April - Zoo and Circus Animals and Easter


This experience focuses on animals that can be seen in a zoo and circus emphasizing the characteristics of each animal's habitat in the wild.

  • Color - Pink and White
  • Letters - P, Q, and R
  • Shape - Heart
  • Number - Seven (7)
  • Spanish - Mouth (Boca), Teeth (Dientes), Rabbit (Conejo), Snake (Serpiente), Snow (Nieve), Snowman (Muñeco De Nieve), Color: Pink (Rosado) and White (Blanco), Letters: M, N, O, Shape: Heart (Corazón), Number: Seven (Siete)
  • American Sign Language - Mouth, Teeth, Rabbit, Snake, Snow, Snowman, Color: Pink and White, Letters: P, Q, R, Shape: Heart, Number: Seven
  • Nursery Rhyme - Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers

July - America, Independence Day, and Florida, the State We Live In


This experience focuses on sharing the pride and joy of being part of 'America the Beautiful'.  In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence.


This experience focuses on our state animals and places that the children have visited and might visit during their vacations.

  • Color - Blue
  • Letters - M, N and O
  • Shape - Pentagon
  • Number - Six (6)
  • Spanish - Hot (Caliente), Cold (Frío), Dark (Oscuro), Light (Ligero), Day (Día) , Night (Noche), Color: Blue (Azul), Letters: M, N, O, Shape: Pentagon (Pentágono), Number: Six (Seis)
  • American Sign Language - Hot, Cold, Dark, Light, Day , Night, Color: Blue, Letters: M, N, O, Shape: Pentagon, Number: Six
  • Nursery Rhyme - Pease Porridge Hot

Resource: Developed by The Creative Center for Childhood Research and Training, Inc., Tallahassee, Florida

October - Night Time, Outer Space, and Fire Prevention


This experience focuses on "things that go bump in the night" (fears). Nocturnal animals, Halloween, and the Fall Season will be a part of this unit.

Outer Space is about galaxies, planets, and stars. Discuss some of the great historical moments in space travel and what's happening currently.

November - Native American, Harvest, Good Nutrition, 

and Thanksgiving


This experience focuses on the changes we see in the Fall and appropriate information concerning the special people that lived in this land before the Pilgrims arrived.

Curriculum

 

September - Myself and My Family


This experience focuses on each child's special attributes. Diversity makes us strong and we are all the same, yet we are all uniquely different.

Children will learn to read and will become life long readers if their early years are filled with warm, successful, and loving literacy experiences.

  • Color - Review of All Colors
  • Letters - Review of all Letters
  • Shape - Review of all Shapes
  • Number - Review of All Numbers
  • Spanish - Happy! (Feliz!), Hungry! (Hambriento!), Like! (Como!), Lunch! (Almuerzo!), Juice! (Hugo!), Clean-Up! (Limpieza!), Milk! (Leche!), More! (Mas!), Come! (Venir!), and Review of All Letters, Colors, and Shapes that students learned this year from September to July
  • American Sign Language - Happy!, Hungry!, Like!, Lunch!, Juice!, Clean-Up!, Milk!, More!, Come!, and Review of All Letters, Colors, and Shapes that students learned this year from September to July
  • Nursery Rhyme - I'm a Little Teapot

Beyond Centers and Circle Time

August - Dinosaurs and Volcanoes


This experience focuses on dinosaurs, their names, habitats, and behaviors.

December - Christmas and the Winter Season - Traditions and Celebrations in the United Stated and Other Countries Around the World


This experience focuses on the different ways that people celebrate, family traditions this time of the year and the Winter season.

  • Color - All Shades of Green
  • Letters - S, T and U
  • Shape - Octagon
  • Number - Eight (8)
  • Spanish - Frog (Rana), Turtle (Tortuga), Water (Agua!), Sandwich (Bocadillo), Snack (Bocadillo), Popcorn (Palomitas De Maíz), Color: Green (Verde), Letters: S, T, U, Shape: Octagon (Octágono), Number: Eight(Ocho)
  • American Sign Language - Frog, Turtle, Water, Snack, Sandwich, Popcorn, Color: Green, Letters: S, T, U, Shape: Octagon, Number: Eight
  • Nursery Rhyme - One, Two, Buckle My Shoe

Children learn best when they are happy and interacting with adults, each other, materials, and in activities that are exciting and developmentally appropriate.

