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Kindergarten
Kindergarten at Mulberry is a Magical year! Kindergarten sets the foundation for the elementary experience at Mulberry. A rich, hands-on and exciting multi-sensory curriculum engages students every single day. At this age, children are open, in wonder of the world around them and hungry to learn. They explore, investigate and soak in everything they are exposed to. They enjoy getting to know other children, sharing their world, learning and playing together.
Reading and Writing
In Kindergarten, we read a wide variety of literature and learn a poem for each letter we study. Each month we focus on the works of one author - we read many of his or her books, learn interesting facts about that author and discuss what made him or her decide to be an author.
We use Zoo Phonics, a kinesthetic and multi-sensory reading program that links movement and animals to each letter of the alphabet. Students acquire an understanding of letters and sounds, word families, rhyming and concepts of print and writing.
Art, gardening, cooking, and other enrichment activities are coordinated with the books we read and stories we write. We practice phonemic awareness activities, do a lot of shared and guided reading with the teacher, parents and our Reading Buddies.
Kindergarteners learn to write using the Zaner-Bloser, a creative and fun program that teaches kindergarteners to write by breaking down letter formation into simple and easy to follow steps. In Writers workshop, mini lessons in writing are supported by practice where each student writes their own stories.
Math
Kindergarten Math is fun. Multi-sensory, hands-on Math “investigations” cover number sense, the attributes of shapes (geometry), time, measurement, data collection and graphing. We use Math Manipulatives and games to solidify concepts through a process of exploration, exposure, and practice.
Social Studies and Science
We study what is meaningful and relevant to kindergarteners – plant life cycles, animal habitats, the five senses, simple machines, seasons and celebrations. We read books on these subjects, have field trips to the local theater, Pumpkin Patch, Happy Hollow Zoo, Youth Sciences Institute (YSI) programs, and then write about, grow, observe, draw, paint, sew, cook and work with each of these subjects.
For example, we study plants – pumpkins, sunflowers and more - throughout the year. This theme begins with a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch in the fall. We read about pumpkins, draw pumpkins in Art and make pumpkins out of clay. We carve the class pumpkin and then observe and photograph changes. We ceremoniously carry our pumpkin to the garden once it is too moldy for the classroom – we chronicle its rotting and subsequent regrowth each month through photos, class brainstorms and writing. Similarly, we sow sunflower seeds, read about sunflowers, monitor and record their growth throughout the year using words and art.
Our study of simple machines is a hands-on, cross-curricular unit with our fifth grade reading buddies. We read about how machines work, our fifth grade buddies set up centers to experiment with and build models of gears, planks, pulleys, wheels and levers. We also build mini catapults and then write about and paint these machines.
Character and Confidence
Taking personal responsibility is a major part of the social emotional curriculum in Kindergarten. Listening, taking turns speaking, valuing each person’s ideas, discussing the books we read, and class meetings all help in character development. We start the year with “class agreements” and use circle time to come up with ideas for resolving conflicts when they arise.
Mulberry's Kindergarten Curriculum includes PE, Art & Music, and Gardening, Cooking, Carpentry, Sewing, Field Trips, Service Projects & More. Visit Kindergarten atMulberry and experience the "Mulberry Magic" for yourself!
