STEAM = Skills for the 21st Century
STEAM education is focused on developing technical thinking and mathematical skills, the ability to think critically, communicate in a group and work as part of a team. For preschool children, we will focus on the development of sensory interplay, self-awareness and spatial orientation. Education will also include learning about the natural sciences and natural phenomena through the simple experiments. Children will acquire all the mentioned skills through constructive games with LEGO kits and then use their experiences in working with robots and programming.
The Hejny Method
The goal of the Hejný Method is to make mathematics a source of joy, to make it fun and interesting for children. Children get acquainted with mathematics through real experience, in a familiar environment, looking for their own ways to solve a problem. The purpose of using The Hejný Method early in the kindergarten environment makes the child acquaintance with the basic principles and environments that are parts of the teaching methods later in the primary school. Later in the first year, children are able to build additional knowledge based on the experiences they have gained in the kindergarten.
Comenia Script
Preschoolers begin to perceive and recognize the function of written speech and the form of written speech in the block letters. Since the Comenius script has been used in Private Primary and Secondary School BESST, this type of font has been integrated into the kindergarten education, too. Comenia Script is a simple, modern form of writing whose main goal is to simplify writing practice for children in the school environment. Comenia Script is a basic writing form that every child can customize, stimulates children's creativity and individuality.
Exercise for healthy feet
There is a focus on the flat feet prevention through the funny games with children. With regular exercises, children of all ages strengthen the muscles of their feet, legs and body coordination. During these exercises, children naturally develop the positive attitude towards physical activities.
Let’s Score a Goal Together
Kindergarten preschoolers from Giraffes classes participate to Slovak project Let´s score a Goal Together every year, which is focused on supporting the children's motion and learning about the rules of the football game. The children in this project are led by a coach from the Spartak Trnava football club - Dávid Miškovič. Trainings are held once a week.
Swimming and Sauna
Under the guidance of the swimming instructors at the Kvapka Club, children get acquainted with the aquatic environment in a playful way and acquire the basics of swimming skills at an elementary level. Gradually, children will learn the proper technique of floating and breathing. They will also learn how to be orientated in an underwater environment and practice self-rescue skills.
Good Start Method
The Method of the good start is regularly included into the educational process of the preschoolers in our kindergarten. The aim of this method is to prepare the learning of the children for the problem-free start at the primary school. It uses multisensory learning, develops mental and spatial orientation in all its aspects, activates the social, emotional and motivational area. Practical exercises improve children's graphomotor skills, as well as the cooperation of the physical, acoustic and optical components in accordance with the rhythm of the songs that accompany the exercises. Exercises focused on speech, laterality and movement correspond with the melody, rhythm and words of the song.
Yamaha Music School
The aim of the Yamaha Music School is to raise interest and a positive attitude towards music through the musical and locomotion exercises. The children are led by the instructor Ing. Zuzana Mrázová who will master the use of musical instruments and improvisation in the movements. At the same time, children learn to listen to and experience music actively.
Book Club
During this school year, we will increase the children's pre-reading abilities. Tibor Hujdič, aka Mr. MRKVIČKA, with whom we will work closely, will advise us on how to use the children's book effectively and as attractively as possible for children in the educational process and in their free time. In preschool classes, we will work more intensively with the book, focusing on learning about the book conventions and building a positive relationship with books through the Reader´s diary method. Teachers in our kindergarten read the books daily in English and Slovak.
Dance School
Preschoolers from the Giraffes classes learn the basics of ballroom and Latin-American dances at the Swing Dance School under the guidance of the coach Martin Sianta. There is developed the sense of rhythm and a positive attitude towards the music expression through playful music and movement activities.