The Penguin Group
4 to 5 year-old classroom
Penguin principles
The Penguin Group is the 4 year-olds who are in their pre-kindergarten year. While this is a time to think about “getting ready for kindergarten,” it is even more important to think about each day as an opportunity to engage in exciting opportunities to practice all of the skills they have developed and learn more about themselves and the world around them.
Creek does not utilize an official 4K public school model , but our curriculum is recognized by the City of Madison as an equivalent 4K curriculum. We provide a program which incorporates the elements of a 4K program during the whole day, rather than a few hours, to accommodate the needs of working parents.
The Penguin classroom looks like this:
- Literacy building activities of all kinds; telling stories, making picture books, acting out stories, singing songs, having fun with rhyming words, developing the “word wall” of words we know how to read, learning how to write letters, our names and more, and learning the importance of communication with others in our lives.
- Learning how to solve a problem, whether is is how to get the legos to fit together to make a robot or how to tell someone that they hurt your feelings.
- Time for active play in the classroom. Music activities that promote large motor skills like skipping, jumping, and leaping in a more structured format are provided daily.
- Time outside each day for unstructured play on the large, natural playground is an important time for children to learn to regulate their energy levels, as well as to learn an appreciation for the outdoors.
- Science is provided through learning “how” and “why” things happen using simple experiments and through observation and discovery.
- Learning about important safety skills and information such as their phone number and address.
- Friendships are important, and children are learning to appreciate the similarities and differences in their classmates as they play with new people.
- Becoming more independent and learning to make good choices throughout the day. Being the “big kids” at the Center, they have the responsibility of serving as good role-models. The Penguins enjoy being able to show the younger children how to do so many of the things they have learned.
penguin teacher
in the photos
Encouraging creativity, problem solving, and critical thinking through lego play. Learning about healthy snacks. Practicing how to write letters and spell names.