Curriculum

Preparing for LIFE – Kindergarten and beyond!

All parents want to ensure that they choose schools and teachers that will help their child learn, thrive, and lead fulfilling lives. Fusing my background in behavioral neuroscience with my years of teaching, I’ve created a school and curriculum that are research and experience based, to help each child achieve their full potential. A child’s brain is most flexible and adaptable to learning during the earliest years of life, and research shows that approximately 90% of foundational brain development happens by age 5. We agree; this time is precious!

In today’s society, parent’s often have a polarized view of their options. Many parent’s concerns fall into two camps: either they want to see their child focused on producing academic worksheets and training for testing, or they want to see their child joyfully gardening with friends and painting imaginary stories. These camps rarely mix… but why not?

At Greenhouse Preschool, I provide the best of both worlds! Most children who have graduated from my classes EXCEED kindergarten expectations for literacy, math, social-emotional skills, and self-regulation. But the important point is HOW? Each day, children have two circle times, daily small-group academic projects, child-led free play, and 2 hours of outdoor time. Circle time content, projects, and free play options are all carefully selected (and frequently rotated) to inspire literary, mathematic, cognitive, social, and physical development (math puzzles, piano, partner board games, block area, science/sensory table, reading, doll house, dramatic play, art or writing). To develop an intrinsic love of learning, a strong personal character, and a happy holistic future, education MUST be this inspiring and thoughtfully designed.

My seasonal curriculum is always posted in the school. I tailor the lessons to support and challenge children as they build skills and independence. I create monthly newsletters to help parents stay involved with their child’s school experiences and weekly individual notes home. Twice a year I offer parent-teacher conferences, where we discuss your child’s progress and goals, referencing “Creative Curriculum Objectives” form (link below) to tailor my curriculum to each child’s individual needs. This assessment  includes and exceeds WA Kindergarten readiness expectations (link below).

Creative Curriculum Objectives:  https://lilypadlearningcenter.com/documents/cc_pSchool_goals.pdf

WA Kindergarten readiness expectations: https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/wakids/pubdocs/gold_hndt_objectives.pdf:

FAQ: Are kids really learning while they’re ‘just playing’?

The confusion around this topic is understandable. The bottom line is – not all types of play or toys are equal. There is a lot of nonsense being marketed to children that does not contribute to healthy development. Loud flashy items, overly gendered dolls, weaponized action figures and endless random collectibles are all designed to grab children’s attention. It is up to adults to evaluate: “What does this toy TEACH?” 

Every moment of childhood is valuable, so let’s be intentional with the environment and opportunities we provide. The best way to set up a win-win situation for you and your child, is to allow them CHOICE between options that are ALL constructive. If there are screens and nerf guns that make laser sounds – your child is less likely to choose a challenging puzzle, learn an instrument, practice reading, or write sight words on their whiteboard. Children are vulnerable to addictive content, just like we are! We need to set them up for success by eliminating pointless distractions. 

At Greenhouse Preschool, there are no screens, and all of the play materials invite the child to create, solve, read, construct, spell, calculate, invent, experiment, take risks, or imagine. Parents are encouraged to transition in and out of school with their child, and see the content themselves. Ask your child to lead the tour: “Can you show me how you play this game?” “What do you like to build here?”

Social Emotional (SE) curriculum:

This is paramount at Greenhouse Preschool. SE themes weave themselves into our literature, our journaling (individualized writing and art), story times, puppetry, music, and emotional coaching all day long. I was trained in both “Second Step SE curriculum” and “David Matteson journaling” at previous schools, and have found that merging these formats helps children reflect on the themes more deeply and affirm their own ability to master them. For example, while learning about ‘standing up for yourself’ in circle time, we read relevant stories, do puppetry, discuss my teacher journal example, and role play. Later, each child is encouraged to think about a time that they stood up for themselves and draw/write a journal about that (younger children are given more flexibility with the prompt while they’re practicing basic skills). A third aid I use in my SE curriculum is the book series by Cheri Meiners (titles include: “Talk and work it out”, Share and take turns”, “Respect and take care of things”, “Accept and value each person”, “Listen and learn” etc). Overall, the function of these 3 tools is to instill and affirm the child’s developing ability to…

