Preschool (

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Curriculum Overviews > Preschool (“Greenhouse”)

Preschool (“Greenhouse”) Curriculum

At The Branch School, the following objectives are taught through an integrated, developmental, hands-on, and in-depth approach that teaches critical thinking, problem-solving, and cooperative learning.

Language Arts
During the three-year-old year, children’s experiences with communication and literacy begin to form the basis for their later school success.

Given adequate opportunities to interact with responsive adults and peers in language and print-rich environments, three-year-old children develop vocabulary, extended language skills, and knowledge of the world around them.
Three year olds are beginning to develop listening comprehension and phonological awareness; understanding of the everyday functions of print; motivation to read; appreciation for literary forms; and print awareness and letter knowledge.
Three year olds learn what books are and how to use them. Understanding the value of literacy as a means of communication, as well as coming to enjoy reading, are accomplishments typical of the future good reader. These language and literacy accomplishments are best achieved through activities that are integrated across different developmental areas: cognitive development, fine and gross motor development, and social and emotional development.
Three-year-old children generate hypotheses about how written language works through dictation of their ideas and begin to explore creative expression for themselves.

Math
Mathematics learning builds on children’s curiosity and enthusiasm, and challenges children to explore ideas about patterns and relationships, order and predictability, and logic and meaning. Consequently, quality instruction occurs in environments that are rich in language, encourage children’s thinking, and nurture children’s explorations and ideas.

Three year olds study the concepts of number, pattern, measurement, shape, space, and classification.

Science
Young children are natural scientists. They are eager to discover all they can about the world in which they live.

Three year olds participate in simple investigations that help them begin to develop the skills of asking questions, gathering information, communicating findings, and making informed decisions.
Using their own senses and common tools, such as a hand lens, students make observations and collect information. Through these processes, three-year-old children learn about their world and value and appreciate their environment.

Outdoor Classroom
Students learn to empathize with, feel comfortable in, and understand fundamental processes of nature. We do this through a “working wildscape” partly accessible to children on the playground, partly fenced to allow more habitat development, and through horticulture activities from growing vegetables to propagating plants.

Social Studies
Social studies concentrates on the nature of people and their world, the heritage of the past, and contemporary living and culture. Emphasis is placed on sharing each child’s cultural heritage. Social studies is both integral to young children’s lives and of great interest to them. Driven by a desire to know and achieve mastery over self and their environment, children are eager to gain understanding of the many aspects of their cultural and environmental world. Through social studies, children begin to develop the self-understanding that will serve as a foundation for learning about others and the world around them. Skills such as problem-solving, decision-making, and working independently and with others in a classroom prepare children to become fully functioning citizens.

Art
Children explore a wide variety of materials and make discoveries about color, shape, and texture through art experiences. They learn to express what they know and begin to recognize how others express themselves through art. They also begin to gain control of fine-motor muscles and practice hand-eye coordination. Three year olds begin to move from a scribble stage to a more representational form of art.

Music
Three-year-old children express themselves through singing and movement, and by playing simple instruments. Like art, music is a form of experiencing, learning, and communicating with others. Children learn to experiment with music concepts, volume, tempo, and sound. They begin to appreciate different types of music.

Dramatic Play
Creative drama for three-year-olds involves young children in expressive and spontaneous play. Children demonstrate their unique interpretation of music, songs, stories, and real life through movement and dramatic expression. These experiences contribute to children’s ability to communicate more effectively and engage in cooperative activity with others.

Physical Movement
Children explore their physical space and understand how their bodies function in space through active movement experiences. They become more skillful and expressive in their movement from one point in space to another through running, jumping, hopping, climbing, and skipping movements.

Gross-Motor Development
Gross-motor development requires thought and deliberate movement. Three-year-old children begin to develop control of gross-motor manipulative movements that involve giving force to objects and receiving force from objects. Throwing, catching, bouncing, pedaling, and kicking are fundamental gross-motor manipulative skills.
Fine-Motor Development
Fine-motor manipulative movements involve object-handling activities that emphasize motor control, precision, and accuracy of movement. Manipulating puzzle pieces, pegs, and playdough, cutting with scissors, and drawing and painting are the foundational skills needed for the demands of handwriting and other small-motor skills in later school years.

Personal Development
Children develop a sense of self during their three-year-old year. They begin to show initiative in learning and begin to take greater responsibility for their own behavior. They learn to channel their energies in ways that promote effective learning experiences. Three year olds develop greater self-help skills.

Social Development
Children develop interpersonal and social skills for communicating with others. They learn alternatives for resolving conflicts and communicating their needs and feelings verbally, and they begin to develop and maintain productive relationships with other children.

Peacemaking
Students are taught the importance of peacemaking with their classmates. They learn conflict resolution as well as communication skills. They learn to be life-long peacemakers.

Technology Applications
Children begin to explore age-appropriate software and technology.