Curriculum Statement
At the South Winnipeg Kinderschule, we believe that:
Our space and programming reflect this view of the child.
In the first place, our classroom spaces are arranged for the children's enjoyment and oriented to their needs. Items are kept neatly organized so that children see the care and preparation for their arrival each day. Beauty surrounds them, with multiple distinct activity centres at their ready access. Many objects are handcrafted from natural items, and many originate from or reflect a variety of cultures.
The schedule of each day is the same, yet flexibility remains for the specific timing of transitions between the activities. Caregivers use their fine observational skills and professional judgment to decide the timing on each given day. A repeating song marks each transition; its repetition raises the children's awareness of the time passing but no child is ever directly rushed to complete their play activity. Instead, children interact with each other to bring the activities to a close and move as a group. This builds their social relationships and skills while allowing the adults to have the kinds of interaction that support and enhance the children's creative play.
This is in keeping with the nature of the teacher interactions with children during free play times: staff work very imaginatively, at the child's level, whenever encouraging play or other activities. Open-ended questions are frequently used to allow the child to share their inner process. Caregivers carefully consider when and how to suggest a change to a child, so that his or her play or art may become more enriched, creative, interactive, and/or social. Caregivers aim not to intervene harshly at any time, and they do so only when children's interactions are verging on emotionally or physically damaging. In their regular interactions with children, the teachers speak in German when possible, while allowing the children to choose their language of response. Repetition of particular words and phrases are used to encourage the children to speak some words of German. Through this friendly tone of encouragement and sympathy, the teacher builds a trusting relationship with each child. The frequent interactions during play times allow the teacher to know what interests children are pursuing. Along with the careful observation of children's interactions throughout the day, teachers develop their understanding of the character, the interests, and the patterns of home life of each child.
Importantly, caregivers allow the interactions between children to unfold naturally and without intervention so that children are able to experience emotions and conflict. The interactions must sometimes be guided toward positive results, particularly through a mediated conversation where the teacher underscores that the children can work through this. The children are helped in their compassion by taking time to look at and recognize the expression of the other child and/or teacher. In this way, the children are able to increase skills relative to their social and emotional lives, while safely increasing their sense of their own independence. This stands in contrast to the teacher resolving the issues by dictating terms, rules, or prescribing solutions.
The types of interactions and observations described above inform the caregivers' decisions on what play materials to introduce, what artistic, creative, and circle time activities will engage the children, and which themes will be enthusiastically met by the children. Two broad themes accompany the Kinderschule curriculum: the various seasonal themes from nature and human activity; and, the activities of home-making. From within these broad groups, a specific theme may be explored to engage all the senses and sides of a child: for instance, the theme of the lantern and its meaning in German culture. Within any given theme, a variety of areas of development are fostered, from gross- and fine-motor skills, to emotional and social learning, to cognitive and moral reasoning.
Specific art projects are also prepared by the caregiver and done during the free play time. These may reflect themes and/or include family and community members. Children gather to see the crafting work and then may choose to come and complete the activity during the current or upcoming play sessions. Ones who have not joined are repeatedly invited, though participation is not required. Special projects are occasionally prepared as gifts for the families to take home.
Our two free-play sessions are book-ended with group activity, as well as a snack between them. Transitions are accompanied by song, poems, stories, or movement. Children are expected to remain at the circle during the circle time but not forced. The culture of participation is created by the caregivers' continual efforts to select and animate circle activities in a fun and engaging manner that meet the needs of the children.
During the snack time, all individuals must follow appropriate hand-washing and food handling procedures. While it is our most regimented time, the children experience a warm social environment through many elements, including the lighting of a candle; opening the meal with a blessing; the sharing of communal serving trays; the pouring of drinks for one another; and the reading of picture book stories.
Kinderschule communicates with parents with a weekly electronic newsletter that is largely based on photos of the activities from the week. Caregivers use the newsletter to reflect the weekly and seasonal activities of the children. This offers the best insight into our program and into the development of each child. In this way, and through conversation with parents as they enter the centre, parents understand and support our curriculum.
We want our parents to value the social and emotional learning that takes place in unstructured free-play environments with challenges, frustrations and all. We want our parents to enthusiastically participate in our communal events to help the children experience community, and for the children to experience the diversity of the parents in our school. We want the children to grow bonded together and to their caregivers at Kinderschule, so that each year boosts their experience and their self-confidence, and also increases their independence and self-reliance.
