Oz Land Early Learning Ctr 1.58

The mission of Oz Land Early Learning Center is to educate children intellectually, physically, socially, and emotionally by recognizing individual differences, promoting self-esteem, and fostering respect for others. Our child-centered environment encourages exploration and expression which are essential components to the active learning process. We strive to develop a dynamic, educational partnership among families, Oz Land, and the community that work together to maximize the potential of each child.

We believe that human diversity is integral to the care and education of young children and to all those who touch their lives. Diversity at Oz Land can be defined as "a fully inclusive community that is enriched by persons of different races, genders, ethnicities, nationalities, economic backgrounds, ages, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression, and religious beliefs." Our goal is to promote awareness and acceptance, affirm equity, and take an active stance against bias in our community.
We strive to respect and value the differences in each child and family in our community through all that we do. We value the development of strong relationships with families and colleagues in order to better understand how we can respond to cultural and historical differences in experiences, values, and practices. We offer an environment that welcomes and celebrates the sharing of family history and culture in the classroom in meaningful ways. In our curriculum we are intentional in providing children with opportunities to explore similarities and variation, and we are responsive to the questions that emerge.

We support children in being active participants in their world by connecting them to their community in ways that foster an understanding of diversity and an ability to effect change. We are committed to an open and ongoing dialogue among colleagues, families, and the students we mentor, seeking insight into how we contribute to social bias and the process of change. As adults we strive to be model: of active participation in our field by speaking out against bias and seeking equity.



Our Curriculum Statement

Foundation:

Our philosophy of educating young children is based on our collective vision that children are competent, provocative, resourceful, capable, and intelligent individuals eager to share themselves and experiences from the world.

We strive to create culturally enriching experiences for children in a safe, supportive, respectful, and developmentally challenging environment. We believe children learn best when they collaborate through peer interactions, the environment, and through teacher/child exchanges.

Teachers create rich experiences to facilitate the discovery and extension of children’s knowledge. We focus on understandings that are relevant, meaningful, commits to extending the “teachable moment”, and comes from a balance of interactions, investigations, research, and questions.

To appreciate the uniqueness of individual children, we foster competence in young children by understanding the capability of interests in each child as we support their physical, cognitive, language, social, and through collaboration, relationships, involvement using actual experiences, and the project approach (emergent curriculum).

Framework:

Opportunities are provided to create a dynamic learning environment. Thoughtful consideration is made as the room design and materials are purposefully arranged and selected to encourage children to experiment with and to think about their explorations. By preparing the environment, we ask thought provoking questions to support and extend each child’s intrinsic motivation to learn and discover. We facilitate these discoveries through the incorporation of the creative arts, blocks, dramatic play, literacy experiences, Spanish, yoga, music, manipulatives, sand and water play, the outdoors, and the computer. We also provide a diverse array of materials including natural, wire, clay, collage, acrylics, watercolors, fabric, wood, and recyclables (various collections). The possibility of children using an assortment of materials allows children multiple ways to represent, document, revisit, construct, and make meaning of their knowledge.

Intentions:

Children are invited to interact, collaborate, and negotiate different perspectives in order to enhance their emotional responses and support the development of pro-social relationships. Children’s respectful behavior for each other and the environment is fostered by supporting children’s development of self-worth, pride in work, acceptance of other’s work, and respect for differences as they continue to become autonomous.

Our objective is to guide children as they continually practice expressing emotions, developing empathetic behaviors, learning appropriate pro-social strategies for entering and maintaining play situations, practicing conflict resolution, and strengthening self-discipline and self-confidence. In providing a respectful and empathetic environment, we intend to develop a community of learners who care for on another.

Finally, we are committed to ensuring that children, families, and teachers act as collaborators. Communication and feedback is encouraged daily through opportunities to share information in the morning, afternoon, on the phone, at parent teacher conferences, and Center events. Monthly newsletters and annual written developmentals are recorded documents that further facilitate the exchange of information.

Mayor of Munchkin Land/Wizard of Oz Land Academy/Professor of OzU/Wizard of Oz Land Prep “for the day”: Each day a specific child is the mayor/wizard. This grand honor is bestowed on a rotating basis so everyone gets a chance to participate in the fun. Names for the week are posted on the dry erase board. This child will assist the teacher in various ways such as leading the class to the playground, helping pass out snack, and choosing the book for group story time.

Morning Meeting: This key element of our daily routine sets a positive tone for the day that builds community, creates a positive climate for learning, and gives children practice in a wide range of academic and social skills. A typical morning meeting consists of children and teachers gathering at the beginning of the day to greet each other, share news, do a group activity, and look forward to the day ahead. In the process the children practice the academic skills on which they are currently working and learn social skills such as listening, speaking, problem solving, and group participation. They also get to know each other and build group cohesiveness.

