Arrivals - toys and books are available in the living room for use throughout the morning.  In nice weather, older children may play on the deck.  In the winter, birds on the deck at the bird feeder are also of interest.  

7:15 to 8:45 - Breakfast & Cleanup

8:45 to 9:00 - Diaper changes

9:00 to 10:00 - Infants may go down for a nap

9:00 to 9:30 - Circle time may include songs, rhymes, stories, games, rhythm sticks, language activities.  Often these are related to our theme of the week.

9:30 to 10:00 - Project time: includes learning activities based on our theme.

10:00 to 10:15 - Wash up and snack time, sometimes with a flannel board story

10:15 to 11:00 - Large motor activities in backyard, neighborhood or downstairs

11:00-11:15 - Diaper changes (unless needed before, of course)

11:15 to 11:45- often some type of activity like playdough at the kitchen table or outdoor play if the weather is nice. Times such as these when the older children are involved in an activity are my special times with the younger children in my care.  The older children remain in my sight and hearing of course.

11:45-12:30  Lunch preparation and lunch time

12:30 to 1:00 - Older children watch an educational video in living room.

1:00 to 1:20 -  Clean up time/Diaper changes

 1:20-1:45 Storytime.  I try to give each child individual lap time with a story of his/her choice.

1:45 -4:00  Nap time

4:00 - 4:30 Wake up, diaper changes, and afternoon snack

4:30 to closing - Outside play, or small manipulatives at the kitchen table.  

Since opening in 1995, this schedule has varied to meet the needs of the children currently in care, and it will change again in the future I am sure. 

Literacy: Learning to read and write is actually a process that children begin in infancy when they first become aware of sounds and the world around them. Children in my care are read to, talked to, and played with from infancy onward. As children continue to grow and develop, music and rhyme, continued experience with books and language, and activities involving the ABCs are incorporated into the program. I subscribe to a Scholastic magazine named Clifford which supplies each child with his/her own newspaper to take home.

Science: Because of the natural curiosity of children, science is very appropriate to incorporate in a program for young children. There are a number of things we do which come under the category of “natural science.” For example, the children and I grow a garden together. We also feed the birds and enjoy watching them. The other strand is “experimental science.” We do child-sized experiments employing scientific method appropriate for young children. “I wonder what will happen if….” Or “ can you think of any way we could make this ball of clay float? Let’s try our ideas and find out.”

Social Studies: Much of what I do with the children regarding social studies falls under the category of learning the values of our culture. I plan activities that require cooperation. I am also alert throughout the day for opportunities that may arise that would allow us to practice these values. We problem solve together, sometimes using a simple method of voting to determine a decision. I am always looking for ways to give the children opportunities to practice kindness, good manners, respect, responsibility and honesty. As opportunities arise, I also involve the children in activities that foster thoughtfulness and generosity to others in the community. The Clifford magazine reinforces these concepts as well.

Another aspect of social studies involved in my program include learning about jobs that different people within the community perform. Children are also generally quite interested in the machines we see in our community, trucks, train, airplanes, etc.

Math: As is the case with all the curriculum areas mentioned, opportunities for developing mathematical thinking are woven into our day. Examples would be activities requiring the recognition and making of patterns, shapes, serration, comparisons, classifying, and matching and counting activities.

Arts and Crafts: Time spent on crafts and process art give children the opportunity for self-expression and problem solving while developing strength and coordination in their hands needed for later school skills such as writing. Plus, things like painting, gluing, cutting, using crayons, pen and paper, stringing, hole punching, etc are just plain fun.