Daily Schedule

8:00

Early Arrivals

8:30-8:45

Arrivals, Greetings and Goodbyes

9:00-9:15

Planning and Snack: Our Daily Routine is designed so that children begin their day by planning with a teacher what they would like to do. The teacher can help them to extend their ideas in increasingly more complicated ways, while encouraging new skills and posing new challenges.

9:15-10:15

Choice Time: After making a plan, children move on to Choice Time, during which they can use all areas of the school: Art Table, Book Corner, Inventions, Block Rug, Science Table, Stage, Playhouse, Tub Table, Sunspace and Toy Space.

10:15-10:30

Clean Up

10:30-10:45

Recall & Small Group: After Choice Time children break into small groups. The teachers help children participate in a brief sharing of what happened during Choice Time— by showing something that was made or in some way representing an experience.

Small-Group is a time for exploring and interacting with a common set of materials, with each child participating in their own individual way. Children learn to classify, seriate, and represent as they engage in a variety of pre-reading and pre-math activities.

11:00-11:55

Outside Time: We play outdoors on our spacious and adventurous playground. Nature exploration is an important part of our curriculum and is emphasized both in and out of the classroom. Our school's rural setting provides safe access to nature trails, streams, and an apple orchard.

12:00-12:30

Lunch and half-day departures.

12:30-12:45

Tooth brushing & Toileting.

12:45-1:45

1:45-2:15

Afternoon Planning and Choice: Children who attend in the afternoon will do one-on-one planning with a teacher, sharing their plans for the afternoon. Oftentimes, afternoon planning and choice takes place outside. Otherwise, activities offered inside can include: gross motor play in the sunspace, working in the Inventions Area, sewing, clay play, and other exciting possibilities.

2:15-2:20

Clean Up

2:20-2:30

Recall & Circle Time: As a group, children will review what they did during Choice Time, and participate in a circle song, or finger play, or gross motor activity.

2:30-2:45

Snack and

3:00-4:00

Outside Time: Giving Tree students and teachers go outside everyday. The playground features two climbing structures, a zip line, swings, a large sand play area, mud kitchen, outdoor easels, loose parts for building with, and a large pavilion with a living roof for shelter.

3:45-4

Departures