The following is a basic outline of our preschool schedule:
Morning Class
9:00-9:15: Drop off/Journals
9:15-9:45: Class Time
9:45-10:05: Hand washing and Snack
10:05-11:00: Centers/Small Group Time
11:00-11:15: Letter of the Week
11:15-11:30: Large Motor Play
Afternoon Class
12:30-12:45: Drop off/Journals
12:45-1:15: Class Time
1:15-1:35: Hand washing and Snack
1:35-2:30: Centers/Small Group Time
2:30-2:45: Letter of the Week
2:45-3:00: Large Motor Play
The following are a brief description of each part of our schedule:
Journals: While children are arriving they have the opportunity to draw or write in their personal journal. I also encourage the older class to write their name each day in their journal.
Class Time: Everyone gathers to the carpet where we go over the helpers and calendar. We also sing songs, read stories, and have the lesson for the day.
Centers: There are several centers available to children each day including; library, dramatic play, writing and drawing, blocks and building, small motor, math and science. The items in each center are changed with each new learning theme, and many of the activities directly support the learning we are doing about the current theme.
Small Group Time: This is a center that is led by Miss Dawn that might be an art project, science or math project, language or literacy project. I may also choose to sit at a different center to participate, observe and/or encourage a furthering of the activity.
Snack: Each day we have a small snack, for example yogurt and graham crackers. This is a great time to practice manners, conversations, and self-help skills.
Letter of the Week: Each week we learn about a different letter. We read stories about the letter, play games, and practice writing the letter. For younger children it is an introduction to the letter name and letter sound. For the older children we are more focused on learning letter names, recognizing letters, learning letter sounds, and writing the letters.
Large Motor Play: This is an opportunity for children to work on those large motor skills. We regularly play in the backyard (directly outside the preschool) and occasionally walk to the park that is only 2 blocks from the preschool. During bad weather (too cold, rainy, snowy, unhealthy air conditions) we do large motor activities indoors (dancing, games, etc.)