Starting school is probably one of the most important experiences of a child’s life. Children are often both reluctant to leave their parents’ side as well as excited to explore and learn from their new environment. To allow the children to feel comfortable and secure, school hours are kept flexible for the first few weeks. In order to provide individual attention, the Pre-Nursery students are staggered into groups and called on alterate days initially.
The elementary section of PSI provides a learning programme and an environment designed to meet the individual needs of children – we try our best to integrate modern teaching methods and materials with traditional cultural values. The students develop in a caring and happy atmosphere based on principles of love and mutual respect. The school enables children to see themselves as confident and capable learners. It provides an atmosphere where each child can achieve his/her own potential. Since children learn within the family as well as in school, close contact is maintained between teachers and parents.
Our goal is to ensure a learning environment that nurtures values and translates learning opportunities and resources into meaningful and effective learning experiences and outcomes for the children.
As the children arrive, they are greeted warmly by their teachers. Each child selects his/her name card and hangs it on a hook in the class after which they are free to explore table toys for example puzzles, blocks, etc of their choice. Each child is expected to stay involved in a self selected activity, ‘Free Play’, at his/her place for an appropriate length of time approx 10 – 15 mints after which he returns the material to its original place.
Formally, the day begins with the children coming together in a circle. Circle time activities include discussion about the day of the week, date, weather and simple general knowledge questions. Children of this age are in the habit of sharing their experiences first thing in the morning. Some time is set aside for this purpose, during which, each child is given an opportunity to express himself. This includes news from home, acknowledgement of birthdays and other events.
The pre-school curriculum consists of four basic thematic units. Ourselves, Things Around Us, The Living Kingdom and Everyday Life. These units are divided into segments and all teaching and learning is activity based. The concepts introduced therein are constantly reinforced through practical experiences such as field trips, nature walks, memory and listening walks, excursions, simple science experiments, Show n Tell time, videos, acting out stories and rhymes and make believe play.
Since all teaching at this level is theme related, the teacher tries to make it interesting with the help of visual aids, colourful books and displays, pictures, relating funny anecdotes and personal experiences. Coming down to the level of the child, in order to make learning an enriching experience for her students.
The students’ contribution to circle time in the form of Show n’ Tell is both interesting and informative. This gives them a chance to express themselves, share and interact with peers. For example a Show n’ Tell on ‘Transportation’ would entail children bringing their favourite toy cars, aeroplanes, busses, trains and boats etc. and talk about their colour, speed and purpose.
The teacher may ring a bell or clap her hands for switch over from one activity to another. From circle time, children move to ‘Learning Time’, the work period in which simple language and basic number skills are taught.
The lower case alphabet representing letter sounds is taught first. Oral work is made interesting through phonetic alphabet song, board work, colourful books, flash cards, vocabulary games, use of vocabulary basket, picture word building and phonic games. Number recognition and value may be taught through flash cards, number games, Montessori apparatus and board work. At an advanced level, reading strategies may consist of Teacher Read Alouds, Shared Reading, Guided Reading, Paired Reading and Independent Reading.
Oral work is followed by written work which may vary from tracing sand paper letters and numbers to scribbling, pattern writing, tracing on faint lines and independent writing. Chidren are given the appropriate vocabulary for the correct formation of each letter and number and they begin by making the correct formation in the air first. All the teachers assigned to a particular class are actively involved in supervising the written work, ensuring individual attention for each child. Students who finish their work early are kept involved in one activity or another like free expression drawing, colouring, concept related worksheets, playing with lego etc.
Since the little ones’ day is divided into various activities, after ‘Free Play’, ‘Circle Time’, ‘Board work’ and ‘Written Work’, ‘Outdoor Fun’ is a much awaited activity, which includes not only playing on the swings to improve their balance and coordination, but strengthening and gaining control over large muscles used for running, jumping and throwing as well as following directed exercise with the added attraction of saying ‘Hello’ to the ducks and the fish in the pond.
After Outdoor Fun, ‘Snack Time’ of course is the most awaited. All students are served fresh snack and drinks which are prepared hygienically in the school kitchen by trained cooks. The menu is carefully planned, keeping in mind the nutritional needs as well as the taste preference of young children. The hot favourites being French fries, French toasts, chicken nuggets and noodles served with either milk or squash. During snack time they learn table manners, how to wait for their turn as well as eat and enjoy their food independently.
Snack time is followed by ‘Snooze Time’ a 10 – 15 minutes rest / nap. The innocent little angles lying down on the carpet are a rare treat for sore eyes. A bell is rung to indicate that snooze time is over, and an oral counting drill begins as soon as the children have neatly stacked the cushions and are back in their places.
Another much enjoyed activity is Music or ‘Rhyme Time’ – This involves movement to music with the children singing away their favourite rhymes with actions. The eagerness and zest with which the students look forward to their music class makes it an ‘all time favourite’. For instance when the theme is ‘Transportation’ the rhyme that the children would sing during the music class would be ‘The Wheels on the Bus’
Field trips are arranged regularly to compliment study themes. Places visited include markets, museums, parks, farms and the zoo. Trips are organized during school hours and transportation is arranged by the school. Parents are informed before each trip.
The last hour of the day is set aside for various activities aimed at skill development, such as EPL (Early Practical Life) Exercises these include spooning beans, holding trays, pouring exercises, pegging baskets, screwing and unscrewing bottle caps and help in developing patience and a longer attention span. For developing eye – hand coordination and fine motor skills, lacing and sorting activities, puzzles and blocks are important. Art n’ Craft includes cutting exercises play dough modeling, brush, sponge and finger painting, tearing and pasting and collage work. For an Art n’ Craft activity on transportation the children would draw / paint / cut and paste to make helicopter, aeroplane, car and boat head bands. It is wonderful to see these tiny aeroplanes, and helicopters, bustling about, charged with boundless energy. Other activities include ‘Video Time’, ‘Make Believe Play’, ‘Acting Out Stories’ and ‘Theme Related Activities’ which are the highlight of the day. During ‘Story Time’ the little ones explore the world of role play and drama! With the story of Aladdin, they are introduced to a unique means of transportation, a flying carpet. Through stories they are carried into a world of imagination far beyond reality. Stories stimulate a child’s imagination and develop creativity in them. Another interesting theme related activity in make believe play is ‘Air Travel’ when the class is turned into an aeroplane. It is heartening to see smart little pilots flying the aeroplane and cute little airhostesses serving meals to tiny passengers on the aeroplane.
Each new day holds something novel and exciting for the pre-schoolers. There is always something to look forward to, be it the ‘Red Day’, when all the children are dressed up in red, do red finger painting, eat red jelly for snack, play a searching game, looking for all the red things in class, ‘listen to the story of ‘The Little Red Riding Hood’, bring something red for ‘Show n’ Tell’ and take a piece of Red Art Work home, or the ‘Fruit Day’ when they bring different fruits for ‘Show n’ Tell’, prepare a fruit salad and do apple printing. Sometimes guest speakers may be invited. A dentist may come to talk to the children about healthy teeth, cavities and the proper way of brushing teeth. Sometimes parents are involved in fun activities with their children like painting together, baking simple recipes and preparing sandwiches etc. To mark the change of season, there can be an ‘Autumn Parade’ where the little ones go with their tiny baskets for a nature walk to collect autumn leaves and later make beautiful dining mats with leaf printing, all the time reciting poems on autumn.
Finally, the hectic day of a pre-schooler comes to an end, but not before ‘Tidy Up Time’. Each child leaves school exhausted, but happy and content, eagerly looking forward to another fulfilling day at P.S.I.