TLC implements Creative Curriculum for our Infant, Toddlers, and Early Preschool classes, while Tools of the Mind Curriculum is followed in our Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten program.
The Creative Curriculum for preschool children provides an environmental approach to learning in which children learn through daily exploration with a rich environment as well as direct teacher instruction. The children will take part in eleven content areas which include block play, dramatic play, toys, game play, library, sand and water table play, music and movement activities, cooking, computers, outdoor play, and discovery play area. The curriculum for the children is set up to provide daily experiences in each of these areas that engage children in the learning environment.
The following are some of the activities that the children do in a Tools of the Mind classroom:
Infants – Our youngest learners participate in a wide variety of activities based on each child’s individual developmental level. Students in this program learn social skills through facial expressions and big body movement. The program enhances language development through stories, music, sign language and the introduction of vocabulary words. Students have access to various apparatuses such as: mats, floor gyms and climbing toys to promote gross motor development. Fine motor development is encouraged through finger movements and gestures during songs and games, age appropriate manipulatives, and individual play. The classroom teacher and assistants will facilitate exploration by changing out toys and apparatuses, modeling new games, role playing and designing a creative and productive classroom environment.
Toddlers – These early learners are transitioned into the Toddler class based on their physical & developmental abilities, not chronological age. At this level students display a wide variety of developmental and social abilities and are taught through hands on activities that promote all areas of development. Pre-Reading Skills are encouraged through focal stories, student participation in story time and media exposure to letters and words in various forms of printed materials. Pre-Math Skills such as colors, shapes, counting, calendar and printed numbers are introduced to students in small increments. Students are also exposed to daily Physical Fitness Activities, Social Skill Development Opportunities and Science / Community Exploration.
Early Preschool - Students at this age begin to develop the academic skills that will follow them through their preschool years. Students are introduced to group and independent learning activities and given more opportunities for explorative learning and choice within their daily schedule. Pre-Reading and Writing Skills are encouraged through themed stories, letter introduction, sight words & labeling, creative writing opportunities, and classroom libraries and writing centers. Pre-Math Skills include an introduction to colors (basic 8), shapes (circle, square, triangle, diamond, rectangle, oval, star & heart), printed numbers up to 10 and counting objects to 3. A strong emphasis is still placed on language development at this level. Descriptive words are introduced to expand the student’s vocabulary and music and movement activities are utilized so that students learn through familiar songs and gestures. Students are also introduced to some basic Spanish, Organized Physical Fitness Skills, Community Development, Sciences and Character building activities.
Pre-School - This classroom focuses on appropriate classroom behavior and independent student growth. Children at this class level are expected to be able to follow simple directions and classroom rules with minimal teacher reminders. Pre-Reading & Writing Skills are the foundation of the preschool curriculum. These skills are developed through letter shape & sound recognition drills, pre-printing activities, individual alphabet introduction, sight words & labeling and guided activities in writing & literacy centers. Pre-Math activities include counting numbers up to 20, grouping, charting and classification. Vocabulary growth through conversational language and story books will allow students to learn new words in real settings. Students will be introduced to the Greek language and continue to participate in basic Spanish, Organized Physical Fitness Skills, Community Development, Sciences and Character building activities.
Pre-Kindergarten - Kindergarten readiness is the main goal of the Pre-K program. Reading and Writing skills are developed through increased journal time, independent writing activities, introduction to CVC words and phonetic awareness. Students at this level begin to apply phonetic rules to decode words, allowing them to “read” independently. Students are introduced to various mathematical ideas including addition & subtraction, geometric shapes (rhombus, trapezoid, hexagon, etc…) and the concept of sizes (big, bigger & biggest…small, smaller & smallest…tall, taller & tallest, etc…). Students will continue to develop new vocabulary skills through conversational and literature experiences and be exposed to more advanced Greek & Spanish. At this level students will also focus on developing fine motor skills such as: snapping, lacing manipulatives, buttons, cutting independently with scissors and continue to develop their gross motor skill. History & Science topics may include; The United States of America, Community Life, Map Skills, Plants and Animals and Habitats, Insects, Reptiles, Mammals, Recycling and Environmental Care.
Kindergarten - Students are ready for Kindergarten if they are 5 by the October 1st deadline. Students who do not meet the deadline will need to be assessed by the kindergarten teacher to determine eligibility. Our kindergarten is a full day program that emphasizes reading, writing and math skills, in addition to a science component and community awareness. Kindergarten students utilize a reading and language arts program by McGraw-Hill: Wonders. McGraw-Hill My Math is the curriculum used for math. Additionally students are exposed to various science, social studies and enrichment themes. Students work in age appropriate workbooks that correspond with the above mentioned curricula. The accelerated academic programming and additional teacher support (classroom assistant), allow students of all levels to succeed and thrive in our program.
Summer Programming - Summer at Trinity Learning Center means days filled with water play, sport activities, special events, science, cooking and so much more. We invite infants through 8th graders to come out and join the fun. During the summer we like to take advantage of our lighter roster by scheduling a lot of messy and experimental activities. We also have special guests come out to the school to provide our students with hands on activities and presentations. Previous guests include: Local Zoos, Aquariums, Children’s Museums, Musical & Stage Performers, Art Professionals and so many more. Look for our calendar in the spring for more information about this year’s program.
The Creative Curriculum for preschool children provides an environmental approach to learning in which children learn through daily exploration with a rich environment as well as direct teacher instruction. The children will take part in eleven content areas which include block play, dramatic play, toys, game play, library, sand and water table play, music and movement activities, cooking, computers, outdoor play, and discovery play area. The curriculum for the children is set up to provide daily experiences in each of these areas that engage children in the learning environment.
