Our 2s, 3s and 4s/PreK programs provide learning in a fun-filled environment. The daily schedule incorporates both structured times and times for children to freely explore and play with one another. Classroom activities include:

• circle time (calendar, weather, teacher's lesson, read aloud, singing, and movement)
• daily art projects
• teacher-directed center time (special time with the teacher and 1-3 students to work on basic skills)
• nature and science discoveries
• cooking
• free play and games
• reading (independently or in groups)
• special party days
• field trip (3s and 4s/PreK program only)

All programs allow children to experience learning in small and large group environments, while also including time for individual learning and play.

The yearly program is planned around the following units:

• Holidays
• "Me", the self
• Home and Family
• Community Helpers
• Seasons and Weather
• Nutrition and the Body
• The Senses
• Transportation
• Growing Things
• Farm and Animals
• Feelings

Although Stevens Forest does not push students to perform academically, the children are exposed to materials and ideas that will prepare them for a more formal education.

Children are encouraged, but never forced,
to develop basic skills including:

• Language Arts/Reading Readiness: recognizing by sight individual letters and their written names, learning the sounds of letters, hearing rhymes, understanding directions, developing communication skills
• Math: recognizing numbers, counting, measuring, comparing sizes and shapes, understanding ordinal numbers and the concept of more and less
• Science: talking about how things grow, seeing how plants and animals grow, cooking, observing nature during walks, making observations and noting changes in the weather and the seasons
• Health and Safety: learning to take care of their bodies, play and working without harming themselves or others, understanding good nutrition
• Social Studies: learning about their communities and their world, talking about traditions and lifestyles different from their own, and beginning to gain a sense of history through discussions of holidays such as Thanksgiving

We feel exposure to these areas will help prepare them for a more formal education.

Our 2s class offers 2 and 3 year olds a wonderful first time school experience. They become comfortable with being away from their parents, they learn how to play with and make new friends, and they learn how to follow simple directions and school routines.

Our 3s class offers 3 and 4 year olds an opportunity to further develop friendships, follow more complex directions, and begin learning more skills that will prepare them for kindergarten. The children begin to have center time to work on skills in small groups.

Our 4s/PreK class for 4 and 5 year olds offers the children a great opportunity to prepare for kindergarten. The children work on writing following the “Handwriting Without Tears” method. Through a variety of activities, many other skills are reinforced that will help them transition smoothly into kindergarten. A few of these skills are: letter recognition and sounds, rhyming, opposites, number recognition, and ordinal numbers. The children will also be taught skills that will help them become more independent within the classroom.

Class Times

Fall 2009 (Sept. - Dec.)

2s Class - Tuesday and Thursday [9:30am - 11:30am]

3s Class - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday [9:00am - 11:30am]

4s Class - Monday thru Thursday [12:30pm - 3:00pm]

Spring 2010 (Jan. - May)

2s Class - Tuesday and Thursday [9:00am - 11:30am]

3s Class - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday [9:00am - 11:30am]

4s Class - Monday thru Thursday [12:30pm - 3:00pm]