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If your child
comes to Mandala, his or her day will look something like this. All
young children do best when they have predictable routines, so we
follow this schedule consistently every day. The times are slightly
flexible, so we can accommodate the activities of the day. For instance,
if Snack takes less time, the children may have a slightly longer
time on the playground. Or, we may shorten Playground Time if we want
to do a longer Small Group project. But the order of the day never
changes.
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| MWF
Morning Schedule |
T/Th
Morning Schedule |
Afternoon
Schedule (M-F) |
| 9:00 - 9:10 Story Time |
9:00 - 9:10 Story Time |
1:00 - 1:10 Story Time |
| 9:10 - 9:25 Table Time |
9:10 - 9:25 Table Time |
1:10 - 1:25 Table Time |
| 9:25 - 10:20 Work Time |
9:25 - 10:05 Work Time |
1:25 - 2:20 Work Time |
| 10:20 - 10:25 Hand-washing |
10:05 - 10:10 Hand-washing |
2:20 - 2:55 Playground |
| 10:25 - 10:40 Snack Time |
10:10 - 10:25 Snack Time |
2:55 - 3:0 0 Hand-washing |
| 10:40 - 11:10 Playground |
10:25 - 10:50 Playground |
3:00 - 3:15 Snack Time |
| 11:10 - 11:30 Music Time |
10:50 - 11:05 Music Time |
3:15 - 3:30 Music Time |
| 11:30 - 11:50 Small Group |
11:05 - 11:20 Small Group |
3:30 - 3:50 Small Group |
| 11:50 - 12:00 Story Time |
11:20 - 11:30 Story Time |
3:50 - 4:00 Story Time |
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 Story
Time
When the children first arrive, they go into right into the story
room where a teacher greets them and reads a short story to the group.
This is a quiet time that helps children transition from their parents
to school. By the time the story is finished, all the children have
arrived for the day, and the children move to their small groups for
Table Time. |
Table
Time
Table Time is a focused learning time where each teacher meets
with her own small group for about 15 minutes. This period sets
the tone for the day and serves as a bonding time for the group.
The teacher begins by greeting each child and the children say
"good morning" to each other. From there, the teacher
demonstrates one of the Montessori jobs or activities that are
available in the classroom. Each child has an opportunity to
try the job or a part of it. After this, each child is asked
what they want to work on that day. It helps the children focus
their energy and find an activity to start their day. They are
then dismissed to individual Work Time.
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Work
Time - A Time
of Individual Choice
During this time, the children are self-directed and are able
to choose freely from activities in the prepared environment.
They may pick from activities in a variety of areas:
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In the Practical Life
area, children choose activities from every day living:
polishing shoes, using tools (hammer, screw driver, socket
wrench, etc.) sanding wood, wet and dry pouring, flower
arranging, silver polishing, tying laces, zippering, etc.
These activities teach children skills that help them to
be more independent, to care for the environment and each
other, and to develop small muscle coordination.
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In the Sensorial Area,
children choose from activities that use their five senses,
such as color sorting, matching sounds/smells/textures/weight,
grading objects by size, using peg boards, etc. These sensorial
exercises also provide a foundation for speech, writing,
and arithmetic.
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• In
the Language Area, children
work in areas that enhance oral language and set the foundation
for reading. All of the activities are important building blocks
that prepare the child to become a successful reader. Some of
the activities included in this area are puzzles, metal insets,
object/picture matching, picture/picture matching, lotto games,
story dictation, classification of objects (i.e. put all the
flying things in one pile, all the crawling things in another),
3-5 part story sequencing, rhyming words, opposites, letter
recognition, and letter sound recognition. |
• In
the Math Area, the Montessori
activities teach the child the concepts of quantity and symbol.
We use the child's senses to first introduce these concepts.
We introduce quantity using the number rods. There are 10 rods
in graduated segments. Each segment represents a unit. We introduce
number symbols (i.e. "7") with sandpaper numbers.
The child traces the rough numbers with his finger. We then
put quantity and symbol together in a variety of exercises.
We begin introducing the first three numbers and then add a
number at a time, up to 10. We then introduce such concepts
as: teens, tens, hundreds, thousands, counting by two's, and
the Hundred Board. |
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• In the Art Area,
children have an opportunity to work creatively using a variety
of materials to create an expressive piece of art, including
gluing, painting, water colors, markers, scissors, tape, stamps,
stencils, and color crayons.
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In the Patio Area, children
paint on the easel, use a sand/bird seed/or water tray, play
with the doll house, and play with boats in a water canal.
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In Dramatic Play, children
have an opportunity to work cooperatively, to try on and practice
adult roles and gain skills in socialization, as well as learning
skills in independent living.
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• In the Block Area,
children can build with blocks and Legos. They may also set
up tracks and use trains and cars.
•In
the Cooking Area, children
are able to participate in food preparation, and they practice
spreading, cutting, stirring, pouring, and learning how to
follow a recipe.