- Children are deeply imitative beings
- Children greatly benefit from rhythms and routines
- Children are best helped to unfold their individual and innate capacities in free play
- Children draw lifelong benefit from the early introduction to a foreign language
Our space and programming reflect this view of the child.
In the first place, our classroom spaces are arranged for the children's enjoyment and oriented to their needs. Items are kept neatly organized so that children see the care and preparation for their arrival each day. Beauty surrounds them, with multiple distinct activity centres at their ready access. Many objects are handcrafted from natural items, and many originate from or reflect a variety of cultures.
The schedule of each day is the same, yet flexibility remains for the specific timing of transitions between the activities. Caregivers use their fine observational skills and professional judgment to decide the timing on each given day. A repeating song marks each transition; its repetition raises the children's awareness of the time passing but no child is ever directly rushed to complete their play activity. Instead, children interact with each other to bring the activities to a close and move as a group. This builds their social relationships and skills while allowing the adults to have the kinds of interaction that support and enhance the children's creative play.
This is in keeping with the nature of the teacher interactions with children during free play times: staff work very imaginatively, at the child's level, whenever encouraging play or other activities. Open-ended questions are frequently used to allow the child to share their inner process. Caregivers carefully consider when and how to suggest a change to a child, so that his or her play or art may become more enriched, creative, interactive, and/or social. Caregivers aim not to intervene harshly at any time, and they do so only when children's interactions are verging on emotionally or physically damaging. In their regular interactions with children, the teachers speak in German when possible, while allowing the children to choose their language of response. Repetition of particular words and phrases are used to encourage the children to speak some words of German. Through this friendly tone of encouragement and sympathy, the teacher builds a trusting relationship with each child. The frequent interactions during play times allow the teacher to know what interests children are pursuing. Along with the careful observation of children's interactions throughout the day, teachers develop their understanding of the character, the interests, and the patterns of home life of each child.
Importantly, caregivers allow the interactions between children to unfold naturally and without intervention so that children are able to experience emotions and conflict. The interactions must sometimes be guided toward positive results, particularly through a mediated conversation where the teacher underscores that the children can work through this. The children are helped in their compassion by taking time to look at and recognize the expression of the other child and/or teacher. In this way, the children are able to increase skills relative to their social and emotional lives, while safely increasing their sense of their own independence. This stands in contrast to the teacher resolving the issues by dictating terms, rules, or prescribing solutions.
The types of interactions and observations described above inform the caregivers' decisions on what play materials to introduce, what artistic, creative, and circle time activities will engage the children, and which themes will be enthusiastically met by the children. Two broad themes accompany the Kinderschule curriculum: the various seasonal themes from nature and human activity; and, the activities of home-making. From within these broad groups, a specific theme may be explored to engage all the senses and sides of a child: for instance, the theme of the lantern and its meaning in German culture. Within any given theme, a variety of areas of development are fostered, from gross- and fine-motor skills, to emotional and social learning, to cognitive and moral reasoning.
Specific art projects are also prepared by the caregiver and done during the free play time. These may reflect themes and/or include family and community members. Children gather to see the crafting work and then may choose to come and complete the activity during the current or upcoming play sessions. Ones who have not joined are repeatedly invited, though participation is not required. Special projects are occasionally prepared as gifts for the families to take home.
Our two free-play sessions are book-ended with group activity, as well as a snack between them. Transitions are accompanied by song, poems, stories, or movement. Children are expected to remain at the circle during the circle time but not forced. The culture of participation is created by the caregivers' continual efforts to select and animate circle activities in a fun and engaging manner that meet the needs of the children.
During the snack time, all individuals must follow appropriate hand-washing and food handling procedures. While it is our most regimented time, the children experience a warm social environment through many elements, including the lighting of a candle; opening the meal with a blessing; the sharing of communal serving trays; the pouring of drinks for one another; and the reading of picture book stories.
Kinderschule communicates with parents with a weekly electronic newsletter that is largely based on photos of the activities from the week. Caregivers use the newsletter to reflect the weekly and seasonal activities of the children. This offers the best insight into our program and into the development of each child. In this way, and through conversation with parents as they enter the centre, parents understand and support our curriculum.
We want our parents to value the social and emotional learning that takes place in unstructured free-play environments with challenges, frustrations and all. We want our parents to enthusiastically participate in our communal events to help the children experience community, and for the children to experience the diversity of the parents in our school. We want the children to grow bonded together and to their caregivers at Kinderschule, so that each year boosts their experience and their self-confidence, and also increases their independence and self-reliance.