• Recognize and regulate their own emotions: For young preschoolers, parents and teachers help children develop emotional intelligence through ‘emotion coaching’. This means we recognize that expressions of emotion are opportunities for intimacy and learning, we listen with empathy and help the child label their emotions with words, and we set limits while helping the child solve problems or deal with upsetting situations appropriately. An example may sound like this: “I see that you are very angry that black area is full right now. Would you like a hug? You can be next in block area. Would you like to play with me or have space while you wait for your turn? We are not going to knock their towers down or yell at them, that’s not helpful.” As children mature, they feel confident expressing a wide variety of complex emotions, are able to self-sooth, can inhibit negative impulses (think before they act), and can decide upon appropriate strategies problem solving.
• Show empathy and understanding for the emotions of others: As your child develops empathy, they learn to respect the feelings and opinions of others, even if they disagree. Your child learns how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes and imagine how someone might feel, and can imagine what kind of action or response might help a person feel better. Your child begins to factor the well-being of others into their own decision making; “How would they feel if I did this?”, “How would I feel if they did that to me?”
• Practice fair strategies for conflict resolution: Giving your child the opportunity to interact and play with other kids is one of the best ways to teach them how to relate to others. Cooperation takes practice. Sharing, trading, taking turns, using their words and listening to others helps children learn to negotiate and accept fair resolutions. When I guide children through conflict resolution, I encourage them to both take turns explaining: 1) how they feel, 2) what the problem is, and 3) what are some solutions? While upholding basic class rules and boundaries, I strive to empower the children to solve things themselves rather than imposing my solution upon them. I do not force apologies from children who are not ready to do it sincerely, though I do model it myself: “Oh I am so sorry she took that from you, you look so upset. I’ll get it back for you, and then would you like help fixing it?” In many years of teaching, I’ve seen this foster sincere remorse and apology much more than the alternative.
• Stand up for themselves and others against bullying: As much as we would like to raise our children to be kind in a kind world, we know this is not enough. They must also be prepared to stand up for themselves and others when injustice occurs. We much teach them that sexism, racism, and discrimination are not okay (or they will be unsure how to react when they inevitably witness it). At Greenhouse Preschool, children are empowered to tell others to “stop” when they feel uncomfortable, refuse hugs or touches if they do not want them, and seek adult help if needed.

Many years ago, one mother had sheepishly told me in a parent-teacher conference: “I don’t know how you feel about this, as a teacher… but as a mom, I teach my daughter that if anyone touches her inappropriately, she should yell and fight to protect herself.” YES. Girls need this most of all. I understand the importance of distinguishing between aggression and self-defense, and I will respect each child’s rights while striving for peace.

• Virtues and character building: Honesty, responsibility, patience and resilience are all blooming in early childhood. These qualities should be actively nurtured, modeled and celebrated. Examples: When children are brave enough to admit a mistake – I praise them for their honesty BEFORE we address the misbehavior. When children ask that I put their clothing on for them even though I know they are capable, I validate them: “You are already so good at putting your coat and boots on by yourself! You are getting so responsible. I can help with your buttons, but you can do your job first.”

Montessori Influence at Greenhouse Preschool 

Maria Montessori called her non-traditional approach to academics ‘indirect preparation’. Preschool students engage joyfully in activities that creatively impart a wide range of prerequisite skills for math, reading, writing, motor development and more. Down the road, at ages 5 or 6, this deep understanding of foundational concepts enables an almost explosive growth in academic achievement. For children aged 3-6 years old, her philosophy emphasizes:

