Kindergarten
Kindergarten: KinderHaus offers a state equivalent Kindergarten program based on the New York State Department of Education
learning standards. The program complements the full immersion approach of the KinderHaus Preschool and Pre-K classes with a German-English bilingual curriculum for children from 5 to 6 years of age, to ensure continuity with the instruction in the early New York State elementary grades. Drawing on substantial research, KinderHaus implements a model of bilingual education that is based on the concept of dual immersion and which has been proven to be highly effective and supportive of both the linguistic and cognitive development of children. The dual language immersion program is designed for children with German as either a first or second language, with the goal to learn two languages without one language replacing the other. The program is led by a certified Kindergarten teacher, who is a native German and a fluent English speaker.
The Kindergarten program entails academic concepts such as literacy, science, mathematics, movement, artistic and musical activities. Our goal is for children to develop essential skills that build the foundation for lifelong learning within positive social and emotional experiences. Our students will experience minimal work sheet activities combined various activities including extended outdoor time throughout the day. The Kindergarten program will facilitate learning using children’s natural curiosity, imagination and thinking skills. The KinderHaus Kindergarten curriculum is designed to achieve a child’s maximum growth as a learner in order to be well prepared for 1st Grade of either an American or German elementary school. In addition to acquiring the skill set of the NYSDE Kindergarten learning standards, KinderHaus students regularly achieve above-average levels of academic proficiency due to the benefits of growing up and learning in a bilingual environment.
The program is led by a team of two certified Kindergarten teachers, one of whom is a native German and the other a native English speaker.
Our Kindergarten program provides a range of benefits over and above non-bilingual Kindergarten programs through the connection of our native speaking German teachers and native speaking English teachers. The new program entails academic concepts such as literacy, science, mathematics, movement, artistic and musical activities. Our goal is for children to develop essential skills that build the foundation for lifelong learning within positive social and emotional experiences. Our students will experience little homework and minimal exams with grading, combined with various activities throughout the day. The Kindergarten Program will facilitate learning using children’s natural curiosity, imagination and thinking skills.
The KinderHaus Kindergarten curriculum is designed to achieve a child’s maximum growth as a learner in order to be well prepared for 1st Grade of either an American or German elementary school. In addition to acquiring the skill set of the NYSDE Kindergarten learning standards, KinderHaus students regularly achieve above-average levels of academic proficiency due to the benefits of growing up and learning in a bilingual environment.
Science
The KinderHaus curriculum incorporates the best of German and American approaches of teaching science and world knowledge to children.
All themes are taught in interdisciplinary units, meaning that students are introduced to subject content from different perspectives, including connections to language arts, math, fine arts and music. This approach enables them to become more involved in their own learning process and to develop a range of different skills, as well as to build up a wide vocabulary in both German and English.
Art and Movements
Another integral part of the KinderHaus Kindergarten curriculum is singing German and English songs as well as listening to and making music. While many songs are part of meaningful classroom routines, such as a good morning, goodbye or circle time song, children also learn songs matching seasons and curriculum themes, enjoy rhythm and dancing activities with the group and are encouraged to get to know different instruments and artists. Integrated with music and Kindergarten learning objectives, the physical education program includes fun movement, dance, body awareness and motor skills activities.
Pre-Kindergarten
Since its inception, the KinderHaus children attenting the Pre-Kindergarten programs have consistently exceeded the New York State Department of Education standards. KinderHaus provides an intimate, progressive and multicultural education that is ideally preparing be part of an international future. At KinderHaus, small classes, language immersion, and an emergent curriculum help create students who are thoughtful, collaborative problem solvers. We use a variety of methods that combine elements of educator-guided and child-directed activity. Using interrelated thematic teaching and small, collaborative group work, each day is specifically designed to achieve these goals. Number and letter sense is achieved through both curricular and daily play and learning experiences. Pre-K students benefit from a curriculum of diverse content and depth, related to themes that integrate multiple disciplines into each area of study.
The Pre-K program integrates: Math, Science, Language, Early Literacy, Creative Arts, Social Studies, Physical Movement, and Social-Emotional Development.
Subjects and Key Curriculum Highlights
Children are encouraged to express their ideas verbally and in writing. Age-appropriate activities to foster phonological awareness ensures readiness for a successful reading and writing aquisition. The daily circle time focuses on developing German literacy skills through group discussion, where children are actively involved in building their own vocabulary, building their phonemic and phonological awareness of the alphabet, playing word games to practice pronunciation and to recognize the initial sounds of words.
In addition, KinderHaus teachers are dedicated to use rich, descriptive language throughout the day as a means to introduce and expand the vocabulary of their students. No matter if your child should continue with their schooling in Germany or in an English-speaking school, they will find it easier to learn the written language due to the high level of language awareness and an understanding of synthesizing letters and word formation developed during their time at KinderHaus.
Math and Science
Children learn mathematical and scientific concepts with real life objects (e.g. fall leaves) during hands-on activities in a meaningful
and theme-related context. By working with several materials such as sticks, cubes, beans, noodles, etc. children build their math skills such as counting and cardinality, sorting and measuring, less than and equal to concepts, and number-amount-relation.
While research has shown that being bilingual provides an individual with greater problem-solving abilities, a wider range of flexibility in critical thinking as well as an increased level of empathy, bilingual children also grow up seeing the world from two different linguistic and cultural angles, which enables them to develop an open-minded and confident personality with the opportunity to participate in the global community in many ways. This is the understanding that drives the Pre-K Social Studies and Scientific curriculum.
Social Studies
The Social Studies curriculum focuses on developing critical thinking and problem solving skills and building a rich vocabulary for speaking and listening during class discussions. Inquiry-based exploration will take students around the world as well as provide them with with the tools to better understand the world around us. KinderHaus teachers use outdoor activities to provide a platform for their student’s natural curiosity to be used for rich learning opportunities. Each unit is taught with an interdisciplinary approach, meaning that a science lesson will draw support from geography, art, or even music – creating a detailed approach to learning that grounds knowledge in experience and context.
Creative Arts: Art, Music and Movement
During the KinderHaus Arts curriculum, students are encouraged to participate in a variety of art and music activities, including crafting, painting, listening, singing and physical movement. Singing traditional German songs, adding words to songs, making suggestions for music activities, identifying simple melodies, creating body movement (dancing, balancing, yoga, experiencing rhythm in different ways).
Being creative with different materials, instruments and their own body is an important aspect of our approach and different activities are designed to engage and challenge children to develop personal creativity and an appreciation for the arts. During art activities the children learn to value their own creations and recognize the different outcomes, shapes and forms. Building tangible objects out of their imagination is a wonderful way to explore the endless opportunities and develop an understanding that their own actions can have an effect and/or use.