In Grasshopper Room is the only room in our center that follows the school year schedule to determine when children move. Children join this room in September and "graduate" at the end of August. In keeping with our philosophy of care for the whole child, there is considerable focus on your child's social skills and emotional needs. Following directions, sharing, cooperation, taking turns, conflict resolution and problem solving are emphasized. There is also emphasis on the development of personal responsibility and care and use of materials in the classroom.
The main goal of our Grasshopper Room is to prepare the children for Kindergarten. This is reflected in the structure of their day and the tight schedule that they follow. Their morning circle time includes reading and movement activities. They have a daily outside time, participate in large group and small group activities (stations), create something each day during arts and crafts activities and have daily "learning time" with worksheets and hands on learning experiences. In the Grasshopper Room the children learn pre-reading skills, including phonemic awareness, upper and lower case letter recognition and beginning phonics. They will also learn pre-writing skills, including using pencils and tracing, as well as writing letters and numbers. Grasshoppers also work on basic computer skills, scissor skills, sequencing, grouping and categorizing objects and much more.
Communication during this time is critical. The staff will always be available to discuss the weekly activities or to answer any questions you may have. Consistency is the key in this classroom and we are committed to doing whatever it takes to ensure your child is well prepared for Kindergarten.