• Purposeful toys that teach: Toys should stimulates learning by encouraging kids to open-ended experimentation (building various structures, rearranging letters to spell new words, exploring scientific principles like mass, velocity, cause-and-effect or gravity). Good toys give children the opportunity to work independently at their own pace and use their creativity. Toys that light up or make noises with button pushing tend to be distracting entertainment, requiring little effort or focused intention from your child. Instead, toys designed to teach concepts and build skills honor the child’s intellect by inviting them to interact, experiment, focus and make decisions in order to accomplish something.
• The ability to concentrate. Learning to concentrate on an activity, with persistence and self-regulation even when challenges or distractions arise, is one of the most important goals for a child. The lack of this skill is increasingly diagnosed as ADHD. While some children naturally struggle with this more than others, IT IS TEACHABLE! As your child progresses through sequences of activities, they’ll be able to tackle increasingly challenging, longer tasks. It’s very common for a 3-year-old child to spend an entire hour work period independently engaged in one chosen task.
• Developing executive functioning and self-regulation. Research has indicated that executive functioning and self-regulation are the key predictors in lifelong success, even above income or IQ. These skills include:
  1. Self-awareness
  2. Inhibition (being able to override non-ideal behaviors)
  3. Working memory
  4. Emotional self-regulation
  5. Self-motivation
  6. Planning and problem solving

At Greenhouse Preschool, children frequently choose their own activities from a large variety of materials for the refinement of literacy, mathematical, sensory and social understanding. Mistakes are normalized and welcome as part of the learning process. Further, it’s usually the activity itself that shows them their mistake—water spills, a porcelain plate breaks, a tower doesn’t stand—and the children learn to pay attention to mistakes and learn from them (instead of avoiding them for fear of being ‘in trouble’.) And as tasks get longer and more challenging, students learn to keep at it, often working on the same projects for several days at a time, not because a teacher instructed them to, but because they chose to do so. This internal discipline is precisely what life success requires.

• Encouraging Independent play: Promoting independence is key because it allows the child to feel respected, capable, and content. Play is such valuable time for children to learn, imagine, take chances, and make mistakes and then do-overs. It is important to raise kids who are able to play by themselves and create fun with what is available, rather than children who expect to be passive and demand external entertainment (parents, screens, instant gratification) to find joy. The former sets them up for contentedness and self-reliance, the latter is exhausting and unsustainable.
• Fine and gross motor skills.Handwriting is an important skill a child needs to master to succeed in elementary school and beyond. It begins with musculature strength and control in their fingers, wrists and arms. At Greenhouse Preschool, digging, raking, yoga, and rigorous outdoor play strengthen shoulder and arm muscles (use of large muscles is referred to as ‘gross motor’ development). Peeling oranges, scooping beans, pouring water, lacing beads, building with small blocks and puzzles, squeezing sponges, using pipettes, tweezers, and scissors all increase finger strength and precision (use of small muscles is referred to as ‘fine motor’ development).

Waldorf Influence at Greenhouse Preschool:

Waldorf celebrates student’s intellectual, artistic and practical skills in a holistic and enchanting manner. Music, art, meaningful work, puppetry, and natural toys are used to inspire awe and imagination. The co-teacher who inspired me most was fully trained in Waldorf, and then chose to go her own way – taking only the beautiful parts and leaving its serious flaws behind. What I do incorporate from Waldorf is:

• Structure, schedule, rhythms of the day: Similar to the ‘flow’ of a Waldorf day, Greenhouse Preschool has a predictable routine, dependable structure, and a visual schedule so children can see ‘where they are’ in the day and ‘what comes next’. Consistent daily and weekly schedules contribute to a nurturing and home-like atmosphere. Children become familiar with and secure in the rhythm of their daily activities, and can build independence and pride as they navigate their responsibilities with confidence. Children who know what to expect have less anxiety, and usually accept the consistent structure rather than testing boundaries.
• Natural, Creative, Flexible use materials: The materials in my classroom are carefully selected to afford flexibility in use. For example, expressionless dolls leave a child free to imagine whatever emotion is appropriate in the play. There are raw materials aplenty — planks, rocking boards, stones, pine cones, seashells, and colored play cloths. These loose parts are open to interpretation, re-purposing, and invention, rather than being fixed in one position or painted to be one exact thing.
• Diversity of language, rhyme, and oral storytelling: Greenhouse Preschool has multiple daily read alouds, and even more songs and oral storytelling. Different types of books serve unique purposes to children as they learn language. Simple books are easy to memorize and lend themselves well to early sight reading. Photographic books answer (and pose) questions about wild animals, science, world culture and more. Longer stories can explore deeper emotional, cultural and personal concepts. Poetry helps children notice patterns in rhythm, syllables and phonics, and view language as an art and a game! Oral storytelling (with or without puppets) teaches children the joy of sincerely listening and inspires them to learn how to tell engaging, structured stories as well.
• Movement, body language, dramatic play: In addition to two hours outside per day at Greenhouse Preschool, children have daily opportunities for dramatic play, dance or yoga, and can take many positions at various play centers (sitting, standing, kneeling, or crawling). Physically, this allows children to develop their range of motion, balance, muscle strength, coordination, and endurance. Research has also shown that free movement can also help children develop self-awareness, learn non-verbal ways of communicating and decrease anxiety.
• Real, meaningful work: Children love to feel that they belong. Participating in simple chores and work can be a joyful experience. Over many years of teaching, I’ve found that children are most eager if my chores are volunteer based (For example: “I would love two friends to help me sweep under the sensory table” or “I would love two friends to help me spray and wipe the baking flour off the table”). Overall, chore participation is higher when it is voluntary. Even those who do not volunteer notice that work is desirable and praise-worthy for their peers, which plants a good seed. At Greenhouse, children make play dough and bread, rake leaves, plant and water the garden, sweep and clean after projects and free play, dress themselves and keep their cubbies organized, scrub and wash toys in the soapy sensory table, and are empowered as contributors to their community.

