What Does Carousel Nursery School Teach?

Nursery School is the bridge between home and school, where a child learns independence and sharing, cooperation with classmates and teachers, and the ability to function in a group. By the end of his/her nursery school career, we hope to have fostered in your child a love of learning and a positive attitude toward school life.

Research psychologists have demonstrated by their experiments that "a child's intelligence is not fixed at birth but in fact, can be dramatically affected by the child's experiences and his/her environment, especially in the very early years". With a planned curriculum, Carousel's program allows each child to move at his/her own pace, to develop and refine large muscles, to strengthen small ones, to increase eye- hand coordination and to gain concrete and abstract concepts building toward reading readiness and number work. A child will develop socially by sharing materials, taking turns, following instructions by someone not his/her family, assuming responsibilities, and growing in self confidence.

Some of the concepts taught include:

Quantitative

Counting, writing of numbers, simple comparative terms (big and small. Heavy and light, etc.) colors and shapes: also before and after, today, tomorrow and yesterday, days of the week, months and year, the four seasons and recurrence of familiar holidays.

Language

Encompassing listening to stories, speaking, group discussions, retelling stories and basic pre- reading skills such as direction (up, down, front, back, left, right) left to right and top to bottom progression, recognition and printing of his/her name, alphabet (initial sounds).

Science and Social Studies

Follow themes (Our neighborhood, Fire Prevention, etc.) and holidays (Halloween, Mother's Day, etc.) Citizenship (The pledge of Allegiance); Classification ideas (fruits and vegetables, summer vs. winter); the five senses; augmented by the Pre-School magazine "Let's Find Out".

Arts and Crafts

Working with various materials (play dough, paint, paste, scissors, string, macaroni, fabric scraps). Usually relating to our weekly and/or monthly theme.

Music

Listening, singing, developing rhythm, creating movement, developing listening skills, and auditory discrimination.

Health and Safety

Done in connection with school activities and relating to daily routines-body care, grooming, good health and nutrition habits; safety at home, in school, and in the car. Our program includes "Doctor's Week", "Good Food Week", "Traffic Safety" and more.

Additionally

Counting and basic words in French are taught. Special programs are presented such as, "A to Zap";"Take Care"(home and personal safety), the Zoo Trunk by the Buffalo Zoo; a picnic and puppet show at year's end; parties for birthday's and holiday's (Christmas, Valentine's Day etc.), "School Bus Day" and final Graduation.