Meteor
Summer Meteor Program
Program Goals
Our Summer Meteor Program is designed for a group of 12-15 children who will be entering kindergarten in the fall or who have just completed kindergarten. It offers children a fun, camp-like summer experience while they are continuing to grow in their important academic skills. Following children’s interests, our project-based approach incorporates activities that contribute to:
- working cooperatively
- learning about and contributing to our community
- creative expression
- mathematical and science concepts
- literacy and writing
As part of the Waisman Early Childhood Program (WECP), our mission is that of inclusion. Our belief is that all aspects of diversity - including ability level - broaden opportunities for learning and contribute positively to everyone's development.
Program Options & Fees
Applications are available online or in the WECP Office, and must be accompanied by a $25 nonrefundable application fee, payable to WECP. We will contact all applicants to tell them whether or not they have a spot in our program. After you have been notified that there is a spot for your child, you will receive an enrollment packet and a Meteor Family Handbook that includes specific policies and procedures.
There are three 3-week enrollment options in Meteors. Families may enroll their child for 1 to 3 sessions:
SESSION 1 June 18-July 6 (no program on Wednesday, July 4) |
SESSION 2 July 9-July 27 |
SESSION 2 July 30-August 17 |
|---|
| FEES | |||
| Application Fee | $25.00 (waived for continuing WECP children) | ||
| Tuition per session (Monday thru Friday) |
7:30 - 12:30 $560/session |
7:30 - 3:30 $850/session + $50 activity fee |
7:30 - 5:30 $975/session + $50 activity fee |
| $50 Activity Fee for each session | |||
Program Description
The Meteor Program is housed in the Waisman Early Childhood Program, located in the Waisman Center, 1500 Highland Ave, Madison WI, in a large air-conditioned classroom with direct access to a full-size gym and a 1½ acre playground (Discovery Garden). We are within easy access to the many opportunities provided by being located on the UW-Madison campus. Children have daily access to a wide array of developmentally appropriate learning centers and classroom based activities: arts & crafts, “recyclables” projects, board games, puzzles and “thinking” games, creative dramatics, books and book writing, and large motor games. Spanish will be incorporated into our materials and activities throughout the morning.
In addition to classroom based activities, the Meteors are responsible for taking care of one school vegetable garden. Our gardens provide many opportunities to incorporate concepts in science, nutrition, literacy and math.
Another component of the Meteor Program is weekly field trips related to the project area of study. Most of these are by foot or by campus or city bus (located a short walk away). For example, some areas of study may include entomology, food & nutrition, geology, engineering, or art & design.
Program content is a combination of teacher and child interests, involves hands-on activities, and is related directly to children’s experiences and prior knowledge. For example, teachers may realize the children have been talking about the construction project taking place across the street from the Waisman Center and suggest learning more about construction. Using a webbing process, children suggest several aspects of construction they would like to investigate, such as the type of equipment used for various construction projects, what construction workers need to know, how buildings are designed, and the process of actual construction. They develop a list of questions to investigate and learn how to get information (from observation, talking to experts, reading books, the web, etc.). All this is coordinated with classroom activities and projects (e.g., drawing blueprints and creating a building from recyclables) and a related field trip (e.g., visit to other construction sites on campus).
Meteor Staff
The Meteor Program is staffed by two full-time teachers and a half-time assistant teacher at least one of whom is a licensed early childhood teacher. Staff work as a team to determine specific activities for the program and their implementation. This low teacher-child ratio ensures close supervision of children on field trips, and a high quality of programming.
| Sample Day | ||
|---|---|---|
| Time | Field Trip Day | At WECP Day |
| 7:30-8:45 | Arrival & Free Choice | Arrival & Free Choice |
| 9:00/9:15 | Meteor Meeting | Meteor Meeting |
| 9:30 | Snack & Preparation for Field Trip | Snack |
| 10:00-12:00 | Field Trip | Classroom Options Outdoor: School Garden Activities, Cooperative Games (or Gym) Music Program |
| 12:30 | Lunch | Lunch |
| 1:00 | Meteor Mates (Reading Buddies)/Journal | Meteor Mates (Reading Buddies)/Journal |
| 1:30 | Classroom Project & Individual Projects | Classroom Project & Individual Projects |
| 2:30 | Free Choice: Inside & Outside Snack |
Free Choice: Inside & Outside Snack |
| 3:30 | Departure | Departure |
| 3:30-5:30 | Extended Day | Extended Day
|
The following describes the activities outlined above:
- Free Choice: Child-directed selection of activities in various learning centers in the classroom, including specific table activities related to curriculum goals in literacy/writing, art and math, as well as Spanish.
- Meteor Meeting: Opportunities for conversation and singing, morning exercise/yoga, overview of day’s events.
- Cooperative Games: A variety of noncompetitive community-building activities, usually outside. Examples include searching for bugs, creating obstacle courses, walking the Labyrinth, chalk art, water and sprinkler activities, parachute activities, and treasure hunts.
- Meteor Mates: Several reading choices are offered over the week: A half hour of reading individually, reading with a partner, reading with the Sunshine room (1-year-olds), teacher-led group chapter book reading, or journaling.
- Classroom Project & Individual Projects: Ongoing and daily, over at least a week: The classroom works as a group to create a joint project, typically related to the area of study. Each child has an individual project related to the group project that is of specific interest to that child.
LAST DAY SPECIAL EVENT! On the last day of each session families are invited to a classroom-prepared lunch, which may include produce from our school garden, and will include a display of children’s projects.