  • Color - Red 
  • Letters - A, B and C
  • Shape - Circle
  • Number - Zero (0) and One (1) 
  • Spanish - Hello! (Hola!), Good-bye! (Adiós!), Please! (Por favor! ), Thank You! (Gracias!), More! (Más), Happy! (Feliz), Red (Rojo), Circle (Círculo), Zero (Cero), and One (Uno) 
  • American Sign Language - Hello!, Good-bye!, Please!, Thank You!, More!, Happy!, Letters: A, B, and C, Numbers: 0 and 1, Color: Red, and Shape: Circle   
  • Nursery Rhyme - Mary Had A Little Lamb
  • Color - Green
  • Letters - J, K and L
  • Shape - Star and Crescent
  • Number - Five (5)
  • Spanish - Lunch! (Almuerzo!), Come! (Venir!), Thirsty! (Sed!), Tired! (Cansado!), Cat (Gato), Dog (Perro), Sad! (Triste!), Scared! (Asustado!), Green (Verde), Star (Estrella), Five (Cinco)
  • American Sign Language - Lunch!, Come! Thirsty!, Tired!, Cat, Dog, Sad!, Scared!, Letters: J, K, and L, Color: Green, Shape: Star, Number: Five
  • Nursery Rhyme - Row, Row, Row, Your Boat

February - Pets, Valentine's Day, Dental Health Care, and Black History Month


This experience focuses on animals that make good pets. The children can bring pictures of their pets for a bulletin board. Visitors with trained pets will be invited to share their pets. Emphasis will be placed on how to care for pets.


Valentine's Day is about friendship. Discuss how to treat friends, family and others.  What being a friend means, "sharing and caring".

Dental Health Care is about proper dental hygiene. we will discuss why it is important to take proper care of your teeth.

National Pet Month’s promotes responsible pet ownership, make people aware of the benefits of pets for people and people for pets, increase public awareness of services available from professionals who work with animals, raise awareness of the role, value and contribution to society of working companion animals

Black History Month, or National African American History Month, is an annual celebration of achievements by black Americans and a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. history. 

June - Beaches and Ocean Life


This experience focuses on visits to the beach and the animals and plants that live in the ocean.

  • Color - Gray
  • Letters - Review of all Letters
  • Shape - Review of all Shapes
  • Number - Review of All Numbers
  • Spanish - Ocean (Océano), Water (Agua), Fish (Pescado), Sun (Sol), Rain (Lluvia), Clouds (Nubes), Gray, (Gris), Review of All: Colors, Letters, Shapes, and Numbers
  • American Sign Language - Ocean, Water, Fish, Sun, Rain, Clouds, Review of All: Colors, Letters, Shapes, and Numbers
  • Nursery Rhyme - My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean

January - Authors and Illustrators (Dr. Seuss, Richard 

Scarry, Laura Numeroff, Eric Carle, and Leo Lionni)


This experience focuses on the different methods and materials these authors use to illustrate their books. Discuss the different parts of the books; title page, table of contents, cover, front/back etc. Demonstrate how to hold a book and characteristic of the author.

Introduction​

Children learn through play.  Playful experiences with materials, objects, other children, and caring adults help children develop physically, emotionally, cognitively, and socially.  Play research and theory should be the basis for high quality early childhood programming.

High quality play environments for young children support the three kinds of play recognized in early childhood research (Weikart, Rodgers, & Adcock, 1971) and the theoretical work of Eric Erikson, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Anna Freud:

  • Color - Orange and Black
  • Letters - D, E and F
  • Shape - Triangle
  • Number - Two (2) and Three (3) 
  • Spanish - Yes! (Sí!) , No! (No! ), Hungry! (Hambriento), Eat! ( Comer!), Boy (Niño), Girl (Niña), Orange (Anaranjado), Black (Negro), Two (Dos), Three (Tres), Triangle (Triángulo) 
  • American Sign Language - Yes!, No!, Hungry!, Eat!, Boy!, and Girl!, Letters: D, E, and F, Colors: Orange, Black, Numbers: Two, Three, and Shape: Triangle
  • Nursery Rhyme - Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

March - Reptiles and Amphibians


This experience focuses on the characteristics of reptiles and amphibians and their value to our environment.  

