Curriculum Overview
Five Mile River Nursery School follows an evolving mix of the Bank Street Method, Creative Curriculum and the Emergent Curriculum.
We arrange the rooms to promote interest centers and equip each center thematically so that children explore materials that promote the development of cognitive, imaginative, social and large and small motor skills. Through storytelling, circle time, multisensory experiences and games, music, blocks, puzzles, art, manipulatives, natural materials and dramatic play, the children will be exposed to pre-reading, pre-writing and math skills. A major portion of the day plan will include outdoor play to promote physical, social, cognitive and creative development.
Bank Street
From Bank Street we take the idea that cognitive growth cannot be separated from the growth of social and personal processes. The school is connected to the social world of which it is a part. We take trips out into our community to local merchants, the fire station, the post office, the bank and all around town to provide hands-on experiences through which children construct their own knowledge.
Creative
From the Creative Curriculum we take the stages of development: to trust others outside the family, to gain independence and self-control and to take initiative and be assertive in socially acceptable ways. We enhance and foster this development by following a consistent schedule, giving the children developmentally appropriate materials to use, encouraging their efforts with positive support and allowing them to explore the environment independently.
Emergent
We use the Emergent Curriculum to develop our topics around the interests of the children. Their interests, ideas and questions will provide the inspiration for classroom projects. Through both child initiated and teacher facilitated experiences, children are given the opportunity to fully explore the world around them. Many of our topics are selected from the Core Knowledge Sequence for Kindergarten.