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At Brooklyn Friends, we believe that children’s play is an expression of intelligence and growth. Play is the essential work of childhood and an important part of developing cognitive, emotional, and problem-solving skills. The curriculum provides the foundation upon which the academic areas of language arts, reading, mathematics, science, and social studies are established. Our Preschool classrooms are well equipped with materials that encourage imagination and socialization—including books, blocks, manipulatives, paint, dramatic play, and sensory activities.
Young children learn best through hands-on, concrete experiences, and this firm foundation allows them to begin to learn to make abstractions. The BFS Preschool program provides many opportunities for children to repeatedly try new skills and experiment with new knowledge. Children feel safe and free to take risks as they explore the world around them.
Language Arts involve using and developing spoken language and developing an understanding that written symbols represent language and can be used to communicate. Preschool children learn to express themselves verbally and build their vocabulary through stories, books, dramatic play, circle time, and drawing. Language is valued as a positive, productive way to solve problems that may occur in the classroom. As children play, look at books, are read to, and learn to control and predict their environment, they develop and use many of the skills necessary for learning reading. A child’s development moves from the large to the small. In developing visual discrimination, a child will first see and recognize a three-dimensional object, then a representative symbol, then letters, and finally words. BFS teachers monitor and guide the following areas for each child to ensure that children develop the necessary skills as they play and explore:
Children also learn as they see and hear adults read, write, and converse. Spontaneous and meaningful situations occur throughout the day for the children and adults in the class to read, write, and listen to each other—enriching the children’s language skills. As soon as a child thinks of himself or herself (one) and others (more than one), the child is beginning to understand and learn math. Mathematics is a way of ordering and thinking about the world—it is much more than learning to count and to read and write numbers. Preschool math is all about grasping mathematical concepts through a knowledge discovered by hands on experience and observation. When children play in the classroom using manipulative toys, building in the block area, setting the table, taking only two crackers for snack, following a recipe chart, and playing in the sandbox or water table, they are developing mathematical skills and concepts, including:
Science in the Preschool means exploring, experimenting, discovering, and developing an awareness of the changing world. Science is also engaging in activities such as observing grass row, watching butterflies emerge from their chrysalis , studying and researching ponds and owls.
In BFS Preschool classes, children study the natural sciences by having animals in the classroom, observing growth in themselves and others, and following the weather. Preschool science study consists of concrete experiences: When children cook or bring snow into the room and watch the changes, they are studying the physical sciences and gaining an understanding of changes and properties. Other science activities include using magnets, color wheels, and magnifying glasses. As the children explore, their observations lead to “scientific” predictions and eventually to finding ways to record their observations. Social Studies encourages preschoolers to explore their immediate environment. Children begin a journey of discovery as they learn about their classroom community. They learn routines, rhythms, and rules, and begin to understand how to function as a group. They work to recognize likenesses and differences among their peers. By sharing different backgrounds, looking at holiday traditions, exploring a variety of cultural and ethnic cooking activities, reading stories, listening to music, and watching dances, Preschoolers discover the many wonderful differences and common threads that bind individuals together. Learning respect for and acceptance of varied ideas and opinions is a goal of the program. As the children become more comfortable with their own classroom, they venture out into the wider school community; interacting with Lower School buddies, seeing performances by other classes, participating in school-wide events such as the all school art show. Art is a form of communication as natural to children as talking. Creating, experimenting, and learning go hand in hand. Art is exploratory and provides the child with a focus on objects outside himself. It is a source of immediate experience and does not need to be planned or purposeful. Our students have opportunities to create art each and every day. Preschool children engaged in art activities are developing the following skills:
Music is to make, to use, and to enjoy. It is a direct experience that is a part of each Preschool class at BFS. We sing during circle time and listen to a diverse collection of music at various times during each day. As children sing and do finger plays, they use their imaginations and improve coordination. They develop an appreciation for the patterns and the musical variety produced by rhythms and melodies. Most important at this age, they learn to simply love music and find joy in participating in our weekly sings together.
Dramatic play allows children many opportunities to use their imaginations in a variety of ways: in the house area, the block area, with a basket of small figures, or on the roof. This kind of play is fun and an extremely important part of a child’s growth and development. It is here that children in a safe, supportive environment with the guidance of teachers can:
On the roof, in the gym, and during dance, children are developing an awareness of their bodies and their position in the space around them. The ability to move with skill, care, thought, and imagination is a learning process for children as they gain control of their own bodies. In the classroom, the children learn what is safe and appropriate to do with their bodies. In dance, they learn many different ways to move through the room, exploring a variety of themes and music. On the roof or in the gym, the children have the opportunity to run, jump, climb, play with balls, ride bikes and move with freedom. |
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commitment to each child as an individual, combined with a dedicated
professional staff, provides a warm and stimulating environment
where children feel safe and free to explore the world around them.
The BFS Preschool program helps children gain confidence
in themselves as they become learners, adapt to group experiences,
and learn to respect the feelings of others. 
FOR
MORE INFORMATION :
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a pdf of the Preschool brochure on the 
