Teddy Bear Junction provides
child-centered classrooms designed to balance child-directed and
teacher-directed activities. This provides an atmosphere of play which
develops multiple skills and abilities for each child.
THREE YEAR OLD CLASS DESCRIPTION
Three year old classes at Teddy Bear Junction provide a child-centered
environment carefully arranged to develop intellectual, emotional,
social and motor skills. Two teachers in each classroom interact
with a maximum of fifteen children. Although our teachers are
encouraged to rely on their own initiative and creativity to tailor
their classrooms to meet the needs of individual students, some general
attributes are characteristic of all our three year old classes.
Each
classroom is set up with learning centers to allow children to make
choices. Teachers provide a variety of activities and encourage,
but do not require, children to participate in each one. Centers
include simple science demonstrations; a manipulative area for
developing fine motor skills; puzzles for eye-hand coordination and
developing abstract, logical reasoning; and a block center for social,
cooperative play. A home living center provides opportunities for
dramatic play. When a child wants a quiet corner, each room has a
book center available. The water table and sand table are great
favorites as well. Children visit the art center to express
themselves creatively, to explore various media, and to develop
prewriting skills. Occasionally, an art project may be
teacher-directed, providing children the experience of following a
specific sequence of instructions.
The language arts program at this
level concentrates on whole language concepts development, in addition
to the introduction of letters and numbers. Being "Star of the
Week" provides the child with motivation for communicating information
about his family and favorite toys. Circle time becomes more
important as the group comes together to discuss concepts from the theme
of the week. This is also the time for stories, songs, and finger
plays, or for show and tell. Music and movement activities and
Spanish are also included in the three-year-old curriculum as the
children enjoy weekly 25 minute classes with our music and Spanish
teachers. Additionally, they have a daily 30 minute recreation
period on the preschool playground. During inclement weather, we
have the use of the Fellowship Hall for exercising those large muscles.
Our curriculum is also enhanced by a variety of enrichment resources;
Plano fire fighters with their truck and equipment, a visit from the
dentist, or dramatic presentations by a number of local artists.
Three year olds participate in a monthly Children's chapel with one of
the Pastors of the Reformed Church. This 10-15 minute service
includes song, prayer, and a brief illustration about the Good News of
Faith. Parents are invited to observe chapel.
Because our
preschool teachers have neither the facilities nor the time in their
busy schedules to change diapers or for potty training, all preschool
children are expected to be potty trained when school begins.
When they need to use the bathroom, they must be able to notify the
teacher themselves and attend to their own hygiene.
