Caterpillars & Butterflies
Caterpillars - Program for 3 Year-Olds
Our Caterpillar Program is for children who are three years old by September 30.
Individual, small, and large group activities are designed to promote:
- Social Interaction: To play well with others, to begin to learn sharing and taking turns, to recognize other's feelings, and to listen to and speak with others
- Independence: To assume responsibility and learn to make choices
- Control of body movements and actions
- An introduction to proper use of classroom materials
- Fine motor development through physically active play
- Gross motor development through physically active play
- An increase in attention span and understanding the importance of listening
- Use of complete sentences
- Memory retention through use of songs, stories, and finger plays
- Self-expression through cutting, drawing, and painting
- Recognition of colors and simple shapes
- Matching of like colors
- An introduction to names for weather conditions, seasons, months, and days of the week
- An awareness of health and safety issues
- Use of good manners
Butterflies - Program for 4 Year-Olds
Our Butterfly Program is for children who are four years old by September 30. Continuation of goals for three year olds with further expansion and emphasis in the following areas in preparation for kindergarten:
- Increasing fine motor skills through painting, drawing, coloring, tracing, and cutting
- Listening to and following more complex directions
- Expanding understanding of seasonal change, observed holidays and occasions
- Awareness of similarities and differences in more detail
- Classification of objects according to color, size and use
- Reinforce numbers 1-10 and capital letters of the alphabet
- Introduction to sounds of letters, new words, and their meanings
- Encouraging verbal expression
Outline of Daily Schedule
The daily schedule for both programs generally include the following:
- Sign in your child. Children are greeted and have structured playtime
- Short circle: good morning song, calendar, weather, rules
- Snack (nutritious snacks are provided by the Snack Parent)
- Circle time for overview of small group activities
- Small group activity
- Music and movement
- Story
- Dressing for outdoor play
Lunch Bunch Program
Each quarter we offer an optional Lunch Bunch Program to those enrolled in the Butterfly Program. Lunch Bunch is an opportunity for the children to interact beyond the classroom, directly after regular class on Thursdays and/or Fridays from 12:00 - 1:00pm through activities and a bag lunch. There is an additional charge to enroll; the Board of Directors will distribute information on availability, dates, and costs of the program to the Butterfly families in the fall.
