Take a tour of our classroom!
Below are some of the activities and centers we have in our preschool classroom. Centers and activities change weekly and daily based on the current unit of study. The entire room is designed to ensure a safe, positive and rich learning environment. Take a peek!
Cubbies
To teach personal responsibility and ownership, each child gets a cubby in which to store their coats, backpacks and treasures.
Just the right size...
Our class has its own preschooler-sized bathroom with low toilet and sink. It's also equipped with a diaper changing table and diaper pail. Hygeine skills are taught to students daily, and handwashing is a morning routine every child gets to practice. Here, children learn and practice self-dressing and potty skills.
Sensory Table
Sensory play is an important fine motor and social activity. Our table (along with the rest of the classroom's toys) is changed out every 1-2 weeks with new materials such as rice, water, sand, leaves, shredded paper, beans and even pumpkins!
Sit down with a good book...
Our preschool library is always full of good books and cuddly friends to read to. Our books always coincide with the current topic of discussion, and children are encouraged to explore print and pictures both with others and on their own.
Snacks, Art and More
Our preschool kitchen area is much like one you would find in a home--our tables are usually filled with manipulative toys, crafts, art projects, or meals. Meals are served in a family-style manner and snacks are kept to healthy low-sugar, high-nutrient foods appropriate for young children. Children with special diets can participate fully in snack time; needs ranging from tube-feedings to allergies can be observed and carried out at preschool.
Dramatic Play
Our playhouse area is always stocked with pretend food to cook, baby dolls to feed, and dress up clothes to wear. It's a very popular area, and we have many future cooks and parents who enjoy playing here. This is a wonderful place to learn and practice social play skills with other children.
Blocks and Floor Toys
Floor time is a very important time for these little ones, and our students build their critical thinking, spacial reasoning and cooperative play while building creative block structures.
Large Group Time
Group times occur on our beautiful blue carpet. Every morning we do "Good Morning Circle," in which the children get a chance to greet one another, learn a mini cognitive or social lesson, a speech lesson and go through their daily job board (calendar, weather, song, counting activity). Here children are taught how to sit for 10+ minutes in an activity, communicate politely and effectively with others, and learn new words, signs (ASL), and concepts. Later in the morning, we sit in story circle and read a new book every day.
Classroom Technology
Our class Prox Talker is one example of the technology we use in the classroom to augment and supplement communication and interactions among our students. This handy device allows us to help children indicate needs, wants, and what they know using pre-recorded buttons which speak for individuals who have difficulty talking on their own. We also have multiple switches, switch-operated toys, computer programs for children, a touch-screen computer, and various other assistive technologies we often use in the classroom.