Kindergarten

Bible

In kindergarten, students learn about God and His people.  Stories contain an overview of the Old Testament as well as some of Jesus’ miracles and parables.   Singing and prayer also contribute to nurturing the faith of the children.  Kindergarteners participate in weekly chapel on Friday mornings and spend time in the classroom journaling and applying it to life. As a class we learn weekly ABC Bible verses, the Lord’s Prayer, Luke 2:7-8, Matthew 28:5-6 and Psalm 23. Kindergarteners at Hudsonville Christian begin a Faith Statement Portfolio that will follow them through the 8th grade.

• Spiritual Portfolio – One of the highlights at Hudsonville Christian is a spiritual portfolio that begins in Kindergarten and follows students through 8th grade.  It is presented to parents when they graduate from our school.  In Kindergarten, this journey begins with students sharing their favorite Bible story and drawing a picture about it.
• Capstone Project – In Kindergarten one of our favorite spring time activities is sharing together the stories of Palm Sunday and Easter.  As a culmination of these stories we celebrate with a “Last Supper.”  This provides us with a great opportunity to think about what it means to be a servant and what the elements of the Last Supper represent.  The discussions that come out of this experience give us a glimpse into the hearts of our kindergartners and a picture of how God is working in them.

Language Arts

Our goal is to nurture a love for reading and writing.  We provide an environment that meets the developmental needs of each child through a balanced literacy approach.  Using the reading and writing workshop model, we foster the growth of each child through exposure, support and independent practice.  Children are given opportunities to strengthen their skills through quality literature, poems, leveled books and shared reading and writing experiences.

Math

Our Kindergarten uses Math Expressions curriculum.  We emphasize playful, verbal interactions and manipulative activities while laying the groundwork for symbolic understanding. The activities encompass a variety of mathematic strands, including simple and complex counting, numeration, operations, measure, geometry, clock and calendar use, graphs, patterns, attributes, and function ideas.  Common life applications are a feature of our curriculum.

Science 

In Kindergarten students explore patterns in weather and how it changes from day to day, using measurement of temperature, wind, cloud cover and precipitation. They relate their findings to weather forecasting to prepare for severe conditions. They also explore the different effects and directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of objects.  Finally, students investigate what all plants and animals need to survive and how they support their needs in their environments.

Art

During a child’s first year of art, much emphasis is placed on creativity, exploration, and development.   Young children tend to be extremely creative, and that creativity should be both encouraged and directed.  Students explore a variety of materials as they develop motor skills and coordination.  As often as possible, the art lesson is based on other parts of the Kindergarten curriculum.

Library

Reading is a big part of Kindergarten!  Appreciation of literature is taught through storytelling and reading books aloud by the media specialist.  Kindergarteners learn that the library materials are shelved in a particular order. They learn how to select books on their level and how to care for them.

Music

Your Kindergarten child will be taught that music is fun, and a gift from God.  This gift will be discovered and developed through listening, singing, creating, reacting and moving to and with music.  Elements of melody, harmony, form, rhythm, tone and expressive qualities of music will be introduced as a foundation to be built upon through the grades.

Physical Education

In kindergarten physical education, the emphasis is on the movement patterns of running, hopping, skipping, jumping and galloping.  The children practice directionality (especially right and left).  They are introduced to ball skills (catching and throwing).   They also learn the importance of moving safely and being willing to try new things.  As God’s children, we learn to exercise and play and to care for the body God has given them.

Spanish

Kindergarten classes include 25 minutes of Spanish instruction once a week, taught through immersion to deliver a curriculum that utilizes songs, vocabulary words, verses, role-playing and other interactive methods.  For more information, please refer to the HCS Spanish webpage.