Rhythm of the DayFor young children, rhythm, ritual, and repetition are extremely meaningful. The rhythm of our day at school gives the children a sense of security, relaxation, and predictability. The schedule of the day is as follows: 8:30-8:50 am Arrival Time Each child arrives at school in his or her own way. Some enter with gusto, running in to class and quickly engaging in activity, hardly remembering to say good-bye. Others take their time adjusting each day, sitting and visiting while warming up slowly. The morning good-bye is a very valuable time for experiencing transition. We strongly encourage parents to make their morning transitions warm, yet brief. After a kiss and hug good-bye, the children are free to play, read books with a teacher, or engage in different activities until it is time to begin circle. A note about transitions… All children at some point feel the discomfort of separating from parents and transitioning into being at school. For some children this experience comes and goes quickly. For others, it lingers. If your child is having a difficult time saying good-bye, here are a few suggestions: First, prepare your mind so that energetically your child feels confidence about him or her being at school. If you are feeling hesitant, your child will become hesitant as well. Second, make your morning good-bye quick and clear. The most difficult thing for a child who is having a difficult transition is for parents to lengthen the good-bye in an attempt to make it easier for the child. With transitions, the clearer and more positive and confident we are as parents, the easier it will be for our children. We know this is often easier said than done and teachers are always available to help!
9:00 am Morning Circle The heart of each day is Morning Circle. It is very important that all children arrive in time to benefit from this time when we come together to welcome the day, to acknowledge each other’s presence, and to connect with what is happening in our world. Circle is a time when children are lead through a series of songs, verses, movements, and games that weave into a story. At Circle, there is a sense of wonder, inspiration, appreciation that is sparked and that carries the children through their day at school. What happens in Circle tends to flavor much of the children’s play observations, and provides the ground for other class activities. Please make it a priority to arrive in time for Circle every day. When children arrive in the middle of Circle, it disrupts the entire rhythm, making it nearly impossible to re-group. Sequences, poems, songs, and silence are interrupted and the atmosphere changes dramatically. For children who are the ones interrupting, they distinctly feel the discomfort of this and we notice a significant difference in their sense of connection. For us as teachers, we spend great amounts of time preparing for Circle and it is frustrating for us as well. Please make sure your child arrives by 9:00 am. If you are going to be late, please call and then wait until 9:45 am to arrive. At 9:00 am, we will put a sign on the gate to let late-arriving families know that Circle has already begun. We completely understand that sometimes you are running late in the morning and we really appreciate your understanding about our Circle time, which we hold so dear.
9:30 am Snack Morning snack consists of simple foods like grains, fruits, and vegetables, crackers, nuts, and other foods that we may cook or bake in relationship to what we are doing at Circle. We try to find a balance between serving a snack the children like, and making sure they save room for lunch! If individual children have allergies, please let us know and we will be sure to accommodate their dietary needs.
9:45-11:45 am Morning Activities This time of our day together consists of the following activities: Creative Play When children play, they learn about the world. Children’s play is, by far, the most important aspect of their early education. Children learn more through play then through any projects we are able to provide. In play, the children communicate deeply with one another, sharing their thoughts and idea, sorting out difficulties, experiencing their emotions and the emotions of others. When children are able to sink into their play, uninterrupted, they become exceptionally creative. If we can imagine the times in life when we feel completely relaxed and expansive, when our creativity flows, leaving us with confidence and a feeling of greater meaning and connection to our lives, we can begin to understand the depth and importance of children’s play. Teachers provide support during these times by creating a cheerful and uplifted environment, nice playthings, and an unobtrusive yet warm presence, there to lend a hand if needed, and otherwise content to simply observe. The playthings available to the children are mostly made of natural materials – cotton and silk cloths, building blocks, log pieces, hollow blocks, dolls, stones, pits, and carved wooden figures, to mention a few. These open-ended types of toys encourage children to “create as they go” and to connect to the natural world through their play. Arts and Crafts We make a distinction between art and crafts. Art is led by and created by the child. Crafts are led by the teacher and created by the child with the teacher’s help. In the older