Start small. Dream big. Discover Early Childhood School at Laurel for young girls and boys.
S HA KE R H E IG H TS I RU S S E LL TOWN S H I P I est. 189 6
Dream. Dare. Do.
Laurel’s Early Childhood School
Welcome to Laurel. Founded in 1896, Laurel is a nationally recognized, college preparatory, independent day school for girls, Kindergarten through Grade 12, with a co-educational Early Childhood School. Laurel’s Center for Research on Girls puts the world’s best research to work for girls.
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Introduction Early Learners Preschool Prekindergarten Outdoor Prekindergarten Special Programs Essential Questions Early Learners Curriculum Preschool Curriculum Prekindergarten Curriculum Outdoor Prekindergarten Curriculum Contact Us
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At Laurel, we delight in watching children develop the emotional, social and cognitive skills that will serve them well throughout their lives. Introduction
In a warm, caring and child-centered environment, Laurel’s Early Childhood School educates young girls and boys, ages eighteen months to five years. Children are full of energy, curiosity and potential during this magical time – it is the goal of Laurel’s Early Childhood School to foster all three to the fullest. The cognitively rich and play-based curriculum fosters creativity and imagination while laying a foundation for academic success. Our days are focused on developing skills, nurturing talents, building confidence and cultivating each child in small classes, making it possible to give every student the attention she or he needs. We celebrate each individual child and differences in appearance, likes, dislikes, religions, cultures and family structures are honored as elements that make not only Laurel School, but also the world, a much more interesting place.
Our days are focused on developing skills, nurturing talents, building confidence and cultivating each child in small classes.
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Each day provides engagement in play, reading, art and conversation. Early Learners
The Early Learners classroom provides an environment where children as young as eighteen months can learn and grow individually while also participating in cooperative group play and lessons. Daily activities provide an opportunity for strengthening language skills, refining gross motor skills, developing fine motor skills and encouraging independence. Our progressive curriculum allows toddlers to thrive from the comfort of routine while also developing coordination, cultivating concentration and awakening their natural curiosity by allowing freedom to explore and discover their environ-ment. Each day provides engagement in play, reading, art and conversation.
Preschool
Laurel’s Preschool fosters a love of learning in students as young as three by providing a school experience that is rewarding, challenging, successful and fun. Our faculty encourages the development of imagination and individuality by allowing each child to choose a topic of study which the whole class immerses in for a week. Doing so ensures an environment where children feel their opinions are welcomed and valued. A warm environment with open communication between children and their teachers leads to the development of both independence and the ability to interact with others. Daily activities promote creative expression, social interaction and attention to the continued development of fine and gross motor skills. The hands-on, experiential curriculum integrates academic skills such as oral expression, letter and number recognition and memory stimulation in lasting and meaningful ways.
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Dream.
Children are encouraged to develop meaningful connections with the world around them, which inspires them to care for their community and themselves.
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Students are often involved in the planning process and make their own choices, with teachers as guides and facilitators. Prekindergarten
Laurel’s Prekindergarten gives children as young as four the tools and the licence to become independent thinkers and risk-takers – essential to developing self-confidence, decision-making and problem-solving skills and self-reliance. We build on what children know and strengthen attitudes about themselves as capable, active learners and valuable group members. Children are encouraged to develop meaningful connections with the world around them, which inspires them to care for their community and themselves. Prekindergarteners happily choose from an array of developmentally appropriate activities and materials that promote cognitive, creative, physical, emotional and social growth. Students are often involved in the planning process and make their own choices, with teachers as guides and facilitators. The curriculum encourages cognitive language and math skills in a fun and integrated setting, ensuring that each child is prepared for Kindergarten the following year.
Outdoor Prekindergarten
Laurel’s Outdoor Prekindergarten allows significant outdoor hands-on learning for four- and five-year-old students. Our Yurts make the Butler Campus accessible year-round and provides a home base for days with inclement weather. In the forest, and away from a structured indoor curriculum, children make their own choices about how they spend their time and how to manage their own body signals. They become empowered, engaged and highly motivated learners. The Outdoor Prekindergarten provides a curriculum that ensures children are developing the skills that are necessary for them to be successful in Kindergarten while also gaining the resilience, motivation and creativity that comes from learning in the forest.
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Dare.
In the forest, and away from highly structured indoor curriculum, children make their own choices about how they spend their time and how to manage their own body signals.
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Special Programs In addition to the learning that occurs in the individual classrooms, Early Childhood School students have exposure to the following special programs:
Music & Movement
Library
Children love music! Early Childhood School students love to sing songs, play a variety of instruments and tap out the beat. They delight in the joy of movement and self-expression as they learn to move to a rhythm and develop coordination, balance and motor skills. Music is also a joyous way to build pre-literacy skills.
