Village School-Kindergarten's Passport to Adventure

As children begin their formal education in Kindergarten, a whole new world is opened up to them. They are given a passport to knowledge; they learn reading and math and begin to integrate many life skills into their daily routines. In honor of the beginning of this life long adventure, the Kindergarten program at Village makes use of the passport theme and gives each student his or her own Passport to Adventure. We frame all of their learning for the year in terms of a journey around the world. Our journey is documented in our monthly Kindergarten Travel Log .Each trimester will focus on three countries within a particular continent.

Along the journey, students will enjoy stories and poems, music and dance, art, games and native dress in the dramatic play area for each country. Each trimester will culminate in a special event: a safari in Kenya, an Asian tea ceremony and Brazil's Carnival.

Kindergarten's Itinerary

First Stop:
Africa

Egypt

South Africa

Kenya

Second Stop: Asia

Japan

China

India

Third Stop:
South America

Peru

Argentina

Brazil

Field Trips and Presentations

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Kindergarten Academics

While the children are traveling around the world, they will also be learning basic academic skills.

Our language arts program is a combination of whole language taught to the entire group and phonics taught in small groups. Literature from their travels serves as a springboard for a variety of rich experiences such as comparing and contrasting the Cinderella story from various parts of the world.

Math is taught using the Everyday Math series. It opens children's eyes to the many ways math is used in their daily lives. Children are actively engaged using hands-on manipulatives, games, mental math and home extensions.

Science will be incorporated into the travel theme through discussions and activities ranging from weather to animals to measurement and cooking.

The Passport to Adventure theme lends itself perfectly to various social studies units: friendship, family, map skills, traditions and an appreciation of culture.

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The Kindergarten Travel Guides

Cathy Brown's travels have now brought her to the Village community where she has taught for three years. She started her teaching career in her hometown of New York City and then headed west to continue her teaching experiences. Cathy has a BA in Psychology from Skidmore College and an MS in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street School of Education.

Stephanie Don Vito has been traveling through the primary grades for the last 11 years - five of them at Village School. She enjoys helping children discover the joy of reading. She holds a BS in Elem.Ed. from Philips University in Oklahoma and teaching credentials in both California and Colorado.

Tami Emerson has been traveling with Kindergarten at Village School for nine years. She loves teaching children and enjoys their creative and imaginative nature. Her BA in Humanities is from Fort Lewis College in Colorado.

In addition to the three teachers, Kindergarten also has three returning assistants - Jay Copeland , Kaie Sharf, and Liana Unger.

Please feel free to email the teachers with any questions, non-specific to your child: