8:00 a.m.: Arrival and Supported Transition Time
A smooth transition from home to school is vital for our early childhood students. Our nurturing faculty offers Barat Center students purposeful support, as they arrive each day. The children unpack their bags and hang up their jackets. They sign in by writing their name. They move their picture from “home” to “school.” They begin work time.
Strings
Children work in small groups with their Strings teachers.
8:55 a.m.: Snack
The children have time to enjoy snack and engage in conversation with friends.
9:15 a.m.: Morning Meeting
Meeting begins in prayer. The children greet one another by name. A child counts the boys, girls and the total number of children. We discuss the day, introduce new materials, and share thoughts about our long term project.
9:40 a.m.: Specials, Math & Literacy, Long Term Project, Work Time
Specials: Art, Library, Music, Mustard Seeds, Physical Education, Wellness, Spanish, Theology
Math & Literacy: Children work in small, flexible groups to target specific skills.
Long Term Project: Children work in large and small groups across the curriculum on a topic that has emerged based on careful listening and the children’s interests.
Work Time: Writing, Investigation, Sensory, Blocks, Dramatic Play, Literacy, Math, Art, Light Table
Work areas are created with the children’s specific interests and goals for growth in mind. In the writing area, children encounter materials to inspire them: crayons, markers, pencils, paper, glue, tape, and scissors. They may be working on a drawing, labeling their picture, or making a book; it all depends on where they are in their learning journey.
In the investigation area, the children may discover an animal family in its habitat, created with natural materials and supported through books and pictures. The sensory table may include the components necessary to make leaf soup: leaves collected on a nature walk, water, pots, measuring cups, spoons, and ladles.
The block area has a variety of wooden blocks, people, trees, cars, and animals. There are clipboards and pencils for children to sketch their plans and ideas. There are books with illustrations and photographs of different types of buildings.
The dramatic play area has a kitchen and babies because we understand that children play what they know, and what they know most intimately is family. There are scarves in many colors so the children can become whatever they imagine.
Literacy work may include a felt board and felt pieces from a story the children have heard. This is an opportunity for them to practice vocabulary and think about characters, and beginning, middle, and end. It may include a hunt for the letters in a child’s name and the names of their friends. Math work may include containers of rocks and sticks that the children collected on a nature walk. They may use these to explore number sense or patterns
The art area may include loose parts: wooden pieces, pipe cleaners, beads, and clay. The children may have been inspired by an animal they met in a story or on a nature walk and work to create one of their own. The light table is set with transparent materials for the children to explore.
11:00 a.m.: Lunch
Children enjoy a lunch brought from home at the tables in Barat Center. Half-day students depart after lunch.
11:30 a.m.: Recess
On the playground, the children interact with their friends, navigate social situations, and practice gross motor skills through running, jumping, and balancing.
12:00 p.m.: Storytime
The children gather on the rug and listen to a story. This is a time to cultivate a love of reading and to make and share connections to personal experiences and other stories.
12:15 p.m.: Rest
1:15 p.m.: Specials, Math & Literacy, Long Term Project, Work Time
2:30 p.m.: Snack, pack up & dismissal
All students transition to their cubbies and work with teachers on independently preparing to go home. Teachers place students in parents’ vehicles with loving farewells.