class, the shelf downstairs is always full of art supplies which the children may help themselves to at any time. In the Cubs, art supplies are offered on a daily basis as well. Arts and crafts relate to the seasons and to what we are doing at Circle. Through the course of the year, we paint, color, sew, weave, die cloth and wool, sculpt, dip candles, and do many, many other crafts and art activities. Sensory Play and Handwork We have many play things which encourage the children to work with their hands. Locks and keys, pouring and scooping materials, beads, marbles and tracks, trains, magnets, puzzles, geo boards, matching games, tweezers, eyedroppers, Froebel’s gifts, hammer boards, and many other materials are available. We tend to rotate materials and offer activities that relate to the other areas of curriculum, as well as those that accommodate each child’s interests and needs. We also sew, weave, tie knots, work with beeswax, and woodwork. Handwork is important in a young child’s development. Several educators have observed that manual dexterity increases mental dexterity. Other benefits of handwork are increased concentration, determination, patience, spatial awareness, and self-confidence. Cooking On average, we cook with the children once per week. Cooking projects offer one of the best scientific exploration opportunities for our class. The children are involved with each step. As you know, the children love to pour, mix, measure, knead, flip, crack, chop, and taste! If you have favorite recipes, please pass them on to us. Field Trips We frequently take walks through the neighborhood and have several places to visit nearby. Occasionally, we take other field trips as well. Visiting farms and going on hikes are our main sources of outings other than our usual neighborhood walks.
11:30-11:45 am Clean-Up Time We teach the children to relate thoroughly to the beginning, middle, and end of their activities. This is easier said than done! We always sing as we work and help each other out. We do not force the children to clean up, but we strongly encourage them to participate, mostly through modeling this habit ourselves. When a child is consistently not relating to the ending of their projects, we use stories, games, and group discussions about “wrapping up loose ends” and “relating to the beginning, middle, and end” as our main tools for helping the children feel the importance of completing what they start.
11:45 am Lunch The children take turns ringing the gong and leading us in a bow before we sing a song and begin lunch. Lunch is a very social time of the day. If you can imagine having a lunch date with your friends several times a week, you will have a good picture of your child's lunch time at school! Lots of chattering, conversation, voiced opinions and laughter prevail. Here are a few of the songs we choose from before our meals. If you have other meal time songs or chants, please do share them with us. Earth who gives us this food, sun who makes it ripe and good Tonpa Lhame Sangye Rinpoche Oh, the earth is good to me and so I thank the earth
12:30 pm Story Ring The story ring is a magical time of the day. A candle is lit, a song is sung and we can see the children bring the story to life in their minds. We tell many different kinds of stories- some with morals, some just for fun, and some that are highly interactive. Each story is told daily for about a month to give the children the opportunity to absorb the story and make it their
12:45-1:15 pm Candle Songs and Rest The story ring provides a smooth transition into the candle songs and rest time. The candle songs are sung by the teachers to the children, with one teacher encircling each child with candle light and music. Some children fall asleep and other stay awake while resting. This is a deeply relaxing and nurturing time of day as well as a time for the children to experience stillness in the midst of a day full of activity.
1:15-3:00 pm Indoor & Outdoor Play and Activities In the afternoon, we play outdoors, continue the morning’s projects and often bring out handwork toys for the children to work with. When all of the children are up, we have a snack and get ready to end our day together.
3:00 pm Closing Circle and Afternoon Snack We formally end our day by gathering together. Sometimes we sing and sometimes we play a short game. We always end our day by singing: Thank you for this day, for rest and work and play. Parents are welcome to join us for afternoon snack. Just let us know you will be coming!
3:00-3:15 pm Departure Time The children are free to play until their parents arrive. Then, they their things and say good-byes. This is a time for teachers and parents to touch base and for children to be their parents in the school environment. If your child likes or needs a lot of transition time at the end of the day, you may want to come at 3:00 pm so you have time for a relaxed good-bye.
3:30 pm Departure Complete By 3:30 pm, all of the children should be on their way out the gate, with all departure routines completed. Once the children leave, the teachers have time to clean up from the day’s activities, prepare for the next day, and touch base with each other. We depend on your prompt arrival and departure at the end of the day so we can keep the class running smoothly. |
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