Every Friday is Share From Home at Morning Meeting: The children come together to share their “something special and meaningful”. This can be a story, something they have made, or a special treasure. The object should have some personal meaning to your child. After the child shares, the rest of the children are welcome to ask questions or make comments about what was shared. Once we have finished, the children can spend more in depth time during centers to ask more questions or to “try the share out” (depending on permission from the sharer).

Yoga: Children are introduced to the joy of fitness while building a strong, flexible body and mind and developing coordination, confidence, and imagination. Many specific benefits are gained from yoga to include: better/longer sleep, improved digestion, promotes a healthy/physically fit lifestyle, increases neuromuscular development, cultivates self-esteem and a positive body image, boosts the immune system, reduces stress, develops relaxation techniques, reduces anxiety, increases body awareness.

Learning Centers/Project Work : Oz Land strives to utilize an emergent curriculum which provides your child with developmentally appropriate activities. This means that we will observe your child’s play and social interactions in an attempt to understand their abilities and challenges. We then analyze these observations so that we can provide subsequent activities that will challenge and support further development, in the context of investigations, in which children have expressed an interest. We believe that young children learn as social constructivists and we will continuously encourage small groups of children to work collaboratively.

Munchkin Land and Oz Land Academy – Children at this age are starting to observe, explore, and learn about the world around them as they develop a concept of who they are and what they can do. Centers provide a safe environment for this stage of a child’s journey and are equipped with a selection of developmentally appropriate materials that attract a child’s attention and inspire their curiosity. Activities in the centers provide challenges that build on children’s many interests and new skills, enabling them to feel successful. Munchkin Land centers include: Blocks, Dramatic Play, Toys and Games, Art, Library, Discovery/Science, Sand and Water, Music and Movement, Cooking, and Outdoors.

OzU & Oz Land Prep – Graduating Preschool and Kindergarten children want to explore, make things, experiment, and pursue their own interests. Separate interest areas with varied materials offer children a range of clear choices. Sometimes they want to work quietly, either alone or with other children. Centers provide choices for quiet activities and active engagement. These centers accommodate a few children at a time which addresses preschoolers’ preference to be in a small-group setting. With a manageable number of other children they feel comfort-able and play more positively than in larger groups. Also, a smaller, well-defined space where they can concentrate on their work allows children’s play to become more complex and elaborate. As children explore a variety of materials we have conversations with them regarding experimenting, making hypotheses, and respecting materials, as well as one another’s work. Investigations often continue over a period of days, weeks, or months depending on interest. We continually support the belief that children need the opportunity to have in depth discoveries, to revisit, and add to their previous experiences. OzU & Oz Land Prep centers include: Blocks, Dramatic Play, Toys and Games, Art, Library/Message Center, Discovery/Science, Sand and Water, Music and Movement, Cooking, and Outdoors.

Spanish: Recent research shows that the early years of childhood, from ages 1 through 12, are “the window of opportunity” for language learning. We have chosen the Muzzy Method for Ozlanders to learn foreign language because it is the world’s most successful language program for children. By choosing Muzzy our teachers will be unlocking your child’s natural gift for languages, building critical cognitive and intelligence skills, and nurturing his/her potential for success in the global community we live in today. Muzzy is a powerful multimedia approach to language learning that surrounds and engages your child immediately with the proven “see-listen-and-learn” technique that stimulates children’s natural language ability.

Journal (OzU & Oz Land Prep only): Each child is provided with a folder in which they are asked to work in each day, illustrating and/or writing to represent their thoughts and ideas. Children then dictate the accompanying story to a teacher. Journals are an exciting process to observe overtime. The drawings might start as emergent images with a progression towards more representational drawings. The accompanying text often begins as single labels and progresses towards detailed stories. Children’s journals remain at school and are kept in our journal box. You are always welcome to take a peek when you have the opportunity. When the book is filled, teachers will add new pages and keep the filled pages to create a book of each child’s journal work.

Outdoor Play: While we recognize children’s need to run and expend energy, we also play group games during these times. Group games provide an opportunity for children to negotiate rules, to take the perspective of others, to work as a team, and of course to have fun with their peers.

Nap: Naptime can last anywhere from one hour to two hours. All children are asked to rest on their mats for approximately one hour. After that first hour children are welcome to engage in quiet activities. Some children are beginning to be less dependent on nap, but this is still a very important time in your child’s day. Children are working hard all day long and this is a wonderful opportunity to relax, listen to music, and gear up for the rest of the day. Please talk with us if you feel that daytime naps are causing problems at bedtime. We would be happy to talk with you about waking your child after a specified period of time if you feel that would help ease nighttime sleep at your house.