Samaritans – 4 and 5 year olds

“The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn’t been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him” – Pablo Casals

Lead Teacher: Miriam Villanueva

“My name is Miriam Villanueva and I am the Lead Teacher in the Samaritans classroom. I was born in Bronx, New York, but my family is from Puerto Rico. I am the mother of two handsome sons and the grandmother of one adorable grandson. I am fluent in English and Spanish. I have been with the Twin Lakes family since October of 2001. I enjoy working with children and have been passionate about child development for many years. While in Germany and Italy I was a certified in-home care provider. I have had training in many areas including First Aid & CPR, nutrition & behavior management.

Here are a few things that we will experience in the Samaritan classroom:

Our class motto is “Loving…Caring….Always sharing.” Just like the good Samaritan in the Bible, we strive to love and serve others as Jesus does. Circle time is a group gathering during which we share our ideas, plans, and observation. We also have the opportunity to listen to others.

Gross-motor activities give the children the opportunity to use their muscles, as well as their imaginations, as they engage in fun, healthy exercises, such as running, jumping and climbing.

Art activities help children creatively express their thoughts and feelings. Art also helps to reinforce fine motor skills and concept development in areas such as colors, shapes and size relationships.

Dramatic play activities help children express themselves, practice life skills, improve social skills, increase self-esteem, build vocabulary and solve problems. Not to mention, dramatic play is just fun!

Music activities promote listening skills, social skills, creative expression. Through music, children can explore sound, volume, tempo and rhythm.

Science activities offer children many hands-on opportunities for observation, exploration, investigation, predictions and experimentation. Sand & water activities allow children to experiment with textures and the different properties of substances. Block play gives children experience concepts such as shape and size discrimination, spatial relationship, number skills, balance, organization, cause and effect & classification. Cooperation, problem solving and creativity are also promoted in block play.

Story time is designed to help children develop an appreciation and enjoyment of literature. Reading and story telling enhance children’s vocabulary and comprehension skills and help expand their knowledge base.

I look forward to working with your child and your family to ensure they have a wonderful learning experience as they prepare for kindergarten and beyond.