The SunFlower Curriculum

At SunFlower, each group has special tasks, projects and events. We don't use textbook sets because a "one size fits all" curriculum is not useful when a classroom contains many different learning styles, academic levels, and interests. Instead, we use teacher-made materials, original sources, hands-on experiences, experts, the library, the Internet, and many other types of references. Our curriculum is based on making sure that each child has a strong foundation of basic skills, and a desire to apply them to everyday life. Students have many opportunities to extend their interests through individual reports and projects, computer research, small group activities, field trips, and cultural events.

• Basic Academic Skills - Reading, writing, grammar, math, science, geography and social studies are at the core of SunFlower's curriculum. Students spend time every day learning new concepts and solidifying what they already know through hands-on applications.
• Math - Math is an integral part of the curriculum at SunFlower. Children master the basic skills of arithmatic and learn to apply them to word problems, games, and real life applications such as cooking, building, and sewing. Ultimately, the children in the oldest group learn basic algebra and geometry.
• Learning to Read - Child are not developmentally ready to learn to read on the same timetable, nor does every child learn to read in the same way. We gently guide children to reading fluency and confidence. While it is not unusual to find a child in the youngest group reading with ease, it is also perfectly normal for him or her to be mastering the skills and gaining reading confidence in the older groups.
• Writing - A great way to encourage a love of reading in your child is to encourage a love of writing. At SunFlower students write daily in journals, write poetry, learn to outline, write, edit and present reports, and stretch their imagination through creative writing and a school newspaper.
• Daily Spanish for all ages - All of the children begin each day with Spanish conversation conducted by a native speaker. Spanish language instruction integrates world geography lessons, social studies lessons, Spanish speaking visitors and large flashcards into the daily lessons. Additionally each group has weekly lessons.
• Practical life skills - Gardening, cooking, cleaning, sewing, budgeting, problem solving, presenting their reports and teaching younger children are some of the many ways our students gain life skills while applying the concepts they have learned in the classroom. Students also run their own businesses with the profits going towards philanthropy and class travel.
• Fine Arts - At the end of each year the school puts on an art show to display the many paintings, drawings, collages, sculptures, photographs and other art projects students have created throughout the year. Teachers integrate the arts into academic activities and bring local artists from the community into the classroom.
• Music - Every child at SunFlower takes recorder lessons once a week. We host events with local musicians and take our students into the community to experience live performances.
• Social Development - At SunFlower your child's development as a whole person is important to us. Teachers constantly foster an environment that will provide your child with the ability to make friends with peers, speak respectfully to adults, attend events in the community, work with children both younger and older than themselves, and most importantly, feel confident and love learning.
• Florida environment and history - Our extensive environmental studies are conducted throughout Florida, exposing children to a range of eco-systems. For many years we have taken our two oldest groups to a camp in the Florida Keys to get hands-on experience with the marine life they have been studying. The history of Florida is a topic children embrace. Learning about the indigenous Americans and Spanish settlers and then seeing the actual places where they lived brings history alive for children.
• Shakespearean Play - Our students look forward to working on our annual Shakespearean play. In the younger groups, children start by listening to the story and attending a performance, then they appear on stage in non-speaking and supporting roles, and culminate their experience by performing leading roles. The love of language and the confidence and poise they acquire will remain with them for life.
• Field trips - All learning activities at SunFlower are enhanced by our frequent field trips and hands-on activities. The school takes frequent advantage of being within walking distance of the Gulfport beach, parks, library and the Gulfport town center.
• Physical activity - SunFlower students spend a lot of time outdoors playing and exploring. This emphasis on the natural world combined with classes like Yoga and P.E. lay the foundation for a lifelong love of fitness and appreciation of nature.