Kindergarten is an exciting time. Children meet new friends, interact with new teachers, and expand their knowledge of the world. The full-day Kindergarten program at Indian Hollow provides an interactive and developmentally appropriate environment in which children participate in learning activities which assist them in becoming critical thinkers and life-long learners. Our Kindergarten curriculum is an integrated, thematic approach to learning. Within each unit, children strengthen their literacy development using big books, leveled libraries and other various materials. Children recognize upper- and lower-case letters, associate sounds with letters, make predictions about text, and participate in the reading and writing process. Math and Science lessons are integrated as well. The children work cooperatively to sort, extend patterns, count and problem solve. They partake in experiments and are encouraged to seek and converse about information through trial and error in a safe environment. These "hands-on" approaches strengthen the children's risk taking and open wonderful "real world" shared knowledge experiences with their peers. The Kindergarten children at Indian Hollow are always busy tapping into their prior knowledge, learning new concepts, and expanding upon them. More importantly, the children are getting involved, having fun and learning in a safe and nurturing environment.