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Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning
Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds
Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning “provide
early childhood educators a set of minimum standards in literacy,
mathematics, science, history and social science, physical and motor skill
development, and personal and social development with indicators of
success for entering kindergarten that are derived from
scientifically-based research. The standards reflect a consensus of
children’s conceptual learning, acquisition of basic knowledge, and
participation in meaningful and relevant learning experiences.”*
Virtually
everything young children do at Boxerwood supports their early
intellectual, social and physical development. Here is a sampling of
activities that strongly correlate with the guidelines provided to
preschool programs by the state of Virginia.
Literacy
Foundation Blocks
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A box turtle crossing the path or a swallowtail alighting
on a flower are among the countless, unpredictable “conversation
starters” that nature provides on any given day. |
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Children take
orders for mud pies and scribble the day’s “specials” on the mud kitchen
chalk board. |
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They use their
“deer ears” to discriminate bird calls, then imitate the sounds. |
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They
sing and dance the “Buggy Wuggy,” pretending to be insects and move
their body parts |
Mathematics
Foundation Blocks
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Children compare the size of their own hand to a huge
sycamore leaf or a lacy Japanese maple, and discover a leaf so large
they can wrap themselves in it. |
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They see how many kids it takes to circle around the
Great Oak. |
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They notice a difference in temperature in the sun and
the shade—and which plants and animals, including themselves, prefer
what. |
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They use nature objects to create interesting patterns:
acorn, acorn, stick; acorn, acorn, stick. |
Science
Foundation Blocks
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They experiment, moving stones to get a leaf boat to sail
along Dale’s Creek. |
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They take a Crayon Walk, matching crayons to the hues of
nature. |
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They collect, count and compare a variety of pine cones
(and then make “Pine Cone Dip” in the mud kitchen). |
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They camouflage themselves in a flower garden, hiding
behind blooms that are the same color as their tee-shirts. They recycle
their lunch scraps to feed the worms in the compost. |
Social
Science Foundation Blocks
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Children go on a quest, following trail signs (sticks and
stones) to discover a fairy circle. |
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They describe where they are and what they are
doing—making pies in the mud kitchen, swinging on hammocks in the pine
forest, running in the meadow, rolling down Tiny House Mountain. |
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They “work” at Boxerwood, washing windows in the lodge
and raking leaves on the PlayTrail. |
Physical
and Motor Development Foundation Blocks
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They climbing dwarf trees, balance on stumps, run through
a meadow maze, chase butterflies, roll down grassy hills, and hike
through the woods. |
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They paint with twigs, pine needle brushes, cones and
other nature objects, and make nature collages. |
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They pretend to be animals they see at Boxerwood—hopping
like frogs, crawling like turtles, and winging like birds. |
Personal
and Social Development Foundation Blocks
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They help make rules for playing safely on the PlayTrail,
reminding other young visitors not to walk in the pond or wave sticks.
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They choose what they want to do on the PlayTrail, and
for how long. |
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They engage in cooperative play, serving each other in
the mud kitchen or building a dinosaur together out of cow bones. |
*
Virginia’s Foundation Blocks for Early Learning:
Comprehensive Standards for Four-Year-Olds. Prepared by the Office of
Elementary Instructional Services, Virginia Department of Education.
December 2007.
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