Kindergarten Schemes of Work

The kindergarten offers a unique environment for children between the ages of 2 and 7 years. Based upon European models of kindergarten, it is equipped with a full range of Montessori materials. Working with the equipment helps to lay solid foundations in all main subjects, upon which more abstract learning can take place in the primary class. Lessons are fun and do not involve too much sitting. Although individual and group lessons are planned, staff also work spontaneously when appropriate and are aware that some children progress at a faster rate than others. In line with current research into Scandinavian methods of teaching, we believe when children’s education has a gentle, play based approach up to approximately 7 years of age, they are better equipped and enthused towards future learning.

The first and foremost lessons that kindergarten children learn are concerned with their personal, social and emotional development.  Lessons are given in sweeping and mopping, pouring a drink and cutting fruit, washing clothes and dolls and dressing ourselves. Children are taught how to ask for what they need or want and how to resolve conflicts. Each child has a termly job in the classroom, which encourages a sense of belonging and responsibility. We believe these lessons are fundamental to development and provide a sound basis for subsequent learning.

Fine and gross motor development activities form a large part of the active curriculum. Lessons are given in threading and sewing, scooping rice into a pot and using tongs to pick up objects. Children are taught to walk on a chalk line carefully, how to throw and catch, use bats and skip. Football coaching is given and supervised play in the nearby park includes tree climbing and use of the large play equipment. Healthy eating is encouraged in cooking lessons.

Creativity is encouraged at all times, in thinking as well as doing. Children are given lessons in painting, sticking, modelling and using pens, pencils and crayons. Seasonal collage materials are available at the art table as well as boxes for sculpting. The children are taught how to use instruments and to use their imaginations by representing their world with different sounds. Music is played throughout the day and used in lesson time for movement work and to compliment studies of other countries. Singing songs and rhyming games are a daily part of ‘circle time.’

Knowledge and understanding of the world is encouraged by frequent questions, which prompt the children to think about the past, present and future and explore and investigate. Children at the New Forest Small School are allowed to make mistakes in a safe environment!

In the classroom the children are taught how and why to recycle their waste paper and compost their fruit peelings. Seasonal walks prompt nature studies in the surrounding park and woods. The school also has its own organic polytunnel where the children grow fruit, flowers and vegetables. The school has 3 pet guinea pigs whom the children all help to care for.

Initial conversations about home and family in ‘circle time’ are extended through lessons studying other countries. Religious festivals are celebrated with the children and an understanding and appreciation of different cultures and beliefs is nurtured. The children are taught the names of the continents of the world using the Montessori globe. They walk along the ‘timeline’ mat and hear the story of when the earth began and how animals arrived and evolved into humans. The names of the other planets in our solar system are taught and their position in relation to the sun.

There is no computer in kindergarten but the children do play with electronic toys such as remote control cars and robots.

Speaking clearly and confidently to staff and other children is encouraged at all times. During morning ‘circle time’ children are invited to share their news, hopes and dreams. Books are read to the children twice a day. From initial ‘I Spy’ games, children are taught to hear the phonic sounds in words. Next the children find objects in the class and match them to letters, using the Montessori multi-sensory approach of touching the sandpaper letters as well as hearing the sounds and seeing the shapes. Non-phonetic sound blends are also taught this way. Word building with a moveable alphabet forms the next stage of learning to read. In our experience, once all these stages have been followed and the child is ready, reading is a natural and easy progression. The children read simple first books, which are in the kindergarten, progressing to more difficult material, which is of interest to them.

We use the Montessori inset shapes to develop pencil control for writing and the children are encouraged to walk along chalk letters drawn on the floor. We do not teach handwriting in kindergarten, but encourage the children to develop their own style of writing. Generally the children write before they read. Writing lessons start from basic words to sentences and poems/ stories.

The Montessori sensory equipment aids the children’s early understanding of size, shape and colour. There are many opportunities for building towers and other construction toys, which the children are shown how to use. Mathematical development begins with lessons in grading large coloured rods and recognising ‘which is bigger’ and ‘which comes next’. The children are taught that the smallest rod is ‘one’ and the largest ‘ten’. Symbols are introduced next, but always with quantities, such as ‘five acorns’. The children touch the sandpaper numbers as they do when learning letters. Quantities and symbols are reinforced with other Montessori materials and the children are encouraged to begin to record numbers. The ‘golden beads’ are introduced next to give a physical representation of thousands, hundreds, tens and units. Children are taught to match number cards to these quantities through bank games. The Montessori Seguin boards reinforce numbers 1-100 and the children are taught to match beads to the symbols, again to lay solid foundations in the quantities behind the number symbols. Simple adding and subtracting begins with numbers up to 10 and there are several pieces of equipment the children use in lessons to help them find the answers. Mental maths is encouraged to challenge the children’s knowledge once sums have been physically performed. Multiplication and division are introduced as ‘lots of’ and ‘sharing’ and objects such as conkers are used in lessons to help find out the answers to sums set.

2D and 3D shape names are taught, drawn and played with and scales and tape measures are used in lessons to introduce concepts of length, height and weight.         

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