program may be used either as a transitional kindergarten year for children too young to attend kindergarten, or as a regular kindergarten program for children planning to attend first grade the following year. Our high expectations for children’s academic achievement, the attainment of appropriate social skills and the development of self-assured, confident children make our program highly desirable.
Our kindergarten program goals are as follows:
- To develop a positive sense of self in the child
- To help the child achieve intellectual growth
- To expand the child’s knowledge of people, experiences, ideas, and things through an introduction to social studies and geography
- To increase competence and skills in language arts through reading, writing, listening, thinking, and speaking
- To increase competence in mathematics and science
- To increase physical coordination skills
- To increase competence in dealing with emotional feelings and social situations
- To increase competence in self-direction, initiative and independence
- To develop cooperative trusting relationships and team work
- To develop the child’s natural curiosity and his/her creative potential
The Jardin Maternel program provides children with the opportunity to participate in a balanced, multi-sensory curriculum that furthers their development of literacy skills, mathematics, science, social studies, computer and technology, performing and creative arts. In addition, the children continue their French language study by developing strong listening skills, expanding their vocabularies and formulating short sentences.
Building on the adventures of the Grand Jardin, Le Jardin Maternel children have the unique opportunity to broaden their knowledge of the world by exploring new countries and cultures.
The following is an example of activities and academic concepts introduced to our kindergartners while they were studying South Africa.
Academic Activities
Literacy
The children will read two books by Laura Numeroff, If You Give a Moose a Muffin and If You Take a Mouse to School. They will discuss similarities in plot, setting, and characters between the works of this author.
The sight words one and with will both be introduced through learning centers and whole group activities.
The children will practice their verbal communication skills as they share information they learned about animals from South Africa.
Math
The children will play Train Games using their addition and subtraction skills. They will use a number line, counting up or down, to explore strategies and concepts to build mental skills.
We will experiment with standard and nonstandard units of measurement. We will also introduce tools for measuring length. Why is it helpful to have standard units of measurement?
Science
This week we will study optical illusions. How do you see? Why do you see optical illusions? We will discuss how depth, distance, brightness, contrast and color affect our sight.
Social Studies
Let’s cross the Atlantic Ocean and visit South Africa! What are some unique features of this country? We will discuss the people, animals, landscape and cultures as we color the map and create the South African flag to put in our journal de voyage. We will read the booksA Ticket to South Africa by Mary N. Oluonye and A South African Night by Rachel Isadora.
Creative and Performing Arts
Art
Using brightly colored papers and pipe cleaners the children will make a three-dimensional King Protea – the national flower of South Africa. They will also use sponges to paint the flag of South Africa.
Movement
We will sing the song “Lions Roar” while pretending to move like lions!
Music
The children will perform the South African song, “Imvula, Imvula (It’s Raining, It’s Raining).”
Drama
What are the “Big Five” animals of South Africa? The children will pretend to be one of the “big five.” Guess who I am? A lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo or rhinoceros?
French
The children will review the names of the “big five” in French: le lion (lion), le léopard (leopard), l’éléphant (elephant), le buffle (buffalo) and le rhinocéros (rhinoceros) to create short sentences.
They will also learn vocabulary related to their weekly activities and ask their classmates questions such as: Que fais-tu pendant la semaine? What do you do during the week? Je vais à… (I go to)… l‘école (…school), …la bibliothèque (…the library)… etc.
Social Skills
Charity, service and volunteerism – What do these words mean? How can we help others and can we make a positive impact in our communities?