“An open project
and Humanist”
Your happiness,
our first objective
At HUMANITAS, we have an exclusive physical environment for children of these ages, where they can develop their motor skills and autonomy safely.
At this stage, affective and social development of children is essential, as well as their need to receive the affection and security to progress in all aspects.
We work on gestural and oral communication systems, as well as knowledge of their own body and the basic rules of relating to the outside world. We carry out different graphomotor activities that bring the child closer to the world of reading and writing, creative thinking, logical-mathematical learning, psychomotor, land and water development, and personal autonomy.
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Bilingual project from the age of 2
The characteristics of today’s globalized and multicultural society require linguistic competencies in several languages. Nowadays, expressing oneself fluently in a language other than one’s mother tongue is necessary and fundamental. Learning a foreign language is much easier if started at an early age. Learning a foreign language is much easier if started at an early age. Children respond to spoken language in English as they would to their parents’ instructions in Spanish, which is how they acquire the skill of listening comprehension. During the early years, children acquire the language schema that will help them produce messages at a later stage. Therefore, the earlier we start teaching another language, the better results we will obtain because children use the same resources to learn a second language as they use to learn their mother tongue.
At HBS INFANTIL, English learning begins without explicit and direct teaching, but in a natural way and framed within a communicative and multisensory approach. It is about learning a second language in the same way we learn our own language, by listening to the language and by being exposed to it. For this reason, in the second cycle of infant education (3–6 years), the activities we propose are aimed at helping pupils learn to communicate in English and develop their linguistic competence, assimilating the language while they learn content related to other areas.
Sessions are conducted entirely in English, using Spanish for situations where it is essential. The classes are active as the teacher creates the perfect climate for the children to express themselves freely, giving them the necessary tools to do so in the English language. The different learning paces and personal characteristics of the pupils are always taken into account.
At HBS INFANTIL , there are two fundamental objectives when learning English:
- Develop a taste for the language.
- Develop oral expression and comprehension skills.
In order to achieve these objectives, we have created activities that are divided into different units of interest to the pupil. We follow methodology of project work, encouraging cooperative work and developing multiple intelligences. All this allows children to learn by investigating, experimenting and experiencing each one of the teaching-learning processes.
These activities are classified as follows: “Storytellers, drama, click and learn, school of painters and songs for children”
- STORYTELLERS: Stories occupy a very important place in the literary education of pupils in infant education. With these activities, we intend for pupils to develop attention and listening skills, learn about other cultures through stories and develop their imagination
- DRAMA: Theater is a fundamental tool in English class. This is not only to learn vocabulary and grammar in context but also to learn the social conventions of the foreign culture in a fun environment.
- SCHOOL OF PAINTERS: With these activities, we intend for pupils to acquire new vocabulary, develop imagination and creativity, enhance oral comprehension and develop fine motor skills.
- SONGS FOR CHILDREN: Songs help language development. As children learn to express themselves and acquire the phonological system of the English language.
- CLICK AND LEARN: Activities that are carried out in the classroom using the interactive whiteboard.
We also believe that it is very important to provide children with the necessary tools to face the English literacy of the primary education stage, so we use our own method based on the methodology of“Synthetic Phonics, using the songs and digital materials of “Jolly phonics”.
At HBS INFANTIL the he music sessions are taught in English, carrying out phonological awareness activities so that our pupils are able to recognize all the sounds that exist when we speak in English This helps them to later associate sounds with graphemes and to join these to form simple words. At the ages of four and five, in addition to our own project we introduce Zoltán Kodály’s method, a multisensory program that teaches music through playing and singing. We also introduce small Orff percussion instruments through active musical listening.
At HBS INFANTIL, we include the use of iPads. Pupils have the opportunity to play and learn about the use of phonemes in English using different applications designed for this purpose. It is a different way for them to carry out classroom activities and they are much more motivated because they are learning through playing. The apps we use for iPads and tablets are very useful as they are an interactive way to teach children things like colors, numbers, geometric shapes or even sounds in English to form words.
Use of new technologies
At HBS INFANTIL, new technology is not only an essential tool for the present and future activity of our pupils, or an essential means of obtaining and transmitting information, they are also an effective element of motivation and an instrument of intellectual development.
AT HBS INFANTIL, all classrooms are equipped with digital whiteboards and pupils are introduced to the use of “iPads”. Their intuitive and natural handling allows pupils to discover and experiment with mathematical, linguistic and associative pre-concepts. It develops interest, concentration, assimilation of concepts and learning to learn.
At HBS INFANTIL, pupils can have fun through images, audio and video with the interactive floor projector.
We continue the ROBOTICS PROJECT , started in nursery. Robotics activities are prepared in order to start developing computational thinking in our pupils. Not to learn robotics, but to learn with robotics. With the play and learning panels of “Bee Bot” our pupils experience authentic, meaningful and play-based learning.
