Intended Daily Schedule

8:30am: Arrival 

After taking off their coats, putting away their backpacks, and changing into their indoor shoes, the children will begin their day! So begins the morning Work Cycle, an uninterrupted period of  2.5- 3 hours when the children will be free to explore the prepared environments, both indoor and outdoor. During this time, they will independently use any of the materials on their classroom shelves that they have been introduced to by the teacher. They will engage in these learning activities without interruption and with only minimal guidance from the teacher. 

 

9:30am - 11:00am: Morning Snack

Morning snack for the Children's House will often be prepared by the children. Throughout the morning, each child will independently set a place at the snack table, take their portion of snack, and eat when they're hungry. 

 

11:15am: Morning Gathering 

The children will put away their lessons, tidy up the shelves and come together to share news, sing songs, learn poems and read stories.

 

11:35am: Lunch

Children will set their places for lunch with placemats, napkins, silverware, and dishes, and unpack their lunches onto their plates. This is a wonderful time for children to practice grace & courtesy with each other. After lunch the children will clean up and go out to play!

 

1:00pm: Dismissal for Half-Day Children /  Forest Time for Full-Day Children

This time will be dedicated to independent exploration and discovery of the natural world. Afternoon time may include but is not limited to: exploring nature, hiking, cooperative games, projects that combine classroom discoveries with materials in nature, Native American story telling, art projects celebrating nature or just finding a quiet place to sit and wonder for a while. 

 

3:30pm: Dismissal for Full-Day Children