Program Details

La Petite Academy's Pre-Kindergarten classroom features seven Learning Centers that are equipped with inviting age-appropriate learning materials, manipulatives and themeoriented activities that encourage learning and independence.

Learning Centers

Creativity and Art Center - including painting supplies, pencils, crayons, markers, easels; recyclables such as wallpaper samples, fabric pieces and collage materials; glue and scissors; various paper supplies and magazines (that have been reviewed).

Math and Manipulatives Center - including a small calendar, weather and number charts; magnetic numbers, puzzles, games and flash cards; safe manipulatives for sorting (large buttons, stamps, stickers, etc.); paper, pencils, notebooks, index cards; measuring cups and spoons, cookie cutters in varying shapes and other materials used to weigh and measure.

Science and Sensorial Center - including sand and/or water table; Wonder Bottles (recycled water bottles with water and oil mixed together with small shells, rocks, sand, food coloring, etc.); magnets and magnetic items; feathers, leaves and other items from nature; magnifying glasses and mirrors.

Dramatic Play Center - including dramatic play furniture (materials should rotate depending upon the theme and the children's own ideas and interests), dishes, utensils, place mats, pots, pans, food sets, telephones, computer keyboards, old typewriters, dressup clothes, purses, wallets, shoes, menus, a cash register, paper and pencils.

Construction and Design Center - including a complete set of unit blocks; area rug; large and small vehicles; animals, people and traffic signs; recyclables such as cardboard boxes of different sizes, paper towel tubes and oatmeal containers.

Reading and Listening Center - including children's literature (with the current theme-related literature), magazines, song and poem charts; an audiocassette or CD player, headphones, stories recorded on tape and/or other tape-recorded songs; stories and poems; soft elements such as rugs, pillows and beanbags; and a bookshelf.

Writing Center - including La Petite Academy-branded children's journals; pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers; various paper supplies, index cards; recycled magazines (that have been reviewed), menus, books, newspapers; clipboards and notebooks; and magnetic letters and flash cards.

Circle Time Wall

La Petite Academy's Circle Time Wall reflects your child's daily routines. Here, you will find:

• Daily Calendar for learning the days of the week and the months of the year, as well as key counting concepts
• Daily Weather for observing the changes in the weather and learning different vocabulary to describe it
• Kids of Character Trait, which highlights our monthly Kids of Character focus
• Job Chart, that assigns each child a classroom job, such as line leader or book helper
• Your Opinion Counts, where you can check in each day to learn how your child answered our daily opinion poll question

Children's Artwork

Our teachers love displaying your child's artwork in the classroom. Public display encourages our budding artists and reminds them that their hard work has meaning and conveys their thoughts and creativity. The teacher will date and label all projects so that you can quickly and easily understand what your child's thoughts were as he worked on him creation.

Setting the Stage

Research shows that, when children are in an attractive and inviting environment, they're happier, get along and concentrate better, and have a more positive attitude about themselves and school. To ensure that the classroom is inviting and exciting for the children, we get the classroom ready, or "set the stage," for each theme and day.

The classroom will seem to change overnight, as teachers switch from one theme to the next. They might change out many of the learning materials, decorate the classroom based on the theme, and add children's literature that helps to make the theme come alive. For example, during the "Young Authors Workshop" theme, the teacher makes the theme come alive by turning the Dramatic Play Center into a bookstore, highlighting book covers and favorite authors all over the room, and creating a "My Favorite Authors" picture board with the children. Around the classroom, the teacher will display all different kinds of art so that the classroom is exposed to different media and experiences.

Every two weeks a new theme is introduced into the Pre-K classroom and our teachers create room props, dedicate a special place to display artwork, and display books that reflect the theme.

Word Wall

Located in the Writing Center, the Word Wall is where the Sight Words for the current and previous units are posted. Children always have access to the Word Wall. During journaling, many children use it to help them write their own sight words.

We invite you to get a firsthand look at the Pre-K classroom at La Petite Academy. Make an appointment today for a visit.