With the use of these new technologies we create a new teaching-learning scenario where pupils can develop their creative and manipulative skills, thus favoring their motivation, self-esteem and the acquisition of the necessary skills to successfully face Primary Education at school.
Project work methodology
At HBS INFANTIL, we approach learning from a PBL (Project-based learning) Project-based learning, methodology as this effectively reflects the educational principles of the school. In infant education, there is a special emphasis on:
- Learning is not just about storing information, it is about reacting to it and internalizing it. “Learning to learn”.
- Learning is experience.
- Making mistakes is the way to discover the right path. Errors play a fundamental role in learning.
This way of working promotes individuality, respects the pace of learning, helps to connect new learning with previous knowledge and enables learning with others.
At HBS INFANTIL, we like to involve families. Project work makes our families feel part of the project, offering them many and varied forms of involvement from the classroom.
Development of creativity: "Discovering me (2 years)" and "Discovering worlds (3 years)” project
“Discovering worlds” is a workshop born from the desire to promote the artistic and creative skills in the daily life of our three-year-old pupils and aims to make everyday life a creative act.
It has been proven that multiple intelligences develop better when art is promoted, because artistic expression is another different language, another form of expression and another way of seeing the world.
It is also about children being able to see the world from different perspectives in order to develop the divergent thinking that allows them to solve challenges in multiple ways, all of them equally valid. This type of thinking is essential to develop an open mind, which will help pupils to integrate into a society undergoing continuous change and in which it is increasingly difficult to respond to the demands it makes on them.
We put much or almost all the emphasis on knowing the world, understanding why the world exists, what has existed before us, what will exist, and so on. But there is also our own world, the world of our consciousness, the world that arises with us, and our passions, motivations, hopes and talents. It is essential to explore our talents in order to learn more about our surroundings and our possible interaction with the world.
This is the origin of the idea of these creative projects that aim to offer other possibilities, discover the talents of each pupil. To create a different and complementary environment within the classroom that allows for exploration and experimentation, and a playful-investigative space, equipped with material designed to encourage play, providing a place to look from another perspective, a place of observation..
RESPONSIBLE EDUCATION project
Program developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of the Government of Cantabria which encourages the physical, emotional, intellectual and social growth of individuals, promotes communication and improves coexistence in schools by working with teachers, pupils and families. The program helps children:
- Learn about themselves and gain confidence.
- Understand others.
- Recognize and express emotions and ideas.
- Develop self-control.
- Learn to make responsible decisions.
- Value and care for their health.
Permanent nursing service
At HBS INFANTIL, we aim to contribute to the full development and maximum physical, mental and social well-being of our pupils. That is why we provide our families with a permanent nursing service on site during school hours, staffed by a registered nurse.
The functions of this nursing service are as follows:
- Respond to emergencies or incidents that arise during school hours.
- Administer treatments and medications prescribed by medical professionals to pupils who require them, with prior written authorization.
- Control and monitor pupils with chronic illnesses in collaboration with families and other members of the school team.
- Refer the pupil to the health center when deemed necessary, with prior notice to the pupil’s parents or guardians.
Psychopedagogical guidance department
The HBS psychopedagogical guidance department constantly supports the work of the health center and the teaching staff as a whole in order to achieve the necessary balance between them.
It collaborates in all actions aimed at ensuring pupils receive a comprehensive education and adapting teaching processes to the characteristics and needs of all our pupils.
"Discovering Minds” project. Pupils with high abilities.
Altas Capacidades.At HBS, the “Discovering Minds” project is implemented as a development of the identification and educational attention program for pupils with high abilities.
Our project is complemented by the Educational Enrichment Program for High-Ability pupils of the Community of Madrid (PEAC). The PEAC program is a voluntary and free measure that takes place outside school hours and provides pupils with high-intellectual abilities with opportunities to deepen their knowledge in different areas through experimentation, research and creation.
Environmental action project: sustainable center of the Community of Madrid
“Greener Humanitas” HBS Torrejón is recognized as a sustainable center of the Community of Madrid, of the actions and projects carried out in the school aimed at environmental sustainability.
We implemented the “Ecological Garden” project in infant education.
International Etwinning Projects
At HBS INFANTIL, collaborative work is carried out between two or more European schools from different countries on a previously agreed theme. This collaboration takes place through a virtual platform and the use of different tools.
UNESCO Associated Schools Network (ASPnet)
This network connects educational institutions around the world via a common goal: to build the defenses of peace in the minds of children and youth.
The ASPnet is coordinated at the international and national levels. The international coordination of the network is headed by a special team at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. At the country level, the National Commissions for UNESCO appoint ASPnet National Coordinators. Principals, teachers and pupils from partner schools spearhead activities in the field.
Come and meet us
Discover our educational project from the hand of our teaching staff.