Kindergarten

A positive kindergarten experience can pave the way for your child’s future success as they proceed through school. At the Pakenham Community Early Learning Centre, your Kindergarten child will be exposed to:

• Early reading skills
• Introduction to math and science skills
• Activities to enhance printing skills
• Dramatic play
• Physical health and movement games and activities
• Social skill enhancing routines and games
• Emotional development
• Creative expression through art and sensory experiences
• Musical activities

The Kindergarten program is open for full days on PA days, March Break, and part of Christmas Break. During July and August, Summer Camp begins! This fully packed activity camp keeps these children busy! Every day is planned with either a visitor to share a hobby or craft skills, sports, science experiments, baking opportunities, sensory fun, and on and on.

Discovery Areas

• Science/Sensory: In the Kindergarten program the science and sensory area includes all the experiences that past classrooms have offered, plus the addition of experiments. We encourage each child to use their mind to think ahead when asked to predict outcomes. Watching ice turn to water and to estimate how long the process will take, or watching colored water climb a celery stalk and guessing what will happen, are examples of experiments a child in kindergarten are excited to watch. They have the social skills to then return home and want to show their family what they have learnt. Baking day is always a favorite! Making cookies, muffins, and apple sauce is always a delicious treat. Your child will love being involved in measuring, stirring, and eating their goods.
• Creative Expression: The children are encouraged to experience daily creative activities. The staff provides the materials needed to allow your child show their individual creativity, which raises their self-esteem. Children begin early printing stages. Their eyes will shine with pride as they see their name appear on the paper as they form the letters with their little fingers wrapped around a pencil.
• Block Building, Math, and Manipulative: More complicated fine motor building tools are slowly introduced. Lego, K’Nex, and beads are all fun challenging ways to build on manipulative skills. Sorting, grouping, and counting activities become more advanced; your child will be laying a strong foundation through hands on learning.
• Dramatic Play: As in younger programs, again the importance of a Dramatic play area in the classroom is of high social importance. The children get involved with the teacher in collecting props, furniture, clothing, what ever is required to set up the area they are planning for (fire station, hair salon etc.). The children are excited to help and may have some ideas of their own to put forth.
• Language/Cozy Book Center: A nice friendly place for your child to sit down with age appropriate books. Story time happens throughout the day, one on one teacher to child and also as a larger group activity. Books are available for both beginning and advanced readers.
• Musical Movement: On an ongoing basis, music is happening in the classrooms. The children sing ‘The Thank You Song’ at mealtime, sing ‘Tidy Up’, when the toys need to be put away, and there are songs and finger plays at group circle time. Other group activities include exposure to various musical instruments, enjoying playing instruments while marching in a parade through the daycare, dancing to music with scarves or ribbons, painting to music or simply dancing with a friend!
• Group Learning Circle: Gathering the group together for stories, songs, music, show-and-tell, calendar, and conversation fosters listening, attention span, creativity, and social development.