What a typical day looks like: COVID-19 UPDATED:
Arrival: Parents will drop their child off at the outside door (while maintaining social distancing with other parents dropping off) where they will be greeted by Miss Michelle. Students organize their belongings by unpacking their lunch kit. They hang coat and backpack and put on their indoor shoes. All children will use hand sanitizer upon arrival.
Table time: While we wait for all the children to arrive & get organized there are fun learning activities placed at all 3 tables for students to chose from. (ie: puzzles, drawing, counting games, colouring, geoboards). These will be sanitized between classes.
Group time: When the students are all here we clean up the activities at the tables and come to the carpet for: -attendance -calendar with daily helper -new letter learning (once/week) -new numbers/colours/shapes -a story/songs -talk about the monthly themes (bears, spring, fall, apples, dinosaurs, ocean etc.)
Playtime: Students play and explore the following centres; train table, duplo, blocks, dramatic play, light table, cars/trucks, drawing/cutting/gluing, dollhouse, playmobil, puzzles, counting boxes, and many more activities available for students to chose. There will also be centres to develop fine motor, creativity and science activities.
During playtime the teacher calls students to a table in small groups to learn the weekly letter (4 year olds) or the weekly number or to complete an art project or other activity. Parent volunteers will often assist with art or other activities as directed by Miss Michelle.
Outdoor/Gym Time: We often walk to nearby Columbus Park to play outdoors. We also rent out our neighbouring dance studio to allow us more space to move, dance, and play!
Clean up: Students clean up their own area and then help a friend clean up so the classroom is ready for the next class.
Story: classroom books follow the monthly themes. Students will sit and listen while a story is read by Miss Michelle during circle time or listen to an audiobook for a fun way to add music and sound effects.
Snack: Children will wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after eating their snack. Tables will be sanitized before and after snack with a solution of bleach and water as per AHS requirements for a licensed preschool facility. Children will bring 2 or 3 healthy, nut free snacks to school and water to drink. Snack is a social time where children can visit with their friends while eating. After each child is finished eating they will wash hands, and pack their lunch kit in their backpack.
Book time: Each child looks at books while the rest of the kids finish the above. Books will not be shared between different classes. COVID-19 UPDATE: taking library books home may be suspended for all or part of this year. Books are switched out between classes so there is not sharing between cohorts.
Group time: At the end of the day I may read a story, or do a learning game and we talk about our day. We also use this time to sing some interactive songs that soon become favourites!
Home time: Students put their shoes in their cubby, put on jackets and backpacks, and wait for Miss Michelle to call their name to go get their outside shoes on and go home. Parents will wait outside the door while maintaining social distance from other parents until their child is brought to the door.
COVID-19 UPDATE: All commonly touched surfaces (doors, switches, tables, cubbies, sinks, toilet, chairs, toys, bathroom etc) will be sanitized with a solution of bleach and water in between classes.