CURRICULUM SUMMARY

 

Introduction
At the Yogi Art Centre we have hand picked some of the worlds most influential alternative
education theories to influence our teaching and learning and maximise child development. Our
curriculum is tailored to our incredibly unique community of children and will be reflected on
continuously to meet the needs of our ever changing and growing children.

One of the main benefits of this alternative curriculum is that it allows children to have more
time to process and deepen thoughts, knowledge and experiences. In mainstream education
children are sometimes treated as vessels to be filled rather than candles that shine their own
light. There are so many lessons taught throughout the day that children often find it hard to
process the information that they have been gifted. At the Yogi Art Centre we do our best to offer an
alternative approach where children get more time to spend on a subject and revisit it as much
as possible before moving onto something new. We believe that if you try to teach something
abstract to children at an age they are not ready for this can force them to create
a mental block, it could be something which later on in life they may have been very successful in.
Therefore at the yogi Art Centre we explore numbers and letters through play up until the age
of 6. At the age of 6 this is where they begin to practice it daily through the themes and small
focused activities, but also in a playful and interesting manor. We very much see our role as
teachers to support and guide children through their individual learning process. We try to teach
the fundamental skills that are needed for thriving in the world, these have been selected very
carefully through our learning objectives. But also acknowledging that children need the time
and space to make choices within their learning and explore things creatively, individually
through nature and through play.

 

 We understand that child development is a partnership between the child, parents, teachers and our environment. Through our specialised teaching strategy of head, heart, hands we are able to celebrate and nurture a range of learning styles and recognise the importance of kinaesthetic, artistic, spiritual and intellectual development of child.

Our curriculum places much emphasis on caring for the environment and sustainability; our earth-based learning creates opportunities for cross-curricular development to take place outdoors. Each class experiences learning through gardening and permaculture teaching every week. We also hold child imagination, role-play, games and creativity at the centre of making learning fun; these techniques are included in every classroom each day. Allowing children to experience many different forms of expression and creative thinking. The curriculum aims to create abled young beings whom have freedom to make choices within their learning and behaviour. Children are given weekly responsibilities within the school environment to create a positive learning space that is respected by everyone. This is also supported through our cherished yogi values and practice that we implement daily. Maths, English and Reading are CORE subjects that are taught daily in every class. However we teach these lessons in a variety of different styles. Making sure that each type of learner has full access to the curriculum through practical based lessons, work based lessons and creative based lessons.

 

We are open for 5 months a year and therefore have had to adapt our curriculum to be a learning collective; an in school and home school learning project that you can continue with your children when you are not attending the school. We have  customised our learning objectives so that each teacher can get the very best out of the short time they have with your children and also make sure your children are able in numeracy, literacy and language. We have therefore combined knowledge and learning objectives from the English National Curriculum in the hope that if your children chose to have a different schooling experience in the future that they are able to be successful for this. 

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Subjects covered in the Yogi Art Curriculum 

(Please note the full Yogi Art Curriculum is sent to all parents once you are enrolled at the school.)

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Numeracy – maths is taught daily through a range of work-book lessons, practical lessons, games, singing, problem solving and artistic lessons. 

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Literacy, language and Reading – is taught daily through a range of work book lessons, phonics groups, independent and group reading, story time, form drawing, games, gardening diaries and artistic lessons.

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Science – science is taught weekly through focused science investigations and experiments and the outdoor learning environment.  

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Art - is taught daily through the wide range of creative opportunities that are available on a daily basis in each class plus each class teaches a focused art lesson each week. 

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Movement/Yoga – practiced every morning with emphasis on asanas, breathing, meditation and karma yoga. Games are taught weekly during outdoor learning PE class.

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Personal, holistic, social, spiritual, emotional development – are taught daily in circles, outdoor play and gardening. Developing self-esteem, independence, awareness of self and others emotions.

 

Permaculture – each class experiences a lesson with permaculture teacher every week plus regular opportunities during the day for maintenance of school grounds and gardening.

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Music - taught weekly in circle times and morning singing sessions. 

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Woodwork – daily outdoor learning area at playtime. 

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Cooking - weekly cooking classes take place in our school kitchen, children harvest things from the school grounds to cook on site and share with the school.

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Geography - taught through gardening sessions and during the themes on a monthly basis, children have a geography focus in their afternoon lessons each month.

 

History - taught through themes on a monthly basis, children will have a history focus in their afternoon lessons each month.  

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