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At NSNS our three classes, Toddler, Younger,
and Older are geared to meet the changing
developmental needs of young children. Our
Wednesday Explorers class is a year long multi-age
program that offers children in the Younger
and Older Classes an extra day at school.
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Our
Toddler Class meets two days a week:
Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m to 11:45
a.m. Beginning in January, the Toddler Class
dismissal extends to 1:00 p.m. and the Toddlers
stay for Lunch.
Our Toddler Class serves children who are
2–3 years old. Often this is the first time
for the child to be in a group setting and
our teachers are attuned to easing their transition
into a new environment. They help children
feel safe and secure in their relationships
with adults and peers and encourage pro-social
skills like sharing, caring and taking turns.
To enhance language development the teachers
engage the children in frequent one-on-one
conversations. Reading time, both individually
and in groups and singing songs with the children
during Circle Time also reinforce language
development. The curriculum is filled with
hands-on activities that appeal to the children’s
desire to learn through all their senses.
There are finger paints, markers, and easels
which provide opportunities for creative expression.
Chunky puzzles, blocks, and other manipulatives
aid in spatial awareness. Dress-up clothes
are always a favorite and the children love
to wear them as they enact scenarios of family
life. Sand, water, and play dough are always
available - enhancing cause and effect learning
as well as fine motor skills. Each week the
Toddlers work together to cook their snack
and the surprise on their faces when they
crack an egg is truly a delightful sight.
Because two and three year old children are
active learners, they spend time in the Big
Room and outside each day riding tricycles,
playing catch, climbing and sliding. Toilet
training is not a prerequisite for entering
the Toddler Class and teachers are able to
support families through the process. The
Toddlers enjoy visits from both Music and
Movement specialists. Each spring, the Toddlers
venture to the Beverly Farms Train Depot on
wagons pulled by their teachers. They delight
in riding the train to nearby Manchester to
play in the park and have a special snack.
The Toddler Class is a gentle introduction
to school life. |
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The
Younger Class meets three days a week:
Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30
a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Younger Class children
are eligible to enroll in the Lunch program
till 1:00 p.m. and Stay & Play till 2:45
p.m.
The Younger Class is designed for children
ages 3-4. While more advanced than the toddlers,
the theme of separation and connection is
still relevant as children learn how to leave
their parents and become part of their peer
group. The Younger Class children are also
learning to navigate the seas of more sophisticated
social relationships. As their interactions
become more cooperative, teachers support
them as they create and share ideas and materials
making their play last longer. Children in
the Younger Class are often prolific artists
and enjoy creating art and making crafts with
beautiful results. They are very dramatic
and their play often revolves around themes
of home, family, community and fantasy. Block
building, working with puzzles and other manipulatives
helps build spatial and representational skills
and they are proud of their accomplishments.
As their attention span grows during the course
of the year, Circle Time becomes more involved.
They enjoy longer stories, sing songs together,
and have discussions. They are often cuddled
up with a teacher and a few friends in their
library enjoying a good book. Outdoor time
continues to be an important part of the day
and the Younger Class children love to demonstrate
their budding physical prowess on climbing
and riding equipment. They take nature walks
on the nearby wooded trails and tend the garden,
too. The Younger Class benefits from enrichment
activities such as Music and Movement as well
as visits from puppeteers, nature specialists
and community helpers. In the spring, the
Younger & Older Classes carefully observe
a clutch of hen’s eggs that, to their delight,
hatch into fluffy chicks they can cuddle and
care for. Many parents are amazed at the growth
and transformation they witness in their children
during their Younger Class year. |
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The
Older Class meets four days a week:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from
8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Older Class children
are eligible to enroll in the Lunch program
till 1:00 p.m. and Stay & Play till 2:45
p.m.
