Fireflies is the curriculum used to work with children aged between 3 and 5. The basis of this approach is more interactions with children (“Fireflies,” n.d.). Moreover, the activities are centered around preparing the children for kindergarten and further schooling, which is beneficial both for their development and for their future education. Still, the activities and assessments are individualized to suit the needs of the specific age group or individual needs of a child. Observation is the main assessment tool that an educator uses to track progress and determine if the educational goals of each lesson are reached.
The curriculum and lesson plans of Fireflies are developed based on the developmental needs of the children between the ages of 3 and 5 and their educational objectives, mainly the preparation of these children for kindergarten and future studies. The activities include simple math, movement, physical activity, music, among others. The goal is to engage children in the varied tasks. With this curriculum, there is no direct link with an assessment, as the goal is to focus on engaging children and to provide them with the basic knowledge they might need when they enter kindergarten and school. Still, the educator has to use observation to understand if the children are completing the tasks and whether they can acquire the necessary knowledge.
The central philosophy of the play is engaging children with fun activities, promoting their self-efficacy and confidence, teaching children to socialize with others, and orienting them towards lifelong learning. Based on my experience with the Fireflies curriculum, the classroom follows through with this philosophy. Activities and play in this curriculum are oriented towards engaging children in teamwork, which allows them to socialize with their peers. Fireflies provide a wide range of play for the children; for example, the Changing in Spring” activity is designed to help children understand some natural processes by showing them the real examples of how nature changes with seasons (“One day sample of Fireflies,” n.d.). Other activities, such as “More letter U” is designed to engage the classroom in learning new words through play. This is achieved by the teacher showing children cards with words and pictures and asking children to sort the cards based on the letters they have. All in all, the Fireflies is both a developmentally appropriate and engaging curriculum that allows the teacher to promote learning through play and help children reach their education goals.
References
Fireflies. (n.d.) Web.
One day sample of Fireflies. (n.d.) Web.