Good morning dear friends,
As we anxiously await direction around how curriculum and instruction will be delivered moving forward, I wanted to share our daily schedule with you so that you can begin to create some sort of routine during your days together at home.
Children love routine. They thrive on it. They need it. We have a visual schedule posted that the children look at first thing every single morning. It guides our day, offers children predictability and structure and keeps you sane when they ask (for the 756th time), when it is snack/gym/library/play time. Make it visible for them, add pictures to it, and always refer to the schedule when they have questions about the day. Over time, you will start to see them using this independently (which means less questions for you 😊).
8:40-9:00
ARRIVAL TIME & MORNING INVITATIONS
9:00-9:30
SHARING / MINDFULNESS TIME
9:30-10:10
LEARNING ACTIVITY
10:15-10:30
SNACK
10:30-11:00
CENTRE TIME
11:00-11:15
GYM / EXERCISE
(squeeze in as many minutes of exercise as you can!)
11:15-11:30
STORY TIME
ARRIVAL TIME & MORNING INVITATIONS (20 – 25 minutes)
Before students arrive each morning, I ALWAYS put on some peaceful music and set out some invitations for them to engage in as they begin the day. The music sets the tone for the space. This is a calm, peaceful place and we are calm and peaceful when we are here. The invitations offer something for them to do INDEPENDENTLY while I welcome the other students and get ready for our day. Our morning invitations generally involve:
LETTERS (sounding out simple words, matching upper and lower case letters, matching pictures with their beginning letter sound, looking through simple books, etc.)
NUMBERS/MATH (matching numbers and quantities, playing one of our number games, puzzles, printing numbers on whiteboards, sorting objects, making patterns, measuring, etc) Check out Mrs. Seddon's blog for more math inspiration!
FINE MOTOR (beads, push pins into cork, picking up coins and putting them into a penny bank, picking up items with tongs/tweezers, playdough or plasticine, etc.)
WHITEBOARDS/PAPER for free choice drawing and writing
LOOSE PARTS (random items that can be used to create pieces of art, neat sculptures, etc.)
I will send out more specific and detailed morning invitations and activities in the weeks to come, but wanted to give you some ideas to get you started.
CARPET TIME / SHARING TIME (30 minutes)
This is one of my favourite parts of our day. It’s when we come together to share ideas, to learn more about each other, reflect on what we are grateful for, to calm ourselves, and to be mindful. The focus of this time is to get the children talking about themselves, their feelings, and their experiences. We’re building their oral language skills and their vocabulary, while also connecting with one another. We learn that everyone has different experiences and ideas and that’s ok! Not just ok, it’s welcomed, valued and encouraged! It is our differences that make us special and unique. We do this through sharing circles (where each child shares about something they are thinking/feeling) and through mindful moments.
Each morning when we gather together on the carpet, we close our eyes and take a few big, slow, deep breaths together (try it right now 😊). This helps us all to feel calm, connected and fully present in the day we are about to share together. I would highly encourage you to share in some mindful moments with your child throughout the day. It connects us and helps us regulate the big feelings we are experiencing. This is just as much for you as it is for them!!
LEARNING ACTIVITY (30-40 minutes)
This is the focused lesson time of our day. It may be a new letter we are focusing on, a math challenge, a building challenge, journal prompt, art activity, or something relating to our latest area of inquiry. We use stories, videos, or nature as springboards to inspire the children and then they each engage in some independent work time. I look forward to sharing some possible learning activities for you to engage in with your child after spring break.
SNACK (15 minutes)
After children complete their work for the day, they wash their hands and have a snack.
CENTRE TIME (30-40 minutes)
This is the part of our day that the children love the most. It’s when they get to explore their own ideas and interests. This is our time to build, create, problem solve, construct, paint, pretend, invent and PLAY! My goal during this time is finding a way to bring the children’s ideas to life. How can I contribute to their play in such a way that makes them think more deeply or approach a challenge in a different way? I ask open-ended questions such as:
Can you tell me a bit about what you are making?
I wonder what would happen if…?
Where did you get the idea to build/make/create that?
What inspired you?
What do you think you might add next?
And whenever possible, get down on the floor and PLAY WITH THEM! They love this! Harness your inner 5 year old and let your imagination soar. I promise it will benefit both of you 😁
GYM / EXERCISE (30 minutes)
Just get moving! Too cold to go outside? Do a home workout video together! Search family workouts on YouTube and get everybody moving and grooving!
STORY TIME (15 minutes)
We end our days by coming together on the carpet to share a story or two. Ask your child many questions throughout the story. Comment on the characters. How are they feeling? Why are they doing the things they are doing? What do you think will happen next? Make sure to ask both literal and inferential questions. I often ask children what they think certain stories are trying to teach us. I am often surprised by how many of our little kiddos miss the overarching lesson behind the story.
I know that our daily routine won’t fit perfectly into your home routine, but I hope that in sharing, you might be inspired to give some structure and routine to your days at home. Start small. Start with the first hour and gradually work your way to a whole-day routine, allowing for plenty of flexibility and change as needed.
Let this BLOG be a rich resource for you! There are almost 4 YEARS of weekly updates on here around what happens in our kindergarten classroom. If you view the blog on a computer (or view web version from your mobile device), you can use the blog archive on the right-hand side to view posts by month/year. Check out what we were up to this week last year!
Thank you for your patience as we navigate these new times. Please stay tuned for more specific activities and guidance around curriculum in the coming weeks.
Thinking of you! 💖
With love,
Miss Roberts :)
P.S. Please tell those amazing kiddos of yours I said hello!
