St. Paul's
Nursery School
and
After School Kindergarten
Child Care Program
a non profit organization
65 North Main
Street
Wallingford, CT 06770
Nursery School Curriculum
The curriculum used in all of St. Paul’s Nursery School classes has been modified to be age appropriate. The staff strives to create an environment that promotes learning. The children will learn about the world around them, which will contribute to their social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth through the use of various activities and materials.
Parent involvement:
The staff at St. Paul’s Nursery School encourages parents to be active in their children’s nursery school experience. We welcome parents to visit during class time and parents who can volunteer their time to help with special programs, trips, or occasional substituting. In addition, the staff at St. Paul’s Nursery School sends out a monthly newsletter. This news letter helps to keep families informed of the activities that are planned for each month. Throughout the school year, several special events are held. A few examples are:
 | Halloween activities |
| Thanksgiving feast (for the 3 year old class) |
| Holiday program in December |
| Spring egg Hunt |
| Mother’s Day Celebration (for the 4 year old class) |
| Teddy Bear Picnic on the last day of school |
Language Development:
At St. Paul’s Nursery School, there are many opportunities for language development,
One example of this is name recognition. Name recognition starts when a child’s name is put on an art project or when a child is asked to find his or her name on a table at snack time. When the children write their own names, the staff encourages them to start on the left hand side of the paper to establish a left-to-right pattern. Another method of language development we use at St. Paul’s Nursery School is to always encourage children to ‘use their words’ to express their feelings, experiences, or any needs. When we read stories during group time, the children may be asked to help tell the story by repeating sounds, filing in words that rhyme, remembering sequence of events, and discussing the meaning of the story and their thoughts about the story. In addition we use show and tell which gives students the chance to talk about personal items or events in their lives. Lastly, we introduce letters and sounds as part of our language development program.
Math Concepts:
St. Paul’s Nursery School staff uses math in many creative ways. Cooking is one way that math has been introduced to the classroom. We have found that cooking offers opportunities for counting, adding, dividing, and learning about fractions. Another way that math is used on a daily basis at the Nursery School is during snack and group time.
We encourage all children to count napkins and cups, along with numbers on the calendar. Blocks and crayons are counted, we play counting games, sing songs, and do finger plays which encourage the development of mathematics.
Social Studies:
The main way we at St. Paul’s Nursery School incorporate preliminary social studies is through the use of the community around us. Our younger class gets a visit from the Wallingford Firefighters who bring a fire truck to the Nursery School so the children can take a close look. The firefighters talk about fire safety, demonstrate “stop, drop, and roll,” and explain what fire fighters look like when they are in protective gear. In the older class, the staff takes a walk to the firehouse on North Main Street for a tour of the station and the same safety issues are reinforced. The Wallingford youth officer also visits our younger class and teaches a program with McGruff the crime fighting puppet. She talks about stranger danger and discusses seat belt and car seat safety. Our older class takes a walk to the Police Department on North Main Street for a tour. In February, we invite the mail carrier to visit. The children get a chance to ask questions about the mail and how it is delivered. The children then get a chance to send home special valentine cards to their families. The mail carrier takes their mail and within a day or so the children have the opportunity to receive this mail at home. In the spring both classes take a walk to the Wallingford Library for a tour and special story hour.
Science program:
The staff at St. Paul’s Nursery School encourages the use of our science area, which has magnifying glasses, magnets, containers with insects, and objects from nature. We do various experiments throughout the year. After each experiment, the children take a handout home to share. This gives the children a chance to talk about what they have learned and maybe try the experiment at home. At the end of the school year, a touch tank full of living sea life comes to visit. The children have a chance to “catch the moment” and find the educational value in everything.
Art:
At St. Paul’s Nursery School, creativity is always encouraged. The children are given many opportunities to experience different art materials. Painting, gluing, cutting, drawing, finger-painting, and play dough are used on a regular basis. Safety scissors, paper, crayons, markers, and pencils are also available to the students. Every child is encouraged to try the art activity of the day and to also use their imagination in order to become individuals through their work.
Music:
Songs, games, rhythm, and musical instruments are used often at St. Paul’s Nursery School. The staff feels that records, CD’s and tapes with songs, dances, and games add variety to the children’s day.
Physical Education:
At St. Paul’s Nursery School, various activities are used to promote large motor development. Movement activities such as galloping, skipping, and hopping are practiced. An indoor climber and low balance beam are available to increase confidence and coordination. Catching, passing, bouncing, and sharing a ball during a game are also practiced. We try to end each class with time on the playground whenever the weather permits.
Through the many varied activities offered at St. Paul’s Nursery School, the children learn to become more independent, to function in a group, to follow directions, to develop pre reading and pre math skills, to get along with others, and to increase large motor development. At all times, teaching methods are used which will help children feel successful and develop a positive attitude toward the school experience.