Curriculum:
NFCNS uses the Illinois Early Learning Standards for Early Childhood as a guide and benchmarks for classroom curriculum that focuses on  a developmental approach to learning.  Have you wondered what your child is learning while he/she plays?  Through quality play activities, your child gathers valuable information and develops important skills that support later academic success.  Here are some insights into the play your child will engage in at NFCNS...

• Pretend Play
  As your child acts out real-life or imaginary experiences, he/she is trying to make sense or feel in control of his/her world.  Whether reliving stressful experiences or developing new ways to deal with them, or imitating an everyday event to try try out a new role, during pretend play your child experiments with sharing and solving problems.  Listen and observe.  Chances are your child will use some new words and even begin to experiment with pre-reading as he/she "reads" a picture book.

• Art
  Whether scribbling with crayons, tearing or cutting paper, painting or  rolling, pounding or cutting play dough;  unstructured art experiences help your child learn how the mind and the hands can work together to create.  Through art, he/she gains control of small hand muscles, which is a must for pre-writing and learns about shape, texture, form and color- all pre-math and science skills.

• Words + Books
  As your child is exposed to words-written and spoken, he/she develops a love and respect for reading that continues to grow over a lifetime.  When your child uses language to talk about feelings, share thoughts, and relay fears, he/she begins to feel the power of speech.  When your child sings, listens to a story, and is given time to browse, he/she experiences the joys of the written word.  Children learn that books and words are fun, and this is an important first step in beginning to read.

• Music + Movement
  Music and informal creative movement provide your child with wonderful physical outlets.  Familiar songs and soothing music can ease tension.  Singing helps develop language as your child learns new words and experiments with new speech patterns.  Exposure to a variety of rhythms and beats broadens awareness and appreciation of many cultures.  Informal movement activities invite exercise as they deepened understanding of body parts and how they move.

• Table Toys - Manipulatives
  Toys such as Lego's, Bristle Blocks, puzzles and matching cards, nesting and stacking boxes, pegs and peg board and beads to string introduce your child to the world of math.  Toys like these offer your child opportunities to classify, sequence, sort, match by size, shape and color and other important pre-math experiences.

• Block Play
  To gain a better understanding of what your child learns when he/she plays with blocks, sit down on the floor and build your own enjoyment and notice the skills that you use.  Do you need to make decisions about size and shape? Plan how your structure will progress? Share or cooperate if others are nearby? Do you balance, count, weigh? Solve problems?  Feel proud when you've completed your structure? When your child is playing with blocks, he/she is developing similar skills. 

NFCNS play is purposeful and lays the foundation for school success!

Classroom Activites:
NFCNS daily activities may include:

• Circle Time is a group gathering during which children share their ideas, plans and observations. Circle activities are designed to stimulate youngsters' thinking, enrich their social skills and expand their attention span. 

• Gross motor activities give children the opportunity to use their muscles as well as their imaginations as they engage in fun, healthy exercises such as running, jumping and climbing. Gross motor activities include gym time or outdoor time.

• Fine motor activities help improve small muscle development and eye hand coordination. Some common items used to help develop this skill include puzzles, beads and lace, pegboards, crayons and scissors.  During "Creative Time" they will be working with scissors, gluing, coloring and cutting. Throughout the day they will be doing other activities that will sharpen their fine motor skills.

• Dramatic play activities help children express themselves, practice life skills, improve social skills, increase self esteem, build vocabulary and solve problems. Dramatic play is also a whole lot of fun! 

• Music activities promote youngsters' listening skills, creative expression and social interaction. In music children can explore sound, volume, tempo and rhythm.

• Science activities offer children many hands on opportunities for observation, exploration, investigation, making predictions and experimentation.  This involves planting seeds and watching them grow, watching a caterpillar transform into a butterfly and doing all sorts of experiments.

• Sensory activities allow preschoolers to experiment with different textures such as sand, water, snow, rice, beans, foam chips, shaving cream and many more ooey gooey things.

• Block play activities give children experience with many different concepts, such as shape and size discrimination, spatial relationships, number skills, balance, organization, cause and effect and classification. Cooperative play skills, problem solving and creativity are also promoted in block play.

• Story time is designed to help youngsters' develop an appreciation and enjoyment of literature. Reading activities enhance children's vocabulary and comprehension skills and also expand their knowledge base.

Typical Classroom Schedule:
8:40 - 9:00 Arrival