Preschool Curriculum
Mulberry's Preschool curriculum encourages children to explore and try new things. Activity centers give children opportunities to play, as it is in play that they develop skills necessary for kindergarten and beyond. The acquisition of skills follows a developmental progression, so each month, children are presented with new activities and experiences that build on skills they have mastered:
- Book Corner
- Math Center
- Science Activity
- Musical Instruments
- Imaginative Play
- Cooking Snack
- Motor Activity
- Art Activity
- Painting Center
- Play Dough Table
- Sand Table
- Sensory Table
- Block Center
- Manipulatives
With new experiences, preschoolers' self-confidence solidifies, their curiosity is stimulated, and their skills grow along with their bodies and brains. It might look like they're just playing and having fun, but the children are practicing important social skills, stimulating brain development, acquiring important language, motor and cognitive abilities that prepare them for life-long learning.
Cutting with scissors, glueing and pasting, tracing and weaving, all help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. Working with sculpture and structure allows children to build depth perception and visual planning skills. Creating and discovering patterns, and counting, and measuring ingredients during cooking build math skills. Following multi-step picture recipes prepares children for Reading. Observing how heat changes food, playing with magnets, pendulums and ramps, and growing plants are all precursors to science.
Each class has a garden where children plant seeds, water and observe growth. Children pick ripe vegetables which are then used in cooking activities. All classes goes on a train trip from San Jose to Palo Alto and walks from the station to a park to play. We celebrate families and encourage the sharing of traditions and cultures in our diverse classrooms. Diwali, Dia de los Muertos, Chinese Lunar New Year, Norouz are just some of the holidays to which children are exposed.
Children are encouraged to think critically because we let them do the thinking. They are supported in solving problems. We don’t solve problems for them. In math, reading and writing, our low adult-child ratios allow us to we can see where each child is and individually scaffold them to the next level.
For a month by month description of the preschool curriculum, click here (22 kb pdf).
Toddler Program
Toddlers are just beginning to gain an awareness of peers around them. Taking turns and sharing are two new concepts during this stage of development. Toddlers are starting to learn self-control and their imaginations are beginning to bloom.
In Mulberry’s Toddler program, children are offered a large variety of hands-on activities to choose from (see list above) and are encouraged to roam freely throughout the classroom and outdoor areas. Outdoor play includes various play structures, ride-on toys and sandbox.
Adults are encouraged to follow the toddlers’ lead to areas of interest throughout the classroom and in the outdoor areas. Their constant support allows toddlers to explore, interact, play with others and work through social conflicts and build their social skills.
Mulberry’s Toddler program is unique because it allows parents to make connections with each other, discuss and get suggestions on parenting issues and learn new parenting skills. It also gives children the opportunity to become comfortable with and relate to other adults.
"My favorite moments while teaching are when I am singing and reading books to the children in my class and there is nothing better in this world than watching a toddler experience things for the first time. For example, it may be their first time getting their hands messy at the sensory table. Their facial expressions are priceless!" - Bonnie Potenza, Toddler Teacher
2 & 3 Day Programs
Mulberry's 2 Day Program, is frequently children's first experience with school. Students must learn to separate from parents, that other adults can provide for their needs, and to verbally express themselves and problem solve, rather than hitting or grabbing to get what they want.
Children entering the 3 Day Program learn shapes and letters, and how to get along in a group. Other critical skills include interacting with diverse children and adults, engaging in individual, parallel, dramatic and cooperative play, taking turns, using words to express themselves and gaining comfort in speaking in front of a group. They learn how to resolve differences with other children, including ways to prevent similar problems from recurring. Children in the 3 Day Program explore newts and learn about life in ponds at Sanborn Park, and travel to Emma Prusch Farm in the spring to see baby animals.
"It is a joy to watch the kids' faces light up when they discover something new or make friends. It energizes me when I meet parents from years ago and they tell me how well their children are doing and how much their experiences and time at Mulberry has helped." - Leslie Barr, Preschool Teacher
4 Day Program
Mulberry's 4 Day program supports children where they are in their development, with the goal of helping them reach higher levels. Listening and speaking are learned through cooperative play and problem solving, as well as circle time activities and special sharing, where each student gets a chance to speak in front of the class about a special item and answer questions.
Concepts of print are taught through helping children read a question of the day, big books and pattern books. Cooking cards positioned left to right, help children learn the direction of reading. Recipes are provided and presented with words, numbers and pictures, so children can independently assemble their own snack. Phonemic awareness is increased through weekly teacher directed games, guessing what the weekly mystery object is and identifying and creating rhymes.
Children are encouraged to write weekly. They share their ideas, expanding and using their imagination, often inspired from books read at circle time. They share their experiences from regularly scheduled field trips, and add to their memory books while helping to create class books.
Math is learned through purposeful play in the block, science, art, and manipulative centers. The math center develops number recognition, one to one correspondence, classification and patterning, measurement, relational concepts and other number concepts.
Fieldtrips to fire stations, restaurants, post offices, the planetarium and other places help children explore their world. These experiences help make real many concepts in both science and social studies, and connect to our science experiments and community celebrations. Monthly science center themes enable children to enjoy hands-on experiences and experiments. Each month we explore one animal, enjoying the animal first hand whenever possible. Adults support children in drawing and writing and documenting their field trip experiences, science observations and explorations.
"My goal for children is to have them enjoy coming to school, grow in their abilities, and feel like capable and confident learners. The one thing you can hear me say every day is, 'Hmmm, how should we solve this problem?' I try to make a personal connection with each child, acknowledging what is special about each one." - Paula Ramos, Preschool Teacher
Learn more about age ranges and class schedules, read about what parents say about Mulberry and visit Mulberry to see our innovative Preschool for yourself!