Every week, each class eagerly travels to a warm and cozy place in the Lake Library perfectly suited to our youngest students. The librarian engages students through books as a developmentally appropriate way to cultivate pre-reading language and thinking skills in small children. Prekindergarten students are also introduced to research as a means to answer their most pressing questions. Working one-on-one with the librarian they read books, search the internet and write letters to find answers to questions such as, “Why does a dolphin’s skin not wrinkle?” and “Why do leaves change color in the fall?”
Physical Education Physical development, especially in regards to gross motor skills and hand-eye coordination, is the focus of our physical education classes. Children are introduced to a variety of sports while learning that physical activity is not only healthy, it’s fun!
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Eco!Wonder Our signature Eco!Wonder curriculum, written by our Early Childhood faculty, is an environmental education program for young children that encourages them to understand the important role they play in keeping our planet healthy. We emphasize sustainability, the cycles of nature, discoveries made through unrestricted exploration in nature and activities associated with healthy living, including our commitment to healthy snacks! Through Eco!Wonder, they become more aware and inquisitive about the world and learning spills organically from classroom to home.
Butler Campus Preschool students travel to our 150-acre Butler Campus once a month and Prekindergartners go weekly; a weekly option is available for all full-day students. Our Yurts make the Butler Campus accessible year round, regardless of inclement weather. Children who spend time outdoors are resilient, motivated and creative while developing an ability to focus and concentrate for longer periods of time and an inclination to experiment, make connections and solve problems.
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Do.
We build on what children know and strengthen attitudes about themselves as capable, active learners and valuable group members.
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Essential Questions Mathematics
Language Arts
1. How do I use numbers?
1. Why are words important?
2. Why do I use numbers?
2. What do I learn from stories
3. Why is it important for
some things to happen in order?
and books? 3. How can I tell my stories?
Science 1. What can I observe and
understand about the natural world? 2. What do I learn from
experimentation?
Social Studies 1. What is a community? 2. How can I become a good
member of my community? 3. What can I learn about places
I have never visited? 4. What can I learn from people
I have never met? 5. What can I learn about events
that have already happened or are happening now? 6. Why do people have rules
and laws?
Early Learners Curriculum Mathematics
Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
Counting
Verbalizing feelings
Separation from caregiver
Following multi-step directions
Negotiating new social situations
Learning to care for the environment
Establishing routine
Using kind words and manners
C ON T E N T
Expanding vocabulary
C ON T E N T
Counting in a variety of settings
Listening comprehension
Observation of weather and seasons
Morning Meeting
C ON T E N T
Games
Puzzles
Providing modeling for verbal expression of thoughts and needs
Art activities Matching like objects
Using manners during snack and group time Taking turns and sharing Introduction to letters Independent and group time with literature Following directions Weekly library story hour
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Developing curiosity for the natural world
Fostering curiosity
Establishing routines and schedules Self-help skills Sharing and taking turns C ON T E N T
Morning meeting Daily schedule Sharing during group play time Modeling manners and kind words
Preschool Curriculum Mathematics
Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
Counting
Speaking in front of a group
Hypothesizing and making predictions
Functioning in a community
Sharing experiences outside the classroom
Learning to care for the environment
Self-help skills
Speaking with adults
Drawing conclusions
Communicating thoughts to peers
Recognizing cause and effect
Number recognition
Learning to make predictions in stories
C ON T E N T
Measurement
Recognizing rhyming words
Directional cues
Expanding vocabulary
1-to-1 correspondence Patterning Sorting Classifying Spatial relationships Sequencing
C ON T E N T
Recognizing patterns in literature
Counting in a variety of settings
C ON T E N T
Manipulatives
Sharing thoughts during group time
Puzzles
Graphing
Exploring fiction and nonfiction literature on a daily basis
Tally marks
Journaling
Learning left and right
Independent exploration of literature
Games
Art activities
Environmental print Providing modeling for verbal expression of thoughts, needs and desires
Observation of seasonal cycles Experimentation Caring for community through recycling, composting, planting and conservation of resources Providing support through literature Field trips to Butler Campus, recycling center, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Lake Farm Park, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, etc.
