| In kindergarten, the abilities to express
oneself and to make personal decisions continue to be encouraged.
Children have opportunities to express themselves through art, play,
and selection of activities. Creating self-portraits, for example,
incorporates both observing and defining oneself and observing how
others define themselves. Children also take pride in beginning
to share responsibility for tasks within the classroom, including
cleaning up and caring for materials.
While play is still central to the curriculum,
the children begin to join in more formal group processes. For the
first time they participate in class meetings-telling their news,
expressing their opinions on how to solve class problems, voting,
and listening while others talk. There is greater emphasis on group
activities, including art, science, music, clay, and physical education.
Special teachers come to the classroom every week to lead exploration
in these areas. Class projects, which often develop out of the interests
of the particular group, are generally initiated and guided by teachers,
but are shaped and modified by the children. Teachers work at engaging
each child's interest in the project at hand, and children may pursue
tasks in highly individual ways.
Kindergarten also includes opportunities
to develop pre-reading and math skills through activities which
include counting, measuring, building, and letter and word recognition.
Finally, the first field trips are taken, offering opportunities
to draw upon local resources as well as to broaden the range of
activities in which children may participate. |
The Foundation: Kindergarten
