Baldwin’s Pre-kindergarten program focuses on the
"whole girl" and is based on the philosophy that play is the work of children. Through play a girl learns to negotiate social situations, begins to problem solve, utilizes her imagination, articulates her ideas, and deals with feelings. Social skill development is vital to the early childhood years.
The curriculum focuses on themes that support Baldwin’s core values and promote strategies for problem solving. Children have an opportunity to practice generosity, fairness, tolerance and understanding of others.
A typical day includes circle time, math, language arts, and theme activities, outdoor recess, and a period of free choice. Block building, board games, dress-up corner, sand table, puzzles and painting are some of the free choice activities available to the girls. Because it is a full-day program, snack and lunch are part of the day. A time for quiet rest is included in the each day’s busy schedule. Special subjects are included in the Pre-kindergarten week. Our goal is to provide age-appropriate experiences that promote cognitive, social, emotional and physical development.
Language Arts: The years of early childhood are a time for children to develop language and literacy skills by listening to stories and poetry, having time to share and look at books, and learning the importance of literature. Engaged in activities using a multitude of books, whole language experiences, and the creation of short stories based on their own background, young girls begin to explore and understand the world of print as it relates to spoken language. Participating in discussions fosters self-expression. The girls enjoy creating picture journals, and recording their ideas and observations through drawings and dictation. A study of the “Letter of the Week” involves all modalities for learning: auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic in order to establish letter sound associations. Appropriate pencil grip and letter formation are fostered as children learn their letters and develop fine motor skills.
Mathematics: Students develop readiness skills through the counting, sorting and use of manipulative materials such as Unifix cubes, blocks, counters, games, flannel boards, geoboards, Cuisenaire rods, sandpaper numbers, dominoes, parquetry blocks, counting crystals. The girls are exposed to number recognition to 16, graphing, pattern activities, geometry and spatial sense, sequencing, time (hour), measurement, writing of numbers to 12, and simple addition. Experience with everyday materials such as sand, blocks and a variety of manipulative materials, builds a tactile and visual understanding of fundamental concepts of spatial relationships, geometry in everyday life, and a very preliminary awareness of distance, mass and volume.
Science: Explorations and discovery with everyday things are at the heart of pre-kindergarten science. Using their senses to observe objects helps the student sort and group according to a variety of characteristics. These skills will be applied when they start to note differences in plants and animals. Fostering the sense of wonder that children so naturally bring to school starts with the simplest of experiences, like watching a bean seed germinate, or discovering how thermometers measure temperature. Some pre-k topics are: the seasons, the five senses, how plants grow, sound, and animal adaptations.
Social Studies: Students are introduced to a variety of topics through a thematic approach. Some fall themes include: All About Me, Friendship, Apples, Fire Safety, Pet Care, Manners, and the Changing Seasons. A multicultural theme is continued in winter with a look at how different people celebrate holidays. Drawing from the diverse backgrounds of the students, studies in the curriculum include different cultures and customs, incorporating crafts and stories from various ethnic backgrounds. While appreciating differences, commonalities are recognized and stressed. The girls have early exposure to different languages via integrated units of study in literature, social studies, visual arts, and music. These incorporate greetings, songs and vocabulary from a variety of nations.
Foreign Languages: Early language experiences are integrated into Baldwin’s rich and vibrant curriculum. PK teachers work together with our foreign language teachers to implement language activities that include the use of songs, games and finger plays. Baldwin does not do an immersion program in languages, since the goal is not to master any given language during the lower school years. Rather, the goal is to help our young students develop an ear for languages and foster an appreciation for multiple cultures, through age appropriate, diverse exposure. In the fall PK students meet weekly with the French teacher with the Mandarin teacher during the winter months.
Integrated Science and Art: Explorations and discovery with everyday things are at the heart of pre-kindergarten science and art at Baldwin. Using their senses to make observations girls make choices about how to sort and group materials by a variety of characteristics. Fostering the sense of wonder that children naturally bring to school starts with simple things such as discovering how tree seeds are transported by the wind, or how primary colors mix to make secondary hues. Thematic seasonal units combine fundamental science and art concepts, and help girls make sense of the world, as they experience it! Using the resources of the outdoors, the porches, and a dedicated science/art classroom the teachers develop each girl’s curiosity and creativity.
Music: The main focus of the pre-kindergarten music curriculum is to develop group socialization, singing, and listening skills. Students are encouraged through pitch matching and movement activities to develop motor skills. The playing of small hand-held instruments reinforces steady beat. Throughout the year songs/games current to the season and classroom activities are shared. Students work cooperatively in various musical performances throughout the year.
Physical Education: Girls in pre-kindergarten participate in activities that include the introduction of basic movement concepts, motor skills, manipulation of objects, cooperative games, individual exploration, guided discover and creative problem solving. In the spring swimming is introduced to the girls. During one of their weekly PE periods, the girls will spend time in the pool with the swimming instructors, as an introduction to pool activities.
Parent Participation: Parents are welcome to come to school and share a special interest, lead the girls in a craft, be a guest reader, or take part in a variety of other activities in pre-kindergarten. Our early childhood teachers believe in the value of good home-school communication and encourage parents to ask questions and share perspectives about their daughters’ experiences at school.