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Cozy_Kids_Childcare 03:34 AM 12-15-2014
How do you plan your curriculums? Do you do it weekly, monthly? Do you use a teacher planner or just a regular notebook or maybe a computer app? Do you break your monthly theme into weekly events? Do you break those down by day and into hours? I'm basically trying to learn how to plan my curriculum for the new year. I'm wondering how it is done. Do you do a craft once a week that involves that theme and then maybe a game involving that theme once a week. A daily song, a daily book that all coordinates with the theme?
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momofsix 08:09 AM 12-15-2014
I plan my curriculum around books. Usually we base everything off one book every two weeks. I try to tie in the texture tub, block area, housekeeping...
At circle time we read that book (and usually some related books) and sing songs/fingerplays related to the book. Our crafts are related too. I don't do a craft every day. Maybe 2-3/week. We also learn one shape and color/month and 3-4 letters/month. My group is fairly young this year so it's not as in depth as other years.
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melilley 10:15 AM 12-15-2014
I implement a thematic curriculum. We have a theme every week, I usually base it on the interests of the kids or something that I believe they would be interested in and go off of that. We have circle everyday where we talk about the theme, sing a day of the week song, do a color of the week, letter of the week, and shape of the week. We also do calendar, count, read, and do songs/finger plays. The children are encouraged to participate, but don't have to. They listen even when you don't think they are! Most of my kids come over to where I am anyways to join in. Even my 1 year olds love to help with the calendar! Currently I have 2 full time 1 year olds, one full time 2 year old (ds), and 2 part time 3 year olds.

I do a lot of process art, sensory activities, and misc. activities and try to coordinate them according to the theme.
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SignMeUp 10:33 AM 12-15-2014
I made a super-simple excel document to put my ideas in order.
I print out a blank doc or two, then write in any holidays that need specific curriculum.

Next I fill in the remaining weeks as I get ideas. I try to have one unit segue into the next when possible, i.e. Moon, Stars & Planets, then Let There Be Light (the winter holidays), then Hanukah, Christmas, Solstice, etc.

Once I finish the weeks I want to plan for, I write up a curriculum calendar for parents that includes the words to the songs or fingerplays, plus books and authors.

My excel doc has these titles across the top:
DATE(S) --- LETTER/NUMERAL --- TOPIC --- BOOK/AUTHOR --- ACTIVITIES/CRAFTS --- SONGS/FINGERPLAYS

Some of our units we complete in one week, others we continue for a month, depending on the interests of the kids, or how much material I want to cover.
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Josiegirl 11:02 AM 12-15-2014
A few years ago I actually got my act together and when school started again, I did a preschool curriculum here for the little ones who didn't go to school yet. I simply started with A, picked a couple A words(I know one was apples, can't remember what else I chose) and did fun activities for as long as it held their interest. I always picked common and fun themes to work on. I incorporated crafts and art(apple prints), sensory play(applesauce and cinnamon) math skills(charting colors of apples and how many seeds were in them or who liked which apples), large and small motor skills often worked in with finger play time(the apple tree rhyme).

I'm sure I didn't hit everything every week but the kids had a blast. F was fun because we did Farm and came up with a bunch of great stuff learning about farms, animals, making butter, milking cows; I know we ended up with G and H right before Halloween. We stayed flexible, the kids had ideas and input, we did circle time. Every week I'd send home a newsletter telling all about the things we did.

I lost my momentum when my dad got really sick later that fall and never got back into it.
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