A 2021-2022 Day in the Life of Super Primes (4 yrs.)

8:00-9:30 Ready, Set, Play (Greetings and Getting Started)

Everyday a teacher is at the vestibule doors ready to greet our parents and friends and usher them into our school. The other teacher is in the hallway helping friends unpack for the day before they enter the classroom space. This work entails children hanging up their outerwear and backpacks and deciding whether or not they would like to start the day with shoes inside, taking out their morning snack and lunch and storing them on the food shelf, and finally bringing their water bottles into the classroom to store in the "water closet" a cabinet beneath our class sink out for easy access. Once these tasks are done friends are then set to begin free play. This is a time when our classroom is buzzing with activities. Friends can be seen in every part of our room either lounging on our couch or building forts with cushions, the babies in the nursery are being cared for, meals and coffee are being served out of our kitchen, complex structures are being built, and many beautiful drawings are being created. Often in this frenzy our toy shelves are emptied and toys are strewn about. It can get messy but our friend knows that part of our play is the clean up! When it's time friends join up with their fellow crew members and do their clean up jobs. Each crew is responsible for an area of our classroom. If crews are done with their jobs they will often join another crew who may have had a bigger job. When all is cleaned we circle up on our rug.

9:15-9:45 What’s The Plan, Stan? (Gameplan and Preparations)

After being gathered up on the rug it's time for Meeting. We often begin meeting with a variety of greetings, and games. Then depending on the energy of the group we may do some yoga, or light aerobics to get our bodies warmed up. We then take some bubble and get our minds focused. Teachers will move to making announcements that friends need to know about. Together we identify the day of the week and review our schedule for the day. We check the weather which helps inform our plans for the day. If we are going to the woods we may discuss our plan for the woods. What should we wear? What should we pack in our adventure pack? What foods are good food to bring to the woods etc. Sometimes we have projects or jobs that we need to do either inside our classroom or out in the woods and we will review and prepare for those tasks..

9:45-10:15 I Like to Eat, Eat, EAT! (Snack)

Snack time is a quick fuel up time. It  can take place inside or outside.  Inside we are spaced out  around our classroom. We remove our mask and chow down. Casual chatting and sharing is what we see a lot of at this time.  Outside snack takes place under the tent or in the woods. We lay out our candas pads 6 ft apart in either space. We then go to our spots, remove our masks and have snacks and conversations.  

10:15-12:00 Get Up, Get Out, and Get Something (Outside Play)

Outside Adventure Time is an emergent play time which happens rain or shine. The outdoors can provide a sense of endless magic and wonder for our kids. 

In the backyard, they are climbing the dome, they are decorating our sidewalks with colorful chalk drawings, they are throwing frisbees and kicking soccer balls. Friends are hula hooping playing tag games and staying cool under the shade of our tent.  

In the woods, kids are often engaged in group free play which can include making fairy houses, playing families as both human and creatures. However if an emergent theme, issue, interest comes up we may call an impromptu meeting to discuss it. Other times we are building bridges, hanging tarps and constructing forts to make our woods spot work for us the best it can. Soon we will begin exploring the trails on our campus but for now we are getting to know our space first. Whatever we do in the woods it's always an adventure!

12:00-12:45 Eat, Play, Love (Lunch)

On warm days so far we have eaten inside our classroom, or under our tent. Our kiddos are hungry and tired and looking to fill their bellies and rest their bodies at this point.  Some cool air and a comfy spot to sit and eat are the priority. So we use the bathroom, wash our hands and set ourselves up for lunch. Each child then gets out their lunch and removes their masks to eat and drink.

Lunch is a time where we teachers will often lead casual discussions about a range of topics. Our conversations are emergent and often responsive. Sometimes teachers will read a few curated stories based on themes we may have encountered as a group recently. Sometimes we play eye spy, tell jokes or riddles or talk about any and everything. No matter where we are, lunchtime  is one our richest times of day in terms of community building. We reflect on what we did earlier in the day. We spend that time sharing and learning more about each other. We learn new things about ourselves, each other, and sometimes the world. 

Once lunch is over we know our plan, we pack up, mask up, wash up. Teachers encourage students to use the restroom if they need to.

1:00-2:00 Mr. Sandman, Bring Me a Dream (Rest Time)

At rest time our kiddos  lay out our  yoga mats, they may bring over their class blanket and special rest stuffies/toys, remove their mask, and cozy up for a quiet rest time. We start with a brief  25-30 minutes of quiet time. A teacher may lead a meditation or visualization exercise to prepare our bodies to relax. Friends are asked to be still and let their mind wander. After that teacher will often give our quiet time activities such as   manipulatives, and tactile play elements as well as art materials, and books. Things like legos, counting and sorting objects, coloring, puzzles  are what is often in use at this time. Friends are encouraged to play independently for a brief period. Once quiet play is complete, friends may mask up, and join someone on their mat to have small group play. They may bring over their toys or opt to play with things that their friend may have on their mat. Once rest time ends we mask up, wash up,  pack up, clean up, return their items to their bins and pack their bags up for home. Once their jobs are done and they are packed up and ready we head outside and play!

2:00-3:15 Bye, Bye, Byes (Outside Games and Goodbyes)

Once rest time mats are put away and everyone is awake and moving about, we will have some choice play time while we wait for grown-ups to come. Most days we open up our door to the outside so that children can choose where they would like to play. All the gear that needs to go home will be packed up and ready outside for grown-ups to snag when they come for their child. Some of the play choices at this time include drawing at the easel, doing a puzzle, reading more books, and playing with play doh. Then we say our goodbyes and students leave for the day.