I am Special, I am Me- Our May Curriculum Theme!
One of our core values is that Our Differences Make Us Better. Everyone is welcome in our centers- and we select our curriculum, artwork, books and toys to reflect that! Inclusivity is at the forefront of all of our decisions and actions.
This month’s curriculum theme is full of activities and lessons about how we perceive ourselves, how to identify our feelings, how to become confident and proud of who we are and where we come from! Each age group will have different developmental activities that reinforce the theme.
Getting to know ourselves!
Infants will start their self-discovery journey by looking in the mirror and working on their motor skills by mimicking our teacher’s movements in the mirror!
Toddlers will work on name recognition, for themselves and for all their amigos! One of the ways we practice names is through a circle time song- ¿Quien Vino a la Escuela Hoy? (Who came to school today?).
Our Preschool and Pre-K classrooms will explore how they see themselves, starting with a self-portrait and identifying different things about themselves through art! Our weekly Show & Share Wednesdays also help us help express ourselves! We get to bring our favorite toys and books to show our amigos, and talk about how much they mean to us!
How are our families unique?
Every family is different- and that’s what makes each one so special! In our classrooms, we have a family tree, complete with pictures of each Tierra Encantada family. We love to see all the similarities and differences between families. Exploring who is in our families also helps us understand different parts of our identities!
In our reading area, we have lots of books that show different family makeups and empower us to be who we are. Heather Has Two Mommies, Ahora Me Llamo Luisa and Hija (Little One) are great children’s books that reinforce how each one of us is special and empower lots of different families.
Identifying our emotional states
Little ones (and adults, too!) can have a hard time articulating their emotions. In our lesson plans and around the classroom, we have different ways of helping kids identify how they feel, in English and Spanish! One of our resources is our ¿Como Te Encuentras Hoy? (How are you feeling today?) emotions poster. During circle time, we ask every little one that exact question- and if they don’t know the word that encompasses their emotions, they can point at the poster and learn a new word!
Spanish words we’re focusing on this month
Soy Especial- I am Special
Soy Yo- I am Me
Mi Nombre- My Name
Familia- Family
Diversidad- Diversity
Me Siento- I feel
