At arrival, the children put their belongings in their cubbies, take out their folders, wash their hands, and choose their lunch. They will also be signing in and answering a question of the day. The children then join their classmates on the Block Area carpet and engaged in an activity until Greeting Time.
At Greeting Time, we read our daily message board. The board is changed daily to show the children any important messages for the day. The message board includes what activities the children will be completing for large and small group and other pertinent messages such as; if it is a half day, if the teacher absent, or if new materials were added to the classroom. We may also do a greening song and go over the question of the day. This is an important time for children. Greeting time prepares the children for their entire day. It is also great time to work on letter recognition, decoding, and math skills.
Meal Times
We have breakfast daily in school. Breakfast is free to all students. We encouraged all children to eat at this time because it is a great way to encourage friendships and develop language. It is a nice time for the children to talk about the previous day and the day come. You may choose to either send your child in with breakfast or a healthy snack or have the eat school breakfast. Lunchtime follows the same procedure is breakfast. There’ll be a monthly lunch menu sent home with the lunch options available. You can choose to pay daily, weekly or monthly.
Large Group
Large Group is the period when all of the children and the teachers are together, usually on the large carbon Block Area. This is a period of the day when we work on a lot of gross motor activities. Large Group often incorporates music and movement activities. The children get a chance to exercise their bodies and we get to see what motor skills they have obtained and if there are any skills that need to be worked on further. We also introduce new books, flannel stories, magnet stories, and nursery rhymes or use math related games with props like dice, spinners with numbers, and giant number cards. The children thoroughly enjoy Large Group. The activities are great for home repetition.
Small Group
Small Group is the period during the day when the children are separated into smaller groups for more individualized attention. Each teacher takes half of the children in a group. The groups remain the same for a prolonged period (roughly 3 months). During Small Group, each child receives their own materials to work with. These materials may range from blocks, to pencils, to playdough, to scissors, to books, etc… The smaller groups allow the teacher to better observe the skills of the children are proficient in, as well as, skills the children may need more work with. Lessons and activities are planned these observations and the interest of the children. We often work on writing, math skills, literacy skills, problem solving, and creative representation during Small Group.
Plan-Do-Review (Work Time)
Plan-Do-Review is the period which children are free to make their own plans (plan), follow through with their plans (do), and then discuss what they have done (review). Planning is completed in our small groups. The children are given a prop such as, a camera or a pen and paper, and are asked to discuss what they wish to do during Work Time. The children use their prop, as well as their words, to tell what their plan is and how they plan to carry it out. The child then places his/her symbol on the planning board in the row corresponding to the area they will go to begin their plan. Work Time follows Planning. This is the period of the day when the children carry out the plans they have made. The children are joined and guided by the teachers during this period to grow and expand their learning. After Work Time and Clean Up Time, the children return to their small groups for Recall to review what they have accomplished. This is also done through the use of props and words. The Plan-Do-Review process allows the children the freedom to make their own choices and plans, gives them the opportunity to follow through with those plans, and ask the children to discuss what they have learned while attending to the task that they posed for themselves.
Outside Time
We go outside on the playground daily unless it’s raining or below freezing. We ask that you dress your child accordingly especially, when the colder weather is here. In addition to the playground equipment, there are also and assortment of outdoor toys like balls, shovels, bikes and scooters.
Story Time
We read a story together, act out a story, or listen to story on tape or CD as a large group. Experiencing language in a variety of ways helps to instill a life-long love of books!
Special
The children have a “special” period daily. The special teachers will work with music and movement and gross motor activities with the children. They often incorporate math and literacy skills into their activities.
Rest Time
Rest Time is the period of the day when the children rest quietly on their mats. They do not have to sleep, but they are required to remain quietly on their mats. We suggest that you send a blanket and/or small pillow to school with the child. Blankets are sent home at the end of the week for cleaning and asked to be returned the following Monday.
