Have you heard of the Dinosaur School Curriculum? This is a program created by the Incredible Years that we use in our preschool and kindergarten classrooms 2-3 times per week.
The Incredible Years Dinosaur Social Skills and Problem-Solving Curriculum© is a comprehensive video and theme-based curriculum that is based on social skills, emotional regulation and problem-solving. The main goals are:
• Positive social skills
• Conflict and anger management skills
• Emotional literacy
• Appropriate school behaviours
• Reading, writing and communication skills
• Positive self-esteem
The program consists of seven units with their own dinosaur themes:
Apatosaurus Unit 1: Learning School and Home Rules
Iguanodon Unit 2: How to Do Your Best in School
Triceratops Unit 3: Understanding and Detecting Feelings
Stegosaurus Unit 4: Problem-Solving Training
Tyrannosaurus Rex Unit 5: Anger Management
Allosaurus Unit 6: How to Be Friendly
Brachiosaurus Unit 7: How to Talk With Friends
The Dinosaur School is an amazing way for us to teach these important skills, but in a way that is incredibly fun for our students. All aspects of the curriculum focus on:
• Using a child-centered, relationship-building teaching philosophy
• Integrating research-based principles of learning
• Valuing the developmental stages and abilities of children (ages 3 to 8 years) as well as acknowledging individual differences in temperament and learning styles
• Opportunities for encouraging cultural diversity
• Regular involvement with parents in all aspects of the curriculum and learning process
• Utilizing learning approaches based on children’s active experiences with peers and materials
• Integrating academic competencies (i.e., reading, writing, math, oral language) with social and emotional competencies
• Activities that encourage children’s choices and self-direction in learning
• Respect for children’s and parents’ input and inclusion of adaptable materials to address themes meaningful to children within a particular classroom and community
• Multiple opportunities designed to encourage language, literacy and writing development
• Strengthening children’s emotional regulation and problem-solving
We will be opening a new toddler program at our Big Bay Point location on January 12. Contact us for more information on the program or information about our Dinosaur School Curriculum.
About Discovery Child Care
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca
Barrie Based Discovery Child Care brings nature into the classroom and takes the classroom into nature, offering an environmentally aware foundation of early learning for children, from infants to school-age. We follow an Emergent Curriculum philosophy which means, your child will be provided with hands-on, play-based learning opportunities that will encourage active exploration, autonomy, choice, problem solving and plain old fun! Your child’s individual interests, abilities and needs will be considered when planning our indoor and outdoor programs. For more information, visit http://www.discoverychid.on.ca