Nature School Influence at Greenhouse Preschool

The mud kitchen, garden, field and forest at Greenhouse bring SO much joy to my class. Rain or shine, we go out to explore. Nature empowers independent play and sparks awe at the beauty of the world. Today, many parents have lost their trust in (or access to) outdoor play for their children, and feel as though their children must be closely watched, kept in structured activities, and not allowed to be bored or have the run of public spaces. At Greenhouse, I help you and your child regain that old fashioned freedom with all its benefits! Outside, we can say YES to mess, noise, risk taking and exercise in ways that indoor spaces just can’t match. What I incorporate from nature schools is:

• Physical development: The importance of a strong, healthy body and a love of exercise cannot be overstated. Fresh air of the natural world is invigorating and offers endless opportunities for physical activity. Children need to build gross motor skills such as running, jumping, throwing, kicking, balance, coordination and navigating obstacles or uneven terrain.
• Science and sensory integration: The natural world is a giant, open-ended learning laboratory. Children are innate scientists and they experience an ever-changing and free-flowing environment that stimulates all the senses. Nature provides countless opportunities for discovery, creativity, problem-solving, and STEM education. Interacting with natural environments allows children to learn by doing and experiment with ideas. In nature, children think, question, and make hypotheses — thereby developing inquisitive minds. Whether they’re judging the distance between two rocks before jumping or considering where insects go in the winter, these experiences inspire curiosity and promote authentic learning like nothing else can.
• Risk Taking: As children take risks, try and fail, and try again, they gain resilience and confidence. As children experience more risky activities and terrain, they learn to determine for themselves whether something feels safe or not, rather than looking for adults to decide this for them. To take a risk is to assert one’s autonomy and power of agency. Risk taking allows children to learn through natural consequences. For example, when they step right into a mud pit and lose their boot; they see an immediate consequence of their actions and develop awareness of their choices. They also have to learn to manage their feelings and to ask for help in this situation of vulnerability, which is something most adults are still learning. As they hop from one rock to the next, wobble and fall, they are challenged, they learn resilience and determination as they get up and try again.
• Empathy for all life, great and small: Children have a sincere sense of wonder about the birds, squirrels, bugs, and occasional rabbits in the yard. Seeing animals in the wild encourages so much empathy and curiosity: “Where is the ladybug’s family?” “How do the squirrels stay warm when it snows?” They also gain great perspective and responsibility when gardening with me Spring through Fall, including an awareness of how different types of life need different treatment in order to thrive. For example: “Why do these seeds need to start in the Greenhouse, but these other ones start in the ground?… Because some things that are more fragile might need more protection until they are strong enough”, “Why can’t we pick the flowers yet?… If you pick the flowers now, then the bees and plants won’t be able to turn the flower into fruits and vegetables”.
• Mental benefits: Being outside simply feels good. Children are free to explore, move about, and make noise — all delightful forms of self-expression that are often restricted indoors. Physical activity relaxes the mind, reduces anxiety, and satisfies restlessness. Furthermore, nature enhances a sense of peace and often brings out nurturing qualities in children. Many energetic children slow down to dig a hole in sand, watch a ladybug crawl, or spend focused time playing with a stick in a mud puddle. Several studies have found that consistent outdoor time can reduce symptoms of ADHD and anxiety. Time outdoors also aids sensory integration development in your child’s brain, and allows them to practice selective attention (ie. ignoring the rain in order to focus on who is “it” in tag)