Sharing and taking turns Routines and schedules Interest in other cultures and places Separation Awareness of self C ON T E N T
Calendar Daily schedule Learning geography Photo documentation Routines Sharing during group play time Field trips Presentation of varied cultures and traditions in the classroom Introduction of foods from many cultures
Introduction to new vocabulary Weekly library story hour Recognizing upper and lower case letters and beginning letter sounds
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Prekindergarten Curriculum Mathematics
Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
Patterning
Continued development of literacy
Hypothesizing and making predictions
Understanding diversity
Graphing Geometry
Verbal expression
Sense of place
Geography
Estimation
Listening comprehension
Grouping
Letter and word identification
Understanding cause and effect
Understanding communities
Number recognition Weights and measurements
Writing process and applications
Sequence of events C ON T E N T
Visual perception/spatial awareness
Exposure to and enjoyment of books and stories Contextual understanding
C ON T E N T
Talking about math with sentences Understanding and solving simple math problems and symbols Using manipulatives, puzzles, blocks and other 2and 3- dimensional objects to understand how things work in relation to each other and in space Understanding how to portray and read information using a graph Recognizing patterns and numbers Developing a sense of time, and sequencing Using standard and non-standard units of measurement through cooking, estimation and predictions Using words to compare objects (i.e. bigger, smaller, over, under), length and capacity Matching, sorting and identifying shapes
Recognizing the difference between fiction and nonfiction
Experimentation
Exploring the natural world and habitats Observation and documentation “Backyard” study, becoming familiar with native plants, animals and ecosystems
C ON T E N T
Developing an awareness of and respect for differences and commonalities among cultures Respecting others’ thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes and abilities Mastering socialization and interpersonal skills
Developing research skills
Fostering curiosity
Conflict management
Retelling of stories
Patterning and predictable sequencing
Negotiation of space, sharing and understanding the concept of being a friend
Using language for selfexpression and negotiation Formulating questions and using descriptive language Mastering receptive language skills by following directions
Understanding lifetimes and life spans Studying hibernation and migration Understanding human and animal survival techniques
Developing phonemic awareness
Describing, observing and predicting the weather
Recognizing the alphabet and high frequency words and names
Developing stewardship and care of the earth and understanding what is healthy for various habitats
Understanding words are made up of letters Counting and understanding syllables Recognizing upper and lower case letters and beginning letter sounds Recognizing written symbols Understanding print has meaning Journaling Using writing instruments correctly and writing his or her name
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Environmental stewardship
C ON T E N T
Counting
Socialization
Recycling, composting and conservation Gardening and using the greenhouse Learning about litter pickup and landfills Understanding the concept of linked ecosystems and cause and effect on each Making predictions, observations and hypotheses
Conquering separation from caregivers Developing independence, responsibility and selfhelp skills Understanding of maps and globe Learning street addresses Discussing neighborhoods, natural resources and habitats Understanding of community services, membership and roles within various smaller and larger communities
Outdoor Prekindergarten Curriculum Mathematics
Language Arts
Science
Social Studies
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
SKILLS
Patterning
Continued development of literacy
Hypothesizing and making predictions
Understanding diversity
Verbal expression
Observing using all senses
Estimation
Listening comprehension
Grouping
Literature
Developing a sense of curiosity
Graphing Geometry
Socialization Geography Understanding communities
Phonological awareness
Mapping
Letter and word identification
Understanding life cycles and seasonal changes Environmental stewardship
Identifying and naming plants and animals
Counting
Writing process and applications
Experimentation
Respecting living things
Visual perception/spatial awareness
Research
Number recognition Weights and measurements Sequence of events
C ON T E N T
Using units of measurement for making comparisons, estimations and predictions Pattern identification
C ON T E N T C ON T E N T
Initiate and sustain conversation Using new vocabulary Negotiating compromises and resolving conflicts
Stewardship and understanding our responsibility through composting, recycling and understanding linked ecosystems
C ON T E N T
Awareness of and respect for differences of thoughts, ideas, likes, dislikes and abilities Understanding the concept of being a friend
Identifying native plants
Developing independence, responsibility and selfhelp skills
Calendar
Formulating questions
Seasons
Using descriptive language
Understanding life cycles and life spans
Learning to negotiate and compromise
Sharing thoughts and ideas clearly
Learning about habitats and ecosystems
Distinguishing between fiction and non-fiction
Observing seasonal changes, hibernation, migration and weather
Understanding geography through mapping, compass directions, natural resources and habitats
Sense of time, including planning for future and remembering past events Classifying, sorting and grouping Identifying shapes Matching like objects Using natural materials to understand how things work in relation to each other in space
Retelling stories Contextual understanding of stories
Mapping
Team building activities Establishing routines
Recognizing upper and lower case letters and beginning letter sounds Counting and understanding syllables Rhyming words, synonyms and opposites Understanding linear orientation of print Journaling Using writing instruments correctly and writing his or her name 19
We look forward to seeing you soon. For more information or to schedule a tour, contact us at 216.464.0946 or Admissions@LaurelSchool.org
Start small. Dream big.
20 Photography: DOWNIE PHOTO Copyright © 2022 Laurel School
THE L AUREL MISSION:
To inspire each girl to fulfill her promise and to better the world.
LYMAN CAMPUS One Lyman Circle, Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122
Dream. Dare. Do.
BUTLER CAMPUS 7420 Fairmount Road, Russell Township, Ohio 44072
LaurelSchool.org
/LaurelSchool
Admissions @ LaurelSchool.org 216.464.0946
@LaurelSchool
@LaurelSchool
