Goals of the Curriculum for Tree of Life Nature Preschool

Tree of Life Nature Preschool has the multi-faceted goals of fostering both whole-child development and environmental literacy infused with Christian principles and values. This nature-based preschool promotes emergent and experiential learning, providing child-initiated, play-based experiences in the natural world that lead to individualized learning. While best practices in early childhood education and environmental education are promoted, the over-arching goal of this preschool is for children to learn of God’s love for them through Jesus Christ and to help children develop a Biblical view of their world.

“Jesus said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

The following domains demonstrate the goals of this program:

Spiritual Formation

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.” Proverbs 9:10

Knows the love of Jesus.
Knows the story of Jesus from His birth to His Resurrection.
Knows that God created the world and all things.
Understands that God cares for His world and all things.
Recognizes the Bible as God’s Holy Word.
Knows about sin and our need for a Savior.
Knows about the Ten Commandments.
Knows that prayer is talking to God. Engages in prayer before meals and at other appropriate times, with guidance.
Demonstrates knowledge of key people and events in the Old and New Testament.

Social-Emotional

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

Follows limits and expectations, taking care of own needs appropriately.
Shows empathy, sympathy and caring for others just as Jesus does for us.
Forms positive relationships with adults.
Makes friends with peers forming positive relationships, interacting verbally and non-verbally with other children.
Engages in cooperative group play while sharing and taking turns.
Uses manners and models kind behavior.
Begins to recognizes the reasons for rules and follows them.
Participates in a variety of roles caring for the early childhood environment (chores).
Demonstrates engagement and sustained attention in activities.

Physical Health

“And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.” Luke 2:40

Engages in active play outdoors, assisting in the development of gross motor skills.
Manipulates items from the environment with coordinated body movements.
Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination to perform tasks using writing and drawing tools.

Health & Safety Practices

“Give us each day our daily bread.” Luke 11:3

Demonstrates an understanding that eating a variety of food helps the body to grow and be healthy.
Begins to show independence in personal health and self-care habits.
Develops the ability to identify unsafe situations and use safe practices.

Language Development

“Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name.” Psalm 100:4

Listens to and responds logically to increasingly complex language including words related to the Christian faith.
Follows simple directions of two or more steps as related to familiar objects and experiences.
Uses language to verbalize thoughts and communicate opinions, wants, and needs.
Tells stories about other times and places that have a logical order and include major details.
Demonstrates the social rules of language.
Uses logical conversational and other communication skills.

Approaches to Learning

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:14

Demonstrates positive approaches to learning, showing eagerness to learn about a variety of topics.
Attends and engages in activities that are new and unfamiliar.
Shows persistence in accomplishing a task or to solve a problem.
Engages in exploration and sociodramatic play to express understandings of God’s world.
Demonstrates problem-solving skills through investigating and exploring ideas.
Uses prior knowledge to make connections with new experiences.
Uses classification skills to group objects based on differences.
Thinks symbolically to draw or construct in representing something that is not present.
Acts out familiar or imaginary scenarios using props that may stand for something else.

Literacy

“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

Notices and discriminates rhyme by filling in missing rhyming words as well as generating rhyming words spontaneously.
Sings songs and recites rhymes and refrains with repeating initial sounds.
Sings songs and fingerplays about Jesus and God’s Word.
Recognizes and pronounces sounds of some letters, especially those in own name.
Uses and appreciates books, orienting them correctly and turning pages from front to back.
Pretends to read a familiar book using picture clues to describe what is on each page.
Comprehends and responds to books and other texts by interacting during read-alouds and book conversations.
Makes connections between stories and real-life experiences.
Retells or re-enacts a familiar story in sequence of a story’s major events with prompting and support.
Retells or re-enacts the story of Jesus in sequence with prompting and support.
Experiments with writing tools and materials to convey meaning.
Demonstrates emergent writing skills using controlled linear scribbles, mock letter-like forms or letter strings.

Mathematics

“He determines the numbers of the stars. He gives to all of them their names.” Psalm 147:4

Follows simple directions related to proximity (beside, between, next to).
Identifies geometric shapes.
Extends a simple repeating pattern.
Uses nonstandard units to compare and to measure attributes such as length and capacity.
Uses vocabulary that describes and compares length, height, weight, capacity, and size.
Uses classification skills to sort and classify objects.
Counts objects using a one-to-one correspondence.
Recognizes and names numerals.
Understands that the final number counted in a group of objects represents the set.
Understands that adding or taking away one or more objects from a group will change the number of objects in the group.
Uses numbers and quantities in the everyday environment.

Science

“Stop and consider the wondrous works of God.” Job 37:14

Plays and investigates with natural materials.
Uses senses to explore and observe physical sciences and life sciences.
Uses communication skills to share observations of God’s world.
Uses scientific inquiry skills to problem solve and discover answers to their questions.
Demonstrates knowledge of the characteristics of living things.
Develops an understanding of the basic needs of humans, animals, and plants.
Begins to identify the habitats of familiar animals and plants in the environment.
Demonstrates knowledge of the physical properties of objects and materials.
Uses tools to perform tasks.
Demonstrates knowledge of the earth’s environment.
Shows an awareness of changes that occur in the environment.
Shows awareness of how to care for God’s world.
Demonstrates an understanding of the calendar as it relates to its seasonal changes.

Social Studies

“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Leviticus 19:18b

Demonstrates knowledge about self.
Shows basic understanding of people and how they live.
Explores characteristics related to people or places.
Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge, including as it relates to nature.
Demonstrates and understanding of the liturgical calendar and how it tells us God’s story.

The Arts

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

Uses creative arts as an avenue for self-expression.
Explores the visual arts.
Explores musical concepts and expression.
Explores dance and movement concepts.
Engages in dramatic play as a way to represent real-life experiences, communicating ideas and feelings with their imaginations.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16