The philosophy of the Hurley Nursery is that children learn to play and play to learn.
The teaching staff provides varied activities and equipment to facilitate this philosophy. It is also important that children have freedom within limits. Limits are a very real part of life to children and adults alike, and learning what they are at a young age helps children feel comfortable and safe. However, at the same time children need to make choices and decisions appropriate to their age. Therefore our curriculum is structured around "freedom within limits".
At the Hurley Nursery School we recognize the vast developmental differences between a three and four year old child and structure our classes accordingly. This enables us to provide a more suitable environment for every child. The classes can work more effectively as a group because the ages are not mixed. There can be a two year difference in age between the youngest three year old and the oldest four year old and in their short lives that is significant. The three year olds attend a two day program while the four year olds attend a three day program. The three day program builds on the two day program and gives the older children higher level experiences and increased responsibility in the classroom.
I teach according to units which last for a month at a time. Most of our activities that month will revolve around that unit. Some of my favorite units are "Around the World", "Under the Sea", "Dinosaurs", and "Outer Space". There are two years worth of units so that if a child attends the Hurley Nursery School for two years, the units are not repeated. Within those units we have special days like letter and color days, pajama and beach parties, holidays, and picnics. Our curriculum covers reading, language arts, math, science (fun experiments!), social studies, music (lots of singing and dancing with the piano), art (both directed for specific skills and free art), and dramatic play.
In observing, evaluating, and providing appropriate activities for the children, I concentrate on four developmental areas--emotional, social, cognitive, and physical. The most important is emotional development. Our goal at the Hurley Nursery School is to help children feel good about themselves as individuals, as part of their families, and as part of our school community. We want them to see school as a positive and fun place to be, as this is the foundation of their education. Secondly, it is important for children to feel comfortable in a social situation with children their own age and with new adults from whom they learn to accept comfort and direction. The easiest area to address is their cognitive development. Children are like little sponges ready to absorb any information given to them, especially when it is presented in an age appropriate, interesting, and interactive way. We also spend a great deal of time on both their small and large motor skills. Their small motor skills involve the muscles of their hands that they use to cut, draw, and manipulate small toys. Their large motor skills are the muscles they use to run, climb, and jump.
The skills the children develop at the Hurley Nursery School prepare them for Kindergarten and their future education. They have fun while learning appropriate school behavior. They develop friendships. The children all feel that they are part of the group, that they belong. They develop positive self-esteem and self-confidence.
And as their teacher, I love every minute of it!