Children in our 4’s class learn to express themselves, gain confidence and develop a love for learning.

The 4’s class meets five days a week from 9:00am to 11:45am. There is a Head Teacher and two Teachers in the class, plus a Floating Teacher when needed. There is a maximum of eighteen children in the class.

Through child-directed and teacher -guided activities, children in our 4’s class learn to express themselves, gain confidence and develop a love for learning. Children in the 4’s follow the Creative Curriculum, a play-based educational program that addresses the four areas of development:

Social and Emotional

Through themed-activities like “All About Me” and “Friends,” children learn to respect and care for themselves and others. Children, who work both individually and part of a team, are given classroom jobs to understand responsibilities and build self-esteem. They learn to help one another with classroom tasks like clean up time. Dramatic play in the kitchen area enhances social skills, while Show and Tell helps develop confidence and self-esteem as well as language and listening skills.

Cognitive

Teachers plan activities that spark cognitive development. An example of this is helping a child discover what happens when blue paint and red paint are mixed or when a liquid turn to solid. Other content area includes:

• Math
  Pre-math skills are introduced through pattern games, measurement, block play (balance and stability), sorting, graphing and cooking.
• Science
  Science skills are introduced through various activities including cooking (liquid to solid), gardening and planting, life cycle of the butterfly and chicks. We also use photography as we take pictures for our nature wall.
• Art
  Our art projects encourage children to express their imaginations. Through various art mediums (paint, glue, fabric, shaving crème, and more), children create masterpieces. Through guided art, like a paper tear collage, children not only create a colorful work of art, they are also working on fine motor skills. While painting on the easel, they are encouraging gross motor development

Physical Development

• Fine Motor
  Children’s fine motor development is addressed through manipulatives like playdough, crayons, beading, and Legos, as well as art activities.
• Gross Motor
  Gross motor development is addressed through outside play, including a climbing gym, movement in the classroom, songs and dance as well as block play.

 

Language

• Expressive
  Children are encouraged to express their thoughts and ideas throughout the day. Teachers listen attentively and engage in conversation, and expand on what the children say promoting letter sound connections as well as words with actions. Circle Time activities promote conversation; Show and Tell promotes expressive language and voice projection. Children are read to each day.
• Receptive
  Teachers provide new and different experiences that expand receptive vocabulary like field trips, visitors, and objects to explore. A rich varied curriculum expands children’s conceptual understanding and listening vocabulary.
• Alphabet
  The alphabet is addressed through songs, stories and show and tell. The 4’s also create an alphabet book with art activities, write/draw in their journals, and create class books as well. Each of these activities promotes letter recognition and letter sound connections.

Enrichment

The 4’s enjoy Music twice a week, Spanish class, Creative Movement, Gymtime and visits from The Nature of Things. Children in the 4’s are encouraged to take part in our three after-school enrichment programs: Sprouting STEMs, Musical Monets, and Cooking Cuties (for more information on these programs please see our ‘After-school Enrichment’ page).

The 4’s visit the Greenburg Nature Center twice a year, in the fall for apple cidering and in the spring for Maple sugaring. We also visit the Scarsdale Library. A fourth trip is decided upon during the year.   All the families can join together for brunch at the school for the 4’s Thanksgiving Feast. There is also the Holiday Tea – a school wide event in which the 4’s perform. In the early spring, the 4’s also design and present their Dinosaur Museum.

A Typical Day in the 4’s

The 4’s follow a daily schedule that is posted for the children to see.  A typical day includes:

• Table Time/Arrival: Children can meet and greet each other and their teachers while engaging in tabletop activities like magnets, dry erase boards, and manipulatives.
• Circle time: Everyone comes together to discuss the day’s plan. Jobs are assigned. The weather is depicted on our weather chart. Other activities at circle time may include show and tell and Interactive flannel board stories.
• Free Choice Time: Children are encouraged to explore different areas of the classroom during this time. Centers are designed to promote developmentally appropriate learning. Our centers are:  dramatic play area, sensory table, science and math centers, book nook, art center, listening center and free play carpet area for blocks and trains.
• Story time: Books encourage children to enhance their listening skills, reinforce language, and ask and answer questions. Children are encouraged to choose books.
• Snack: Snack can be a very social experience. A typical snack is usually crackers and fruit (provided by a parent), although there are times when we may make a snack for the day, like pancakes or muffins.
• Outdoor/Indoor Play: The 4’s enjoy the outdoors on our playground. If the weather is not cooperating, we have use of a large indoor play area.