We will discuss St. Patrick's Day and the change of season to Spring.

May - Spring, May Day, Plants, Flowers, Insects


This experience focuses on the changes of Spring, growing plants, and the insects that help our gardens. Many children are afraid of insects. This unit will help them to understand the importance of insects and their value to our environment.

  • Color - Purple
  • Letters - V, W and X
  • Shape - Hexagon
  • Number - Nine (9)
  • Spanish - Zoo (Zoológico), Animal (Animales), Bear (Oso), Monkey (Mono), Lion (León), Horse (Caballo), Color: Purple (Morado or Púrpura), Letters: V,W,X, Shape: Hexagon (Hexágono),  Number: Nine (Nueve)
  • American Sign Language - Zoo, Animal, Bear, Monkey, Lion, Horse, Color: Purple, Letters: V, W, X, Shape: Hexagon, Number: Nine
  • Nursery Rhyme - Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake, Baker's Man

Scaffolding (skaf' old ing)


A changing quality of support over a teaching session in which a more skilled partner adjusts the assistance he or she provides to fit the child's current level of performance.  More support is offered when a task is new; less is provided as the child's competence increases, thereby fostering the child's autonomy and independent mastery.

Resource: Laura F. Berk and Adam Winsler, 1995, Scaffolding Children's Learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education.

  • sensorimotor of functional play
  • dramatic play (microspheric and macrospheric)
  • construction play (fluid/messy and structured)
  • Color - Review of All Colors
  • Letters - Review of all Letters
  • Shape - Review of all Shapes
  • Number - Review of All Numbers
  • Spanish - School (Escuela), Teacher (Profesor), Sing (Cantar), Read (Leer), Play (Jugar), Paper (Papel), Review of All: Colors, Letters, Shapes, and Numbers
  • American Sign Language - School, Teacher, Sing, Read, Play, Paper, Review of All: Colors, Letters, Shapes, and Numbers
  • Nursery Rhyme - Ten Little Indians
  • Color - Brown and Yellow
  • Letters - G, H and I
  • Shape - Square and Rectangle
  • Number - Four (4)
  • Spanish - Clean-Up! (Limpieza!), Milk! (Leche!), Go! (Ir!), Stop! (Parar!), Full! (Lleno!), Funny! (Divertido), Bird (Aves), Fish (Pez), Brown (Marrón), Yellow (Amarillo), Square (Cuadrado), Four (Cuatro)
  • American Sign Language - Clean-Up!, Milk!, Go!, Stop!, Full!, Funny!, Bird, Fish, Letters:G, H, and I, Colors: Brown and Yellow, Shape: Square, Number: Four
  • Nursery Rhyme - Hey Diddle Diddle

Jean Piaget (1972, p. 27) speaking about how children learn, said: 
"Children should be able to do their own experimenting and their own research.

Teachers, of course, can guide them by providing appropriate materials, but the essential thing is that in order for a child to understand something, he or she must construct it by him or herself, they must re-invent."

  • Color - Rainbow
  • Letters - Y and Z
  • Shape - Oval
  • Number - Ten (10)
  • Spanish - Bug (Bug), Butterfly (Mariposa), Bee (Abeja), Caterpillar (Oruga), Flower (Flor), Rainbow(Arco Iris), Color: Rainbow (Arco Iris), Letters: Y and Z, Shapes: Review of All Shapes, Number: Ten (Diez)
  • American Sign Language - Bug, Butter Fly, Bee, Caterpillar, Flower, Rainbow, Color: Rainbow, Letters: Y and Z, Shapes: Review of All Shapes, Number: Ten (10)
  • Nursery Rhyme - Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall