A Typical Day...

Time:	Activity:
8:00 to 9:00	Play, social development, one on one work with teachers, special activities
9:00 to 9:50	Clean up, book browsing, music and movement activities, circle time
9:50 to 10:15	Work at the tables, desk, painting easel, and sand box
10:15 to 10:35	Snack time
10:35 to 11:00	Group story time
11:00 to 12:00	Outdoor play time
12:00 to 1:00	Lunch outdoors & outdoor play/ exploration, or both indoors, depending on the weather
1:00 to 1:45	Clean up and quiet rest time
1:45 to 2:00	Afternoon snack and more table time
2:00 to 3:00	Second story time and then ending the day with outdoor play time

We follow a daily schedule at the preschool, but time flexibility is the norm. The day begins with fifty minutes (or more!) of free-play time. There are optional special activities such as cooking muffins or making and playing with play dough, in which children may participate as long as they wish. Children have free access to a wide range of art materials, toys, puzzles, books, games, dress-up clothes, and hands-on exploratory materials. Children also pick their “job” for the day in the morning at this time.  After our morning playtime, we all clean up together.

Following clean up, children look at books together for a short period, and then we begin moving time with a movement and/or music activity together. This may be dancing to music with scarves, circle songs and games, yoga, stretching, acting out stories, pretending to be different animals to music, etc…

We then sit down for circle time. Circle time is for talking together, singing, jokes, finger plays, learning centered on themes, and a time to let children know about activities available at the tables after circle time. 

The children then move to our project tables for age-appropriate arts and crafts exploration, cooking, or science, math, and nature activities. Children are allowed to decide when they are “done” with their work at the table. Children are allowed to work at more than one area each day.

Next comes the ever-popular snack time! The children do their chosen jobs of passing out plates and glasses and serving food.

After snack time we settle into the pillows for story time which usually lasts 20 minutes to a half hour. 

Our morning ends with outdoor playing for the last half hour. On very rainy days and cold days we setup an indoor playground with special equipment kept upstairs. 

In the afternoon, we eat lunch outside and continue outdoor play when the weather is not freezing. Sometimes we eat around a campfire when it’s cold but not windy. When it’s truly cold, we eat lunch and play indoors.

After lunch children have 45-60 minutes of free play time, clean up again, then get out rest mats for half an hour of
quiet time.

After quiet time children have a snack, another story time, and then end the day back outside for the last half hour.

We also have seasonal parties, field trips, and special event days such as an indoor pool party and pajama day.