The Older Class serves the needs of 4 and
5 year old children. They begin each year
by witnessing the metamorphosis of a Monarch
butterfly – a process that mirrors their own
amazing change and growth. With teachers nearby
to guide them, they explore the social complexities
of their friendships. Growth in their language
and cognition now allows them to solve problems
in a variety of areas. Dramatic play scenarios
become involved and sophisticated and often
last over the course of a few days. Often
times, the children create boats, cars, and
shelters using unit blocks and large hollow
blocks and incorporate these structures into
their play. It is not uncommon to see five
or six children “going on vacation” with babies
in tow, and a stash of pretend food to last
for many days. Teachers continue to enhance
language skills through one-on-one conversations
and group discussion. As symbolic thinking
matures, they support the children’s interest
in the symbol systems of the alphabet and
numerals. Teachers encourage children to record
their ideas and observations through drawing,
pretend writing or inventive spelling and
the writing area is often bustling with children
making cards or “writing” books or grocery
lists. Older children have special jobs such
as the “alphabag”, mystery box, Teddy Bear
Journal, and Book Review that promote a love
of literacy and pre-reading skills. Circle
time includes stories, science and math activities,
singing, and conversation. Each week children
work in small groups on theme-related or emergent
projects. As they become more aware of the
children beyond their own classroom, they
are paired with a Toddler Buddy to promote
caring for someone smaller than themselves.
Hosting a Mother’s and Friend’s Tea in May
allows them to know they can show care for
the special adults in their lives, too. Connections
to the local community are strengthened when
they take walks into Beverly Farms to visit
the Fire Station and nearby park, or to explore
ocean life on a field trip to West Beach.
The children leave the Older Class confident
intellectually and socially and are well equipped
to begin their next school experience. |
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The
Wednesday Explorers is a special class comprised
of Younger and Older children that offers
an active theme-based curriculum. Each week
the teachers of the Wednesday Explorers present
an engaging question to spark the children’s
interest and curiosity. They prepare the classroom
to
support the children’s inquiry by providing
related materials and tools that encourage
the children to think, imagine, and investigate.
In the past the children have explored themes
such as Homes, where they investigated various
animal shelters, built their own craft homes,
and then made a classroom-size house out of
huge cardboard boxes. A Career theme featured
visits from local firemen, recycling service,
and various parents. A Theatre Arts theme
brought in a local theatre director and the
children wrote, directed and acted in their
own play. |
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The
Lunch
Program provides children
in both the Younger and Older Classes
extra time to enjoy nature and outdoor
play on our playground. Afterward, children
eat together with their teachers. Lunch
allows children to enjoy the social
aspects of dining with their peers.
Teachers model good eating habits and
table manners and encourage interesting
dialogue. Lunch is a busy, happy time
filled with lots of wonderful conversation.
You may enroll your child for any combination
of days. The Lunch Program runs from
11:45-1:00 on Monday Tuesday, Wednesday
and Thursday. On Fridays lunch ends
at 12:45 p.m.. |
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The
Stay &
Play Program is open
to children in both the Younger and
Older Classes. The program is designed
to allow children to extend their school
day with age-appropriate opportunities
for play and learning. Under the supervision
of their experienced teachers, the children
are able to enjoy our child-centered
facilities in a relaxed smaller group.
Stay & Play offers lots of hands-on
teacher interaction, whether it is reading
in small groups, building with blocks
or creating an inventive project. The
Stay & Play calendar includes specific
themed programs that run throughout
the year which include: Monday- Expressive
Arts; Tuesday- Science and Nature; and
Thursday- "It's a Small World"
exploring a variety of cultures.
The Stay & Play Program gives your
child extra time to be with friends
and teachers while mastering the skills
they learn at school. It runs from 1:00
p.m. -2:45 p.m. on Monday Tuesday, and
Thursday. You may enroll your child
for any combination of days. |
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As
a convenience, Early
Morning Drop Off is
available for children whose schedules
require them to be at school before
our 8:30 a.m. opening. Children can
arrive any time after 8:00 a.m. to play
in our Big Room under the supervision
of our teachers. Early Morning Drop
Off is available for children from the
Toddler, Younger and Older Classes everyday,
all year. You may enroll your child
for any combination of days. |
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