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Playground Time
This is an extremely important time in your child's day. This
is when children work on the development of their large muscles,
building coordination and strength. This is also a time when
they can practice social skills. The children may choose from
a variety of activities including: swinging, sliding, playing
basketball, running, climbing, playing in the sandbox, crawling
over and under the tubes, and participating in imaginary play.
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Small
Group: Coping Curriculum
Small Group is a focused time for teaching social-emotional skills.
This is a quiet time of day where each teacher meets with her eight
children (divided into groups by age for the year). The children form
trusted relationships with the teacher and with each other. Each day,
the teacher leads her group through one of many structured activities
in a theme area from our Coping Curriculum. These activities are designed
to teach young children communication skills, problem-solving, and
stress relief. Using a combination of relaxation exercises, puppets,
symbolic play, role-play, and creative art, the children are given
an opportunity to express their feelings and develop personal powerfulness.
They learn empathy for others and a respect for their world. They
also learn coping skills as they master difficulties and work together
to solve problems. Monthly themes include topics such as: Trust and
Belonging, Self-Acceptance, Feelings, Making Friends, Kindness and
Care for Others, Cooperation, Respect for Differences, Conflict Resolution,
and Growth and Change.
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Music and Movement
This is a large circle time. We introduce songs, finger
plays, and movement activities. Periodically, we bring out
simple instruments (tambourines, sand blocks, triangles, drums,
etc.) to accompany the songs. Music is a wonderful way for
children to be exposed to and practice using language. We
also use a parachute with music to teach rhythm and cooperation.
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All young children
do best when they have predictable routines, so we follow this schedule
consistently every day. The times are slightly flexible, so we can
accommodate the activities of the day. For instance, if Snack takes
less time, the children may have a slightly longer time on the playground.
Or, we may shorten Playground Time if we want to do a longer Music
Time. But the order of the day never changes.
The teachers follow the same schedule every day.
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| MWF
Schedule |
T/Th
Schedule |
| 9:00 -
9:10 Quiet Story Time |
9:00 -
9:10 Quiet Story Time |
| 9:00 -
10:15 Work Time |
9:00 -
10:05 Work Time |
| 10:15
- 10:25 Clean-up/Hand-washing |
10:05
- 10:15 Clean-up/Hand-washing |
| 10:25
- 10:40 Snack Time |
10:15
- 10:30 Snack Time |
| 10:40
- 11:00 Small Group |
10:30
- 10:50 Small Group |
| 11:00
- 11:25 Music & Movement |
10:50
- 11:05 Music & Movement |
| 11:30
- 12:00 Playground Time |
11:05
- 11:30 Playground Time |
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Quiet
Story Time
When the children first come into the Early Preschool, they
begin their day by joining the large circle and sitting with
the teachers for a quiet story or two. This calming activity
helps them with separation. The story engages them, and their
focus shifts away from Mommy (or Daddy, or Caregiver) towards
an interest in school and the other children. |
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Work
Time: A
Time of "Individual Choice"
After Story Time is over, the children are free to work in
the classroom or in the outdoor covered patio area, moving
from one area to another. They may choose any job or activity
they wish, and they may work alone, with a teacher, or with
other children.
Inside
Activities for the Early Preschoolers include
a variety of puzzles, peg boards, Duplo blocks, shape sorting,
texture matching, color sorting and matching, sorting by size,
etc. Children also have an opportunity to play in the dramatic
play area, look at books in the cook corner, or participate
in art activities (gluing, coloring, etc.).
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Outside Activities in the Patio
Area include painting at the easel, playing in the sand box,
building with clocks, sliding down the slide, climbing on
the play structure, and playing in the playhouse.
During
Work Time, the teachers
encourage children's language development and assist them
in their social and emotional development. Some of the focus
during this time, as well as during the rest of the day, is
to support the children in gaining skills that lead to greater
independence. The teachers help those children who are ready
to learn to use the toilet. They teach the children how to
wash their hands, to put away their jobs, to clean up spills,
to put on their jackets, and gain self-help skills.
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Small
Group
Small Group is a quiet time where one teacher and six children
meet each day and share special moments together. It is a focused
time for teaching social-emotional skills. The Early Preschoolers
are just learning how to be together in a group, so their Small
Group activities are very simple and experiential. The teachers
use books and puppets to focus on issues that are important
to all children at this age. For two year-olds, most of their
concerns are centered on separation, missing their parent, building
trust with other caregivers, independence, and toileting. As
the year unfolds, the children are able to be in a group setting
for a longer period of time and they develop more and more oral
language skills. |
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Music
and Movement
This is a favorite time of the day for most Early Preschoolers. The
teachers teach a variety of songs, finger plays, and movement activities
during Music Time. They love doing the finger plays and dancing to
music and they quickly learn all the words to the songs. |
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Playground
At the end of the morning, the children go out to the big playground.
We close off the top part of the play structure to the Early
Preschoolers. They use the lower part of the structure with
the small slides. The rest of the playground, with the sandbox,
cars, fire engine, climbing tubes, and swings, are open to their
use, as well.
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