During the PK years, the larger educational aims are the cultivation of wonder and virtue. Students at these ages are naturally filled with wide-eyed wonder at the world, and need that wonder to be protected, cultivated, and extended. As younger children they are also the most receptive to acquiring virtuous habits of learning that will serve the rest of their lives. We will be very intentional about developing them as passionate lovers of truth, goodness, and beauty, and showing them the natural world as a living museum full of wonders that delight the soul. We will also be intentional about cultivating virtue.
Younger students also learn naturally and with delight by means of songs and chants, so we will teach important ideas and information with lots of singing and chanting. As students learn through all five senses, we will not merely speak truth to them, we will also embody our ideals by sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. This means we will create meaningful rhythms, practices, routines, and traditions replete with beautiful images, music, and “liturgy.”
Students will not be given grades or assessments by the instructor; however, there will be various opportunities to work with parents to monitor student growth and adjust the course activities in accordance with each child’s development. The following learning strands will be…
- TERM 1:
- Bible stories, memory work and songs
- Letters A- E / Numbers 1-6
- Life Cycle of a Butterfly
- Virtue of Diligence
- TERM 2:
- Bible stories, memory work and songs
- Letters F- K / Numbers 7-11
- Life Cycle of Apples and Pumpkins
- Virtue of Gratefulness
- TERM 3:
- Bible stories, memory work and songs
- Letters L-P / Numbers 12- 16
- The Water Cycle, Snowflakes and Snowmen
- Virtue of Dependability
- TERM 4:
- Bible stories, memory work and songs
- Letters Q-U / Numbers 17-20
- Life Cycle of a Chicken
- Virtue of Humility
- TERM 5:
- Bible stories, memory work and songs
- Letters V- Z / Shapes
- Life Cycle of a Frog
- Virtue of Self-Control
