Schedule

Students arrive, activities introduce & review concepts

Everyone sits in a circle on the rug and we repeat our affirmations then we discuss our question of the day to practice social skills of welcoming, sharing, and listening

Students actively participate in filling out our calendar and make weather observations. We incorporate letter recognition, letter sounds, and numbers into calendar and weather time.

We sing songs to get active, learn concepts, and take time to focus on that day's particular concept (example: Start off with singing the Parts of a plant song which brings up pollinators; followed by talking about the letter "P" at the beginning of pollinator and making the letter shape with our body then crouching and jumping to show the explosive sound of P; then learning about different examples of pollinators and pretending to be pollinators visiting large paper flowers)

This is where we gather around a table for a hands on activity. The activity may be an arts/craft project or a science experiment. This time helps the development of students' fine motor skills. These activities reinforce what we're learning that day and incorporate other skill development such as highlighting waiting and following directions, asking for help and saying please and thank you, others will focus on vocabulary if we're talking about textures.

It's developmentally necessary to give students a break to have some self-directed play time. This is also a time where we sit back to let them practice social skills such as sharing and working through conflict. Teachers and parents step in as necessary to guide students in times of struggle.

We provide a drink and snack for students and while they eat they listen to a story or two

Students have five minutes to independently explore our preschool library. We have a child sized couch and some cushions so they can make themselves comfortable. They may look through books on their own, sometimes "reading" a story to themselves, or they can ask an adult to read a story to them. This is their time to make decisions about books and reading.

It's important to have a mix of activities that are high energy and low energy. Here in movement time students are led in playful exercises that often incorporate the season ("float down like a fall leaf" or "hop like a frog" in the spring) and imagination. These movements help students' gross motor development.

As it nears time to go home, we like to help students calm their brains and bodies. We turn the lights off, letting just the natural light filter in through the windows and gather on the rug to do a short mindfulness activity.

Now that students have calmed down a bit, students are encouraged to hold a stuffy or sit comfortably with their caregiver. We review what we did that day and together we sing our closing song that comes from Mr. Rogers, "There are many ways to say I love you."

If you have questions or would like schedule some tutoring time for your child, you can take advantage of our "office hours" during the half hour following class.