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Hello and welcome to the Little Explorers Three-Year-Old Classroom!
We are open Monday through Friday from 7:30 A.M. to 5:30 P.M.

We operate year-round and are closed on major holidays such as New Year's, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.

We are also closed the third week of August as a vacation period for all of the staff and children.

We offer educational and play-based childcare and are excited to meet you and your family!

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Komondor E. Jan - Dec. Curriculum Themes 2021.docx

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The monthly theme is:
Let's Explore Water!

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Learning & Skills:
Small & Large Motor Development, Hand-Eye Coordination, Problem-Solving, Creative Thinking, Cooperation, Increase in Vocabulary and Concepts such as Shapes and Sizes.

Featured Activity:
Title:  I Can Build...

Objective: Various images can stimulate children to create their own buildings, bridges, boats, etc. They can talk about their creations and why and how they built them. This can promote physical and language development.

Brief Description:

There are various images on the walls surrounding the block area such as boats and bridges for the children to see as they play

There are also image cards that the children can see and copy to make their own items, such as bridges of all sizes and shapes, boats, canoes, pirate ships, etc

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Learning & Skills:
Self-Discovery, Exploration of Five Senses, Observations, Predictions, Communication, Problem-Solving, and Investigating Properties and Actions of Objects.

Featured Activity:
Title: Sensory Bottles

Objective: Children can observe and predict what will happen when they shake each water-based sensory bottle. These items bring the scientific method into play and help progress cognitive and creative development; they also can assist in emotional development.

Brief Description:

There are a variety of water-based sensory bottles: some that change color when you mix them, some that contain different colors of water beads, and some that include different items such as glitter, pompoms, or  tiny animals like fish or sharks.

Children can either use the sensory bottles to observe and predict what will happen when they shake them or even use them as a method to calm themselves down and learn to self-regulate their emotions.

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Learning & Skills
Social Roles & Values, Social Concepts such as Jobs and Money,  Planning, Communication, Self-Expression, Cooperation, Sharing, Problem-Solving, and Planning.

Featured Activity:
Title: Are You Hungry?

Objective: Children can plan a picnic with their friends at the pool.

Brief Description:

Children can plan and bring food to have a picnic at the pool

Depending on the amount of children, they can count out the number of plates, cups, and possible silverware for each friend.

They can bring enough food for everyone to eat and enjoy their picnic

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Learning & Skills:
Immersion in Language, Increase in Language & Comprehension, Print Awareness & Orientation (Front to Back, Left to Right), Sound Play, Rhyming, Repetition, and Story Patterns & Sequences.

Featured Activity:
Title of Book: The Great Big Water Cycle Adventure

Author: Kay Barnham

Illustrator: Maddie Frost

Year: 2018

Publisher: Peterson’s

Story Summary: Follow the journey of water, from raindrops to rivers and then back to the clouds. Children have lots of questions about the world around them, and this book helps them discover many amazing and wonderful scientific facts about nature. The charming collage-effect illustrations are inspired by farms and scenery that the illustrator sees around her home in New Hampshire. Lively texts engage children and make this book a favorite to return to again and again. There are also Notes to Parents and Teachers at the end to encourage further exploration and learning.       www.amazon.com

Story Based Center Activity:
Water Cycle Wheels

1. There are a variety of water cycle wheels available which the kids can view and move around to view the different stages of water

2. Each stage has an image which is easy to understand and clearly labelled

3. There are paper and coloring items available for the children to make their own water cycle wheels

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Learning & Skills:
Small Motor Development, Hand-Eye Coordination,  Classification, Ordering (Size, Color, Shapes), Patterning (Height, Color), Numbering, (1-1 Correspondence, Rote and Rational Counting), Problem-Solving, and Persistence.

Featured Activity:
Title: Pattern Blocks

Objective: Children will develop classification with shape recognition and matching shapes to create designs.

Materials: Pattern Block Mats and Pattern Blocks

Brief Description:

There are a variety of Pattern Block Mats which show images such as animals and boats

There are also plenty of Pattern Blocks which vary in shape, size, and color

Children can either match up the blocks to the image on the mats to make the full design, or use the blocks to make their own design

Children are able to work on shape recognition through hands-on engagement as well as classify and sort each piece either by shape, color, or size

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Learning & Skills:
Self-Expression, Communication, Expression, Confidence, Critical Thinking, Cause & Effect, Sensory Exploration, Small & Large Motor Development, and Hand-Eye Coordination.

Featured Activity:
Title: Watercolors

Materials: Watercolor Sets, Paintbrushes, Water Cups, Watercolor Paper (Normal or Design), white crayon (optional)

Brief Description:

Children can pick their piece of paper, either a normal rectangle or a variety of designs, whether it’s shapes or animals

They can use their own watercolor set with a small paintbrush and a watercup to paint on their paper

If the child is interested, the teacher can offer Watercolor Letter Reveal Papers

The teacher can use a white crayon and write either a specific letter or the child’s name on the watercolor paper which will be revealed when the child paints over it

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We follow OCFS Regulations so with Little Explorers being a Three-Year-Old Classroom, the ratio is 1 Teacher to 7 Children We have two teachers in our classroom, so we are able to have 14 children in our classroom.

In order to fit everyone comfortably, we account for at least 35 square feet per child, so our classroom is around 650 square feet.

We also work to define  and separate our Learning Centers so that children may play comfortably in each area and explore their surroundings.

https://www.communityplaythings.com/Inspiration/sample-classrooms/07-Preschool-A

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Our Circle Rug is one of the children's favorite items in our classroom! They enjoy picking their spot to sit while working on their Color, Letter, and Number Recognition.
Our Circle Rug fits all of our children comfortably for our Circle Time as well as for our Music and Movement activities!

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Beaty, J. J. (2018). Preschool Appropriate Practices: Environment, Curriculum, and Development (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Community Playthings (2021). Sample Classroom Room Design and Planning. https://www.communityplaythings.com/Inspiration/sample-classrooms Ulster Park, NY

Gordon, A. M., & Browne, K. W. (2014). Beginnings and beyond: foundations in early childhood education (9th ed). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

New York State Child Day Care Regulations. (2020, February 7). Division of Child Care Services. https://ocfs.ny.gov/programs/childcare/regulations/