Doctor's Office Week II facilitated a deepening and
broadening of the concepts discussed last week.
The children have consistently built upon their strong foundational
understanding of how their bodies work, and how best to stay healthy. This knowledge and understanding has been
broadened to include a fundamental understanding of their Brain and Heart, as
well as their Skeletal structure and digestive system. Your child should be able to provide basic answers
to some or all of the following questions:
What is the boss of your
body? What is the name of the bone that
protects your brain? What does your
heart do? What is the name of the bones
that protect your heart? What happens to
an apple or a banana when you eat and swallow it! What are the five senses? We have read books about all of these
concepts, discussed them, and played games that concretely illustrated them. Additionally, the children have routinely
used the accurate terms for the doctor's instruments within their play this
week, and were able to explain the function of each of these instruments. Most importantly, they were delighted to apply
their "expertise" as they doctored within our Pre-K Clinic. The fun and excitement within the classroom
was palpable as the children gave check-ups and lots of "shots" to
all of our "walk-in patients"!
Many thanks to Karsyn's mom, Noelle, and Vera's dad, Alex,
for coming in to talk with the children about their work as a nurse in a
doctor's office and a doctor in a hospital.
The children were very interested in and enriched by all that was shared
with them. It was also very exciting to
see a "real" stethoscope and otoscope!
Looking Deeper:
Exploration and Learning through Play
Let's take a closer look at the important functions of our
Pre-K Three Clinic.
Our Pre-K Clinic is a "Signature Experience" of
our "Doctor's Office" theme.
The children are so proud and excited to share their "medical
expertise" with parents, buddies and other Parker community members! Our
Clinic is also an "authentic assessment tool" of learning. During clinic time, the children utilize and demonstrate the
knowledge and skills they have acquired within the Doctor's Office theme. Utilizing this information and skill in the
Clinic solidifies the children's understanding and demonstrates their mastery
of terms, information and skills! Additionally, the children are empowered, and
experience a significant sense of competency as they assume a position of
leadership in their interactions with people who are very important to
them. Above and beyond the stellar
health care you received, it was a delight to have parents and other family
members enter into the "magic" of our medical role playing! Many thanks to all of you who were able to
join us in our Pre-K Clinic this week!
Have a fun and restful weekend!
