What's in a name? What's in a curriculum?

An integrated curriculum is a program that focuses on all aspects of development, not just cognitive development. Which means, unlike older levels where each subject is divided, all developmental areas is taught in one lesson. The developmental areas that should be strengthened are physical, cognitive, creative, language, and social/emotional.

Here I am a little more than three months away from graduation. Wow, it doesn't seem like I've been studying child development for a year already. Anyway, that's beside the point. I know I've come a long way since my first day back in the classroom. When I first started I was absolutely terrified of making lesson plans. Almost a whole year later, and I actually love lesson plans. What I don't love is trying to figure out everything that needs to be covered in a 9 month school year. I want to teach through play and learning centers. The seven learning centers that will be in my preschool classroom include art, manipulatives/math, dramatic play, sensory/discovery, reading, blocks, and music. The integrated curriculum uses all seven learning centers to teach one lesson. I don't want the children to feel like they're learning seven different lessons. One lesson should be intertwined between all seven learning centers enhancing all developmental areas.

I want to build my own curriculum. I know that in preschool ABC's, numbers, and colors should be covered. After that I am completely stuck. I know there's got to be some more teachers out there. Calling all teachers. Preschool. Elementary. Homeschool. Public School. Private school.What should be covered in an entire 9 month school year? I've been looking for books, such as books for the reading center or for informational books about concepts such as the weather and dinosaurs, in the children's section of Books A Million and Barnes and Noble. Where can I find teaching resources? Is there somewhere besides Toys R Us that I can find costumes for the dramatic play center?

Learning should be fun. Especially so in preschool and kindergarten. Making learning fun in preschool builds a firm foundation and makes learning as they grow fun as well. I don't want to use worksheets or any such type of "formal" teaching. A 3 year old may not have fully developed fine motor skills. Forcing a child to cut worksheets with scissors does not make learning fun any more than it develops their writing skills in their hands. Fine motor skills can be developed by manipulatives such as puzzles and play doh. However, whenever I go in search of finding ideas to build a curriculum I just get discouraged because I can only find bookshelves and bookshelves worth of worksheets.

Please fellow teachers wherever you are. Help a rookie out!