The basic Sunflower indoor curriculum is organized around learning centers in a hands-on, child-directed environment. We have many permanent centers, including art, snack, practical life, language, writing easel, math, manipulatives, blocks, books, and a science room. We also utilize our indoor climber as a reflection of our theme curriculum. The learning centers (both permanent and rotating) are a constant challenge for the Sunflower teachers to keep fun and interesting. This task is accomplished by assigning each teacher specific areas that they are responsible for throughout the school year. Each teacher rotates educational materials and activities on a monthly basis, utilizes Sunflower's inventory of materials, and creates new materials for the learning centers.
As well as the basic framework of learning centers, we have expanded the curriculum to offer many additional learning opportunities. For instance, the art area consists of a weekly art project and a variety of art supplies. We leave out collage items, paints, pencils, crayons, markers, glue, assorted paper, play dough, stamps, and various seasonal and theme curriculum oriented materials. With this wealth of resources, the children tend to create their own open-ended, individualized art projects. This creative openness in the art area supports our philosophy of "process not project" when introducing young children to art.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." (Albert Einstein)
Another example of the expansion of the basic curriculum is our theme curriculum. The theme curriculum is implemented January through August. The Fall months are reserved for back-to-school and seasonal subject matter. The theme curriculum at Sunflower has been developing and evolving since the mid-eighties. Basically, we have discovered that the children appreciate and respond to an ever-changing and stimulating environment. They love the dramatic play aspect of the various themes, as well as learning new subject matter and watching the climber turn into a spaceship, rainforest, or "Dinosaur Jungle".
The theme curriculum we have developed is science-based. We study Dinosaurs, Space, Oceans and Ocean Animals, Bugs and insects, Tropical Rainforests, and Plants and Animals. The theme is integrated throughout the classroom and learning centers. We use a hands-on approach. For example, when we study Space, you might see some of the following activities if you were to visit the Sunflower classroom: The book shelf is full of "space" books. The walls are covered in solar system, astronaut, and space shuttle posters. The climber has become a space ship, the language area has space objects, word matching and space words to write or trace. In the math area, the children can weigh themselves on a scale. How much do you weigh on Earth, or on the Moon? For snack, the children make peanut butter planets or flying saucers. In the science room, you might see children looking through a telescope, holding a real meteorite, or engaged in a space project at the lab bench.
We further support the learning our theme curriculum generates by visiting local areas of interest. Our field trips during the school year can include: the Butterfly Pavilion, the University of Colorado's Planetarium, the University of Colorado's Natural History Museum, Boulder Area Parks, the pumpkin patch, or a guided walk to visit the prairie dogs.
Please keep in mind that the basic Sunflower curriculum and the theme curriculum are always presented to the children in a relaxed, developmentally appropriate atmosphere. For example, a child interested in blocks is still free to build with blocks during free time or until she/he chooses different work, regardless of the theme curriculum or other activities.
We encourage the children to make choices, be self-directed, and explore the environment at their own pace.
