Abacus Curriculum Themes:

January:

Activity Themes:
Winter, Five Senses, Animals

Skills:
Gross Motor- walk along a line or beam
Creative Exploration- Textures
Fine Motor- Dressing skills (snapping, buttoning, etc.)
Language & Literacy- Ordering/ sequencing events
Math- Patterning
Science-Sink and float
Life- Following classroom routines & directions

February:

Activity Themes:
Famous Americans, Emotions, Dinosaurs

Skills:
Gross Motor- Climbing
Creative Exploration- Paint exploration
Fine Motor- Lacing
Language & Literacy- Book and print orientation
Math- One to one correspondence
Science- Simple chemistry
Life- Verbally asserts needs and desires

March:

Activity Themes:
Transportation, Circus, Things that Fly

Skills:
Gross Motor- Jumping, skipping and hopping
Creative Exploration- Color mixing
Fine Motor- Using two hands at once
Language & Literacy- Letter awareness
Math- Size concepts
Science- Compare/contrast
Life- Work and play cooperatively with peers

April:

Activity Themes: Spring, Earth, Health and Exercise

Skills:
Gross Motor- Throwing and catching
Creative Exploration- Assembling a collage
Fine Motor- Tearing
Language & Literacy-Listening comprehension
Math- Simple arithmetic
Science- Rocks
Life- Expresses feelings

May:

Activity Themes: Plants and Flowers, Space and Stars, Books and Authors

Skills:
Gross Motor- Walking backwards
Creative Exploration- Using glue
Fine Motor- One finger manipulation
Language & Literacy- Storytelling
Math- Money
Science- Growing
Life- Taking turns

June:

Activity Themes:
Summer, Bugs and Insects, Sports

Skills:
Gross Motor- Kicking
Creative Exploration- Sculpting
Fine Motor- Pounding, rolling and squeezing
Language & Literacy- Connecting illustrations with text
Math- Time
Science- Simple machines
Life- Coping and resilience

July:

Activity Themes:
Water Fun, Zoo, Ocean and Its Creatures

Skills:
Gross Motor- Pedaling
Creative Exploration- Stamping and printing
Fine Motor- Manipulating small objects
Language & Literacy- Developing phrases and sentences
Math- Shapes
Science- Whirlpools, waterspouts and tornadoes
Life- Using materials in appropriate ways

August:

Activity Themes:
My Body, My Birthday, My Family

Skills:
Gross Motor- Balancing and shifting weight
Creative Exploration- Free drawing
Fine Motor- Gripping objects
Language & Literacy- Pre-writing and writing
Math- Puzzles and spatial relations
Science- Simple biology
Life- Appropriately putting away materials

September:

Activity Themes:
Neighborhood and Community, Habitats, Community Service

Skills:
Gross Motor- Mid-line spatial orientation
Creative Exploration- Gooey and messy
Fine Motor- Linking
Language & Literacy- Rhymes and repetitive phrases
Math- Matching
Science- Magnets
Life- Appropriate participation in classroom activities

October:

Activity Themes:
Fall, Farm, Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales

Skills:
Gross Motor- Ball bouncing/dribbling
Creative Exploration- Cutting
Fine Motor- Using scissors
Language & Literacy- Conversations (back and forth communication)
Math- Number ordinance in counting
Science- Real and imaginary
Life- Problem solving

November:

Activity Themes:
Giving Thanks, Nutrition and Food Pyramid

Skills:
Gross Motor- Pushing and pulling
Creative Exploration- Water and color blending
Fine Motor- Hand-eye coordination
Language & Literacy- Building vocabulary
Math- Measuring
Science- Cooking
Life- Using self-help skills

December:

Activity Theme:
Multicultural Celebrations

Skills:
Gross Motor- Strength
Creative Exploration- From trash to treasure
Fine Motor- Pincher grip
Language & Literacy- Exploring foreign languages
Math- Sorting
Science- Classifying
Life- Respecting others