Default Style Register
Daycare.com Forum
Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Help Me Revamp My Curriculum. All Ideas Welcomed!
cheerfuldom 05:50 PM 09-08-2012
I have had a younger group for many years and so I never did a specific curriculum. I have never purchased anything, followed lesson plans or anything super structured. We will have crafts that tie into the holidays or seasons, we would do coloring/art and that type of thing as time allowed. I just depended on how much time I had to prep things and what the kids were up to for the day.

At this point, I would love suggestions on a structured curriculum. I think the most frugal way is for me to buy one set of lessons that can be copied as needed. I would love to have something that includes items appropriate for ages 2 to 4....all the basics like colors, shapes, letters. I would like to have something that I can follow and not have to do so much prep on my own. If there is an option that includes one teacher guide and then you purchase the extras for each student, that would be fine too as long as it wasnt crazy expensive. I also need something with no religious based themes.

So the first thing I need is suggestions on a curriculum that might work for me. I have a small group of six children to work with but not every child is here on every day so I would also need something where it isnt a huge issue if someone misses a day. It will be too confusing to go back constantly and redo stuff and keep track of who is here when. I am working around 3 part timers so I would like them to just jump in whenever they can but not miss out if they are not here.

If you create your own curriculum, what does it include on a daily basis and what resources do you use? I am open to ideas on creating my own but would love as much detail as you have time to share with me. Do you have particular sites that you follow for each day, particular books that walk one through each days lessons, etc? Like I said, I really need to have something just laid out and ready for me. Posting "oh I just put together my own and it was really easy" is not helpful to me at this point. I need details Also, I do not have a degree or a lot of training towards early childhood learning as far as education/curriculum goes so I really would love something that keeps that in consideration. I dont have lofty goals of teaching kids to read at age 3. I mostly want something that begins the experience of learning....sitting down, follow instructions, covering very basic skills. Something that is educational and structured but not pressuring me and the kids to be super advanced in anyway. does that make sense? For instance, I did not learn phonics in school to learn to read, nor have I ever had education in teaching young children phonics so I dont feel comfortable getting that far into a preschool curriculum.....I just want to keep it very basic and easy for me to teach.

I know this has been discussed a multitude of times before so I appreciate your patience in sharing your experience with me.
Reply
itlw8 07:48 PM 09-08-2012
I make my own.. I do not believe in worksheets for preschoolers I do not believe in craft projects where the teacher does most of the work cutting everything out... well we do some to learn to follow directions but limited.

This makes my work much easier. Preschool is a routine for us mostly at circle, we do calendar read, sing and talk about some of the new things out

We do alot of art. We may take a walk and pick up nature items and glue them on paper We paint alot. and with different things for brushes. We do lots of exploration of the world around us. What would happen if?..... lots of science. I get lots of ideas from pinterest.

Now you ask how do the parents know the child is learning if you do not do work sheets. I take lots of pictures and post the picture and what the child is learning.

Preschoolers are concrete learners. If you give them a paper with the word apple on it what can they learn. how much do they learn from a worksheet with an apple on it and the word apple.... not much. But give them apples and they can learn about colors, smell, taste, seeds, apple skin. fractions

This summer we grew potatoes. The day they harvested them they sorted them by size, counted them, we painted with some and cooked some for lundh. They know where they grow, how they feel taste and smell.Even the 2 yr old can tell you the sound potato starts with ( phonics) and that it starts with p
Reply
EntropyControlSpecialist 09:11 PM 09-08-2012
Here is a list of over 1200 (yes, 1200) homeschooling blogs that you may find a lot information on.

http://sunflowerschoolhouse.com/the-...ool-blog-list/
Reply
momofsix 03:03 PM 09-09-2012
I make my own curriculum. I've been in child care since I graduated college many years ago so have some ideas/plans already but really have just started doing a kind of fixed rotation a few years ago. I have one year of "themes"and 2 years of literature based themes thatI plan to rotate every 3 years.
It's super easy to google a theme and get a TON of ideas! For Sept. we are doing All About Me, My 5 Senses and Feelings.
Here are the All About Me/I am Special plans. (I tried to past as an attachment but it didn't work) The copy/paste didn't copy the nice little table I put these in either Each category has its own box. Oh well, you get the idea.
I don't have things scheduled by day b/c I don't like the pressure of that, rather I look at the activities day by day and decide what we will do. I too have different kids some days and so some things we might repeat so that everyone gets to do it. I do what works for the kids on that specific day-yet I'm also structured enough by the plans to include what I want included


Theme All about me!
Goals and/or objectives: the child will learn that
1. God made me and everyone else in His image
2. I am like other people in some ways and I am different from other people in some ways
3. People all need certain things to grow and be healthy: love, food water, sleep…
Books: : I like Myself,
ABC I like me
Quiet as a cricket
Chrysanthemum

Circle time:
Songs: : Jesus loves me, I am special, my fingers are starting to wiggle, hokey pokey< BINGO name song w/ spelling

Fingerplays:
Felt board:

Language:
Practice tracing and/or writing names
Recognize the words me, I, Special, alike, different, like
“ Make all about Me” books
For this week Include a self portrait, a family picture,Practice writing their own names, draw a picture of their house, a page with handprints, a page with height/weight

Small motor:
Fingerprints and stamp pads (on magnifier paper)

Large Motor
Hokey Pokey
The Body Game


Science:
Look at how everyone’s fingerprints are different with magnifying glasses
Sort objects that are alike/different and relate that to how people are alike/different
Measure everyone’s height/weight and talk about how we grow
Identify each child by certain characteristics and have them guess who it is
Math:
Measure everyone’s height/weight and graph
Match the # of thumbprints to a written #
Graph everyone’s favorite foods/colors/etc.

Sensory tub:
Water beads

Extras:
1 Trace body outlines and allow to decorate with crayons/glue/etc
2 Use contact paper to attach pictures of the kids to some of the blocks
3.have different clothes for dress up in dramatic play area
Reply
Reply Up