Influence of “Getting to Calm, the Early Years” (by Laura S. Kastner) at Greenhouse Preschool

Synthesizing common childhood issues, family dynamics and relevant research, Kastner provides a reassuring roadmap for parents (and teachers) to be loving and firm while helping out children build character, learn life skills, and accept healthy levels of challenge and stress necessary for successful adulthood.

• Positive Relationships: parenting (and teaching) requires that we meet our child’s needs in 5 main categories:

1. Listening, empathy, responsiveness, warmth, secure attachment, conversation, play, engaged presence (not while multitasking on a device)
2. Effective praise, encouragement for desirable behaviors, collaborative problem-solving, modeling and teaching new skills, occasional rewards for goals met
3. Routines, rules, consistent follow-through, limits (and picking your battles: ignoring annoying but harmless behavior)
4. Natural and logical consequences for misbehavior. Effective discipline respects the child and gives them opportunities to gain the skills needed to behave better in future situations
5. Walk the talk: model all the virtues you hope your child develops. Calm yourself down before you act rashly, be honest and apologize if you make a mistake, use logic and words instead of physical or authoritarian rules, be polite, present and sincere with your interactions.

Healthy, developmentally appropriate boundaries are essential for children learning self-control ethical behavior in a group. Setting limits, monitoring, rule enforcement and consistent routines all support a child’s ability to understand and comply with behavioral expectations. Unconditional love and acceptance of your child’s feelings is compatible while upholding behavioral expectations (For example: “I see that you’re very angry that we don’t have ice cream. It is okay to be angry, but you may not hit me. I love you. I’m here for a hug when you’re ready.”)

• Effective praise and ‘growth mind-set’: Internal confidence, grit and motivation and be motivated by effective praise. Praise is most effective when it is sincere, occasional, specific, and tied to your child’s genuine effort. This emphasizes your child’s efforts rather than their outcome, and leads the child to develop a ‘growth mind-set’. With a growth mind-set, the child believes that their hard-work is valuable.

For example, if your child catches a ball and hears: “Good job keeping your eye on the ball” or “All this practice is making your arms faster”, this praises their mental and physical skills of persistence and progress, rather than simply the catch.  Alternatively, if a child receives constant general praise in effortless situations where little to no challenge occurred, they develop a ‘fixed mind-set’, where they believe that their successes are the result of innate talent of inborn ability. For example, if your child catches a ball and hears: “You’re a champion” or “Yay you win”, they believe that the success is what was valuable, rather than their effort.

When faced with struggle, the child with a growth mind-set will have mental strategies to help them expand their skill set and rise to the challenge, whereas the child with a fixed mind-set will be more likely to quit in frustration, believing that if they don’t succeed quickly then they simply ‘aren’t good at it’. 

• Acceptance AND room for growth: One of the key responsibilities for parents and educators is to help children cope with the distress caused by normative challenges (meeting new people, trying new tasks, struggling with a skill, not getting what you want, etc). We want to maintain a secure attachment while building competencies (For example “I accept my child exactly as he is… AND I want to help him do better in the future”). We want to ensure our children build a resilient character, gain confidence overcoming their fears, and accept that mistakes are a part of learning.

If we have expectations that are too high for our child, then their feelings of anxiety and frustration can cause toxic stress, and this obstructs neurodevelopment and learning. On the other hand, if we rescue children from every negative feeling and try to gratify their every wish, they won’t have opportunities to learn how to cope with stress or disappointment. “The sweet spot for learning is reached when enough challenge is provided to keep the child engaged, enough reward is experienced to motivate the child to try again, and enough opportunities are generated for the child to reach ever higher goals”.