[Louisep]

I've applied to our local preschool which uses what they call a Creative Curriculum as well as a nature-based curriculum. Does anyone know anything about the Creative Curriculum? I love the idea of RE and play-based learning - do you think CC will be similar?

Thanks.

 

[Momily]

We use Creative Curriculum at the school where I teach, and I really like it. It's a very loose "curriculum", with a strong emphasis on children learning through their own choices in classroom centers such as dramatic play, cooking, housekeeping etc . . . I'm a strong believer in choice and play being at the heart of the preschool curriculum, but I think that one of the real weaknesses of that is that teachers don't always have a good sense of what they're teaching, or what outcomes they want, which can mean that they aren't as intentional as they might be. Creative Curriculum addresses that with a series of 50 objectives, that cover most of the major elements of early childhood from retelling picture books, to following routines, to using numbers to solve problems, to sticking with tasks of the child's choosing over the course of several days.

 

[One_Girl]

I really like Creative Curriculum. I worked with it for a year when I worked at Head Start and it was really amazing to see how much kids learn when you set up the environment for learning. At first it seemed like kids weren't learning a lot, but by the middle of the year you could see that they had learned a lot. The teaching tends to be based on the children's interests when they are playing individually and in groups. The group lessons were based on children's votes on themes they wanted to focus on such as animals, dinosaurs, frogs, etc...

 

[Louisep]

Thanks for the responses! I had our interview at the coop preschool a couple of days ago and loved everything they had to tell me about the school and education. You have also reassured me. Fingers crossed we get in!

 

[lauren]

moving into the general Learning at School section

 

[staceychev]

My DD's preschool/daycare uses it. I was really happy with the school, and I know that curriculum is only part of loving a school, but I was happy nonetheless. (Past tense=she's not there anymore b/c I'm on maternity leave and she's enrolling in our town's public PreK.)