Did you know or did you forget that curriculum includes many things:
1. The physical space or environment
2. All of the materials you use to instruct students
3. all materials that the children use
4. The methods and strategies you use to implement and assess the effectiveness of the activities and lessons (procedures, routines etc)
5. Everything the children learn, intended or not.  

Are you thinking about all of these things as you set up your classroom, buy your materials, and plan your lessons and objectives.  Do we really realize how important the curriculum is in our classroom.  The curriculum even crosses over into recess and P.E. 

Practice Play:  This is when children pracitce for example: when they pound large pegs into a block of would or match holes, or pound plastic nails into a plastic board.

Symbolic Play: ages 2-7 when children represent objects for example: a block for a truck, wood chips on the play ground as water and 4 and 5 year olds begin to develop and engage in pretend play with roles and themes.

Solitary Play: A child is absorbed in his or her own actions, independent of other children.

Parallel Play: these children play separtely but with increasing curiosity in teh activities of other children nearby. You may see children playing side by side but not with one another.

Associative Play: Sharing items with others, taking turns, and showing interest in play activites with a shared goal in mind.

Cooperative Play: Highest form of social play.  This is observed in 4 and 5 year olds. Group play with differentiated roles.  Children may argue but they will commit to a general understanding.

Here are some skills that children develop as they "play" in learning centers.  Don't forget that a child's "play" is how they learn.  It is vital to allow children free "play" time to practice skills you are teaching in the classroom.
(developed by Dr. Jean Feldman)

Dramatic Play: Social skills, emotional skills, independence, oral language, imagination, responsibility, life skills.

Blocks: Motor skills, math concepts, oral language, social skills, eye-hand coordination, self control, imagination.

Art: Creativity, small motor skills, problem solving, sharing, cooperation, independence, responsibility.

Math: Oral language, social skills, small motor, concepts about quantity, shape, size, patterns, interest in math tools.

Library: alphabet knowledge, oral skills, print knowledge, listening skills, eye-hand coordination, concepts about the world, motivation to read.

Science: Curiosity about the world, sensory skills, problem solving, language skills, scientific process (observing, predicting, experimenting, recording, reporting).

Table Toys: Small muscles, eye-hand coordination, print connections, phonological awareness, visual skills, tracking left to right, phonics, motivation.

Reading: Oral language, alphabet knowledge, print connections, phonological awareness, visual skills, tracking left to right, phonics, motivation.

Writing: Eye-hand coordination, small motor skills, alphabet knowledge, self-confidence, vocab, interest in print.

Others: Sensory motor, computer, listening, cooking, music and theme based ideas.