Raheen Wood Kindergarten
Tuamgraney
Co. Clare
Tel: (061) 921494
Email: cooleen@iol.ie
Website: www.raheenwood.org

Kindergarten teachers: Simona Taylor, Marguerite Devane

In our kindergarten children between the ages of 3 and 6 grow in a secure and caring environment surrounded by high quality natural toys and materials. The simple unfinished toy inspires the imagination and fantasy, which builds capacities which will serve the creative intentions in adult life. Through the activities and play in the kindergarten the children develop both physically and socially.

The Kindergarten serves as a bridge between the familiar world of the home and the new world of school.

A day in the Kindergarten
Each day will have its own activity and so we create a strong sense of rhythm of the week. Monday might be baking day; Tuesday we paint; Wednesday we might make things related to the season or festival, on Thursday we cook and on Friday we clean and shine. This is not a rigid programme but it contains the security of rhythm that support young children. After the children have been met and greeted by the teacher they are free to join in the activities already going on around the table or to play alone or in groups. Chairs and planks become a train, shop or restaurant and children will re-create, learn from and play out what they have seen and experienced.

At "ring time" we experience the joy of our bodies, the seasons, animals and people that make up our world. We do this through songs, poems, finger play and ring games, often taking the opportunity to introduce Irish and other languages and cultures.

At snack time we eat together, often food which the children have helped to prepare. Organic bread (baked together on Monday), muesli, fresh fruit and vegetables from the garden. We say thank you together for our food, we share with each other, we listen and we are listened to.

Outside we run, climb, dig or work in the garden. We go for walks in the woods that border the school, stretch our limbs and explore the world around us.

The morning ends with a story told by the teacher or with a puppet play where the children listen and are active creating pictures in their imaginations. The story is often repeated so that what begins as an adventure becomes a familiar and reassuring experience for the child. The child is further reassured by the recurring rhythm of the day and the week and the yearly rhythm is created through the celebration of festivals.

The structure and rhythm of the kindergarten provide a secure foundation for future development.