Teacher: Karen Oothoudt

“We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.” Psalm 78:4 NLT

Each month focuses on different aspects of the Bible and Jesus’ teachings, using the Cokesbury Deep Blue preschool curriculum as a guide. Through these lessons, values such as grace, community, love, service, and worship are taught, as well as basic prayers and an introduction to mission and service.  As a church preschool, we help in many service projects alongside the larger church and even respond to requests from community organizations.  We strive to make our children aware that they are a part of a larger church, community, and the world – not as buildings or places, but people who are loved by Jesus Christ.

Director: Nancy Martin

NFUMC Preschool & Kindergarten strives to be an active part of the community.  There are many activities available to our students to make them aware of the larger church and world in which they live.  Here are a few examples:

Teacher: Wendy Fox

Computer is taught to all 4 and 5-year-old students. While the primary lesson plan is World Geography, Computer class seeks to bridge all of the specials and classroom activities in which the students are involved. Each month, the students are introduced to a different continent, its people, culture, food, festivals, and animals. All students are expected to be able to name and locate on a map the seven continents by the end of the school year. We also learn some vocabulary: Map, Globe, North Pole, South Pole, Equator, and Continent. The Kindergarten students are expected to also identify the 5 oceans, the equator, and cardinal directions.

All of our primary lessons are taught using the ABC Mouse program. Within this program, students listen to songs, books, and lessons geared to our study of the month. They develop fine motor skills by directing the mouse to complete complex puzzles, color sheets, mazes and many other learning activities. In addition to ABC Mouse, the students use a math program called IXL. IXL is an online math tool geared to Georgia state standards. Students receive awards for completing small amounts of this program at home as well. Many of our students complete their entire age-appropriate math section by the end of the school year!

Teacher: Sally Roberts

Our Movement special is focused on developing gross motor skills in your child.   Walking, running, jumping, climbing, balance, and strength all involve the larger, stronger muscle groups of the body. In early childhood, it is the development of these muscles that enable the baby to hold his/her head up, sit, crawl and eventually walk, run and skip.

In Movement, your child will be introduced to games and activities designed to aid in the following milestones:

Teacher: Sally Roberts

Music class is designed to help your child develop their creativity through exposure to another form of art – music!  Singing, dancing, and playing basic music instruments helps their body and mind work together and the benefits show up in the child’s overall social, emotional, language, gross motor, and literacy skills. In addition, the children are able to learn about various world cultures through international music and even catch up on the nursery rhymes and songs we all sang as children.  Children use music to form friendships and share feelings throughout their childhood, so we want to give them a love for this art form in preschool.

Teacher: Betsy Conoly

Science class is designed to show your child how to find science and math in everyday life.  Children are born wanting to learn about and explore the world around them.  This special involves the use of basic science experiments and activities, using both traditional scientific tools and common household items, to help children learn about all areas of scientific inquiry.   They are able to organize and communicate what they learn and understand the difference between concrete and abstract ideas.  By taking advantage of what they see and experience as part of their everyday life, your child is learning the basic steps of scientific reasoning through asking questions and receiving guidance on constructing an explanation for what they observe.

Below is a list of common lesson plans used throughout the year:

Teacher: Classroom Teacher

Social Studies & U.S. History are taught in the 4-year-old and Kindergarten classrooms using a common curriculum based on the Kindergarten Georgia Standards of Excellence for Social Studies.  This curriculum, combined with the existing computer class geography curriculum, and the individual classroom celebrations of our national holidays provides a complete history, geography, government, and economics education.  Each of these lessons is taught with a variety of media and further enriched with math, science, and language arts hands-on activities.

Below is a list of the lesson plans used throughout the year: