For Children 4 by May 1st
At this age, the child is acting out of imitation, thus they experience a wide range of activities, including handwork, beeswax modeling, coloring, domestic work, watercolor painting, storytelling, puppetry, plant dyeing, wood working, gardening, singing & creative movement, nature observation, and more, naturally, as they see their teachers engaging in various meaningful activities.
To enhance listening skills, simple songs and games are shared in English as well as foreign languages. Stories shared help the children to develop the ability to create mental images based on what they are hearing, which lays the groundwork for reading comprehension later on. All activities are designed to meet the learning domains prescribed by the Early learning coalition. Most importantly, they are learning how to be within a group – this includes compromise, conflict resolution, negotiation – the skills they will need throughout their lifetime.
Like all of our programs, this class takes place completely outside.
The class adopts a daily, weekly and yearly rhythm, which brings the children great comfort – knowing what to expect and anticipate, so each day becomes known by the activity they do and/or the lunch they eat, for example Monday is “Painting Day, Tuesday is” Handwork Day” and so on.
All snacks are organic; water and herbal teas are offered to drink.
The children take seasonal field trips, such as Crowley Museum and Nature Center or other Forest Days .
A typical day in the Sandpiper class goes as follows:
8:30 Children arrive
8:30-9:00 Circle Time
9:00-10:20 Activity/focused time of the day/ Project- time
10:20-10:30 Clean up time
10:30-10:45 Bathroom turn/wash hands
10:45 -11:15: Shared meal together
11:15 -12:00 Free play/projects
12:00-12:15 Cleanup
12:15-12:30 Storytime/puppet play
12:30-12:45 Lunch
12:45-1:15 Rest Time
1:15 – 1:30 Pick up
For those staying for Little Siesta Aftercare:
1:15 – 1:30 Transition in/wash hands/bathroom turn
1:30 – 2:15 Nature activities and games
2:15-2:30 Goodbye song/Pick up