The following are some of the activities that the children do in a Tools of the Mind classroom:
- Play Plans – an instructional strategy used to promote the development of self-regulation. Children plan their plan every day, right before they start playing in the centers. A Play Plan usually describes the role and the actions a child will engage during the first few minutes of play. This initial plan helps children to act purposefully.
- Make Believe Play
- Cooperative Paired Learning
- Scaffold Writing – Children first plan what they want to write, draw it, and then write it. With the help of multiple mediators such as lines drawn to represent words. The form that the writing takes (scribbles, lines, initial letter sounds, estimated/invented spelling, word patterns_ depends on where the children are in their writing development.
Infants – Our youngest learners participate in a wide variety of activities based on each child’s individual developmental level. Students in this program learn social skills through facial expressions and big body movement. The program enhances language development through stories, music, sign language and the introduction of vocabulary words. Students have access to various apparatuses such as: mats, floor gyms and climbing toys to promote gross motor development. Fine motor development is encouraged through finger movements and gestures during songs and games, age appropriate manipulatives, and individual play. The classroom teacher and assistants will facilitate exploration by changing out toys and apparatuses, modeling new games, role playing and designing a creative and productive classroom environment.
Toddlers – These early learners are transitioned into the Toddler class based on their physical & developmental abilities, not chronological age. At this level students display a wide variety of developmental and social abilities and are taught through hands on activities that promote all areas of development. Pre-Reading Skills are encouraged through focal stories, student participation in story time and media exposure to letters and words in various forms of printed materials. Pre-Math Skills such as colors, shapes, counting, calendar and printed numbers are introduced to students in small increments. Students are also exposed to daily Physical Fitness Activities, Social Skill Development Opportunities and Science / Community Exploration.
Early Preschool - Students at this age begin to develop the academic skills that will follow them through their preschool years. Students are introduced to group and independent learning activities and given more opportunities for explorative learning and choice within their daily schedule. Pre-Reading and Writing Skills are encouraged through themed stories, letter introduction, sight words & labeling, creative writing opportunities, and classroom libraries and writing centers. Pre-Math Skills include an introduction to colors (basic 8), shapes (circle, square, triangle, diamond, rectangle, oval, star & heart), printed numbers up to 10 and counting objects to 3. A strong emphasis is still placed on language development at this level. Descriptive words are introduced to expand the student’s vocabulary and music and movement activities are utilized so that students learn through familiar songs and gestures. Students are also introduced to some basic Spanish, Organized Physical Fitness Skills, Community Development, Sciences and Character building activities.
Pre-School - This classroom focuses on appropriate classroom behavior and independent student growth. Children at this class level are expected to be able to follow simple directions and classroom rules with minimal teacher reminders. Pre-Reading & Writing Skills are the foundation of the preschool curriculum. These skills are developed through letter shape & sound recognition drills, pre-printing activities, individual alphabet introduction, sight words & labeling and guided activities in writing & literacy centers. Pre-Math activities include counting numbers up to 20, grouping, charting and classification. Vocabulary growth through conversational language and story books will allow students to learn new words in real settings. Students will be introduced to the Greek language and continue to participate in basic Spanish, Organized Physical Fitness Skills, Community Development, Sciences and Character building activities.
Pre-Kindergarten - Kindergarten readiness is the main goal of the Pre-K program. Reading and Writing skills are developed through increased journal time, independent writing activities, introduction to CVC words and phonetic awareness. Students at this level begin to apply phonetic rules to decode words, allowing them to “read” independently. Students are introduced to various mathematical ideas including addition & subtraction, geometric shapes (rhombus, trapezoid, hexagon, etc…) and the concept of sizes (big, bigger & biggest…small, smaller & smallest…tall, taller & tallest, etc…). Students will continue to develop new vocabulary skills through conversational and literature experiences and be exposed to more advanced Greek & Spanish. At this level students will also focus on developing fine motor skills such as: snapping, lacing manipulatives, buttons, cutting independently with scissors and continue to develop their gross motor skill. History & Science topics may include; The United States of America, Community Life, Map Skills, Plants and Animals and Habitats, Insects, Reptiles, Mammals, Recycling and Environmental Care.
Kindergarten - Students are ready for Kindergarten if they are 5 by the October 1st deadline. Students who do not meet the deadline will need to be assessed by the kindergarten teacher to determine eligibility. Our kindergarten is a full day program that emphasizes reading, writing and math skills, in addition to a science component and community awareness. Kindergarten students utilize a reading and language arts program by McGraw-Hill: Wonders. McGraw-Hill My Math is the curriculum used for math. Additionally students are exposed to various science, social studies and enrichment themes. Students work in age appropriate workbooks that correspond with the above mentioned curricula. The accelerated academic programming and additional teacher support (classroom assistant), allow students of all levels to succeed and thrive in our program.
Summer Programming - Summer at Trinity Learning Center means days filled with water play, sport activities, special events, science, cooking and so much more. We invite infants through 8th graders to come out and join the fun. During the summer we like to take advantage of our lighter roster by scheduling a lot of messy and experimental activities. We also have special guests come out to the school to provide our students with hands on activities and presentations. Previous guests include: Local Zoos, Aquariums, Children’s Museums, Musical & Stage Performers, Art Professionals and so many more. Look for our calendar in the spring for more information about this year’s program.