A Play-Based Curriculum That Nurtures The Whole Child

At Cold Spring Harbor Nursery School, our curriculum encourages emotional, social, and academic development through interactive activities and explorations that are tailored to each child’s individual needs.

Through creative play, music, art, and movement, children are introduced to concepts that will form the foundation for future learning. Our educators create a nurturing, respectful environment where curiosity is encouraged, and children learn through experiences that are both fun and educational.

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Four preschoolers sit together on stone steps outside Cold Spring Harbor Nursery School, chatting and laughing in fall weather, wearing cozy sweaters and jackets

  • The children will work towards becoming confident in taking care of themselves in the classroom.

    • Following classroom procedures

    • Self-help skills (taking off and putting on coat, hanging up bag, washing hands, using the bathroom, etc.)

    • Signing into the classroom (identifying name)

    • Cleaning up

    • Building confidence

  • The children will explore their ability to identify one’s feelings, develop self-control and build relationships.

    • Communicate needs and wants

    • Take responsibility

    • Identify and manage feelings

    • Follow rules and routines

    • Maintain attention

    • Transition and adapt

    • Cooperate

    • Care for and respond to others

  • The children will communicate and connect with others through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

    • Understand spoken language

    • Follow verbal directions

    • Communicate ideas

    • Build vocabulary

    • Focus on small units of sound

    • Identify rhyme and alliteration (repeat nursery rhymes and songs)

    • Demonstrate concepts of print (identifying book cover, turning pages, left to right directionality)

    • Identify letters and words

    • Make letter sounds connections

    • Respond to text and experiences through illustrations

    • Retell, ask, and answer questions about stories

    • Sequencing

  • The children will explore their ability to count, understand number sense, manipulate objects, create patterns, sort, compare, and measure.

    • Identify numbers

    • Count to determine quantity

    • Identify shapes

    • Manipulate part and whole

    • Identify and create patterns

    • Match, sort, and chart

    • Estimate and measure

    • Compare (more than, less than, greatest, least)

    • Use logic to solve problems

  • The children will use inquiry and make predictions and observations.

    • Identify and observe weather and climate

    • Observe and perform experiments

    • Explore science tools – magnets, magnifying glasses, scales, etc.

    • Observe insect life

    • Observe plant life

    • Measure and mix ingredients for cooking

    • Identify colors and explore color mixing

    • Make observational drawings and dictation

    • Explore the world with five senses

  • The children will understand oneself in relation to their surroundings.

    • Identify community and family roles

    • Explore cultures and traditions

    • Identify different types of geography

  • The children will express ideas and imagination through music, dance, and dramatic play. They will be encouraged to take risks and explore their curiosity.

    • Explore a variety of art processes: painting, drawing, sculpture, collage, etc.

    • Use a variety of art materials: crayons, paint, pencils, chalk, clay, etc.

    • Participate in movement songs and dances

    • Use scarves, rhythm sticks, and bean bags to practice rhythms

    • Participate in dramatic play

    • Dramatize familiar stories

  • The children will build strength, balance, and coordination. They will tune fine and gross motor skills through movements using drawing/writing tools and other manipulatives