MULHUDDART COMMUNITY CENTRE  KIDZ ZONE
Links		LOCATION: Mulhuddart Childcare Facility Mulhuddart Community Centre Church Road Mulhuddart, Dublin 15.CONTACT: Ciara Doran Tel.8215120 Applications forms are now available in the centre We have opened a beautiful new fully equipped pre-school room. There are two sessions available. These hours are typically;  9.15am-12.15pm 1.15pm-4.15pm and in addition an all day session 9.15 to 4.15   We ensure high quality care for the children in our pre-school by providing: v Highly qualified staff v Enclosed outdoor play area v A daily programme that includes a variety of activities which encourage the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development of children. v An open door policy for parents. v Affordable childcare v Nutritious snacks available v " home away from home"       Curriculum Our curriculum is based on a carefully planned learning environment, which has been developed to promote discovery, exploration, freedom of choice, and mastery of emerging skills and to provide a challenge. Children are active learners, learning best from activities, which they plan and carry out themselves. They learn through interaction with children and adults. The optimum medium for learning is active exploration and discovery. Therefore, it is our job as teachers to provide the most appropriate environment for education, adapting it as the children develop and progress. We create experiences appropriate for each child, provide challenges and help children find new answers. It is important that we work in partnership with parents to evaluate and plan each child’s experience.   Active Learning Centres Our curriculum revolves around various Active Learning Centres in the pre-school room. These Areas allow for freedom of choice and self-directed play with supportive teaching, enabling the children to acquire the skills and concepts he/she needs to reach their potential and prepare for school. This curriculum incorporates the development of language, mathematical concepts, science, creative expression and social skills through their guided experiences of the Active Learning Centres. Daily planned activities and Learning Centres are carefully planned to encourage children to explore and discover for themselves, which in turn enables them to feel independent and gain confidence and a love for learning. Our pre-school room has many different Active Learning Centres: Library/ Story Time This plays a vital role in language development, a critical skill in the art of communication. The ideal period for learning languages is in the first five years. Therefore, a rich language environment is essential. Story-time helps children develop social skills by developing eye contact, sharing ideas, excitement and joy. It increases their vocabulary and helps them understand the functions of print. Construction, e.g. Duplo, Stickle Bricks This type of activity helps develop problem solving skills, manipulative skills, observation skills and intellectual concepts. When children are playing together, they are learning social skills, communicative skills and friendship formation. They will learn how to share and it allows them to use their imagination. It also aids visual skills, such as colours, shapes and classification of objects. Dramatic Play, e.g. Dress-up, Role-Play This activity helps to develop social skills in children, which is vital to social adjustment. It encourages them to communicate their thoughts and feelings and to develop language by using new forms of speech and vocabulary. It can help relieve stress and aggressive feelings. It also encourages expression.   Art, e.g. Painting Painting allows children to express their own ideas and feelings. It is a medium by which they express their personality. It also facilitates visual communication i.e. communicating ideas through pictures. Art helps the child to become aware of detail, colour and size, as they are creating something themselves. It develops their ability to use their hands skilfully, preparing them for writing. It aids in the development of problem solving skills, e.g. ‘What do we do when the bristles of the paint brush go hard?’ It introduces new language and encourages creativity and experimentation. Sensory, e.g. Sand, Water, Play Dough These activities are excellent in aiding hand-eye co-ordination, which is vital to a child’s progress in reading, writing and number work. Sand and water play introduce scientific concepts, e.g. some things float while other things sink. It improves manipulative skills and thought development. Through experimenting with these different properties, it teaches them coping skills, e.g. ‘What should I do if I spill the water or sand?’ This shows them how to cope when things go wrong. Water play helps to relive tension and relax children. Maths Children are introduced to maths in many ways, including the ‘Teaching Clock’, Cards, Counters, Sandpaper Numbers and Calendars. Songs using numbers are a great way to learn. Also, the concept of numbers is introduced in their daily routine e.g. when the teacher asks ‘How many cups do we need for snack-time today?’ or ‘How many children are here today?’ By doing this, the children will come to understand the notion of numbers and what they represent.   Music/ Movement and Outdoor Play Dancing to music helps children become aware of their bodies. It encourages them to refine their gross motor movements. Dancing enables children to let off some steam and to have an appreciation for different types of movement. Outdoor play, e.g. playing football or cycling, improves physical skills. It assists muscle development, helps balance and co-ordination. It gives them physical challenges to participate in and develops healthy competitiveness. It teaches them social skills such as turn taking and sharing. Nature Table This is an ever-changing area, depending on the season or festival. It promotes awareness of the environment and of science concepts, for example by introducing different fruit and leaves from trees or examining the life cycle of a frog. In winter, snow or ice can be brought into the room, so the children can investigate the different properties of water. It is a great way to introduce plant and animal life and caring for the world around us.    Assessing the Children’s Development An important part of our curriculum is the documentation of learning experiences. We monitor their learning experiences using Observation Slips and a Documentation Panel, explaining what the children are doing each day. Each learning experience comes under a heading, which indicates the skills being developed. We also document how each child progressed at each activity. Photographs may also be taken and displayed. This enables us to monitor and assess on an on-going basis how each child is developing, while at the same time making learning visible to the parents. Individual child observations and assessments are an important feature of our curriculum, as it enables parents and teachers to set goals for each child. Each child will have their own folder to keep note of these and to keep track of their work throughout their time here. These folders are available for parents to take home as they wish. Back