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Arrival
Your child greets his friends and settles down with the toys and playground activities until everyone else arrives. The educator observes each child and gets an idea of how each child is feeling on arrival.
Good Morning Ring
The day officially starts at 8:00 a.m. for the Grade 0 and 8:15 a.m. for the other groups, with the first structured group period called the "Good Morning Ring". During this time the children are formally welcomed and they share their news with the rest of the group. The emphasis here is on language skills. The weather and day of the week are also discussed. Group singing and action rhymes also form part of this ring.
School Readiness Time
The Blue (Grade 0), Yellow (Grade 0), Red (Grade 00) and Green (Grade 000) classes have a regular time slot where we structure activities to develop pre-maths, pre-reading and pre-writing skills. Each child is part of a small group working on a task. Each week a new topic is explored using a hands-on approach. Plenty of cutting out, drawing, sorting, matching and discovering is done along with the educator. Parents are encouraged to work on the same topics at home with their child.
Free Play
For the next hour all the children are able to choose their own activities. This open plan type of system is made to cater for the various physical and emotional needs of all the children at different times of the day. The school is divided into five areas, each catering for an important part of the child's development. These are:
1. The Garden
Large and small climbing apparatus is placed here to encourage good muscle control and total body co-ordination. Play in this area also builds confidence, improves the child's ability to share and encourages effective social communication. We also have a sensopathic area outdoors. This consists of various trays containing water, mud, clay, starch-paint, sawdust, etc. for the children to feel and explore. This "messy" play is a fun learning opportunity. With the emphasis on touching and manipulating, the children can develop their social and communicative skills, extend their understanding of maths, be creative and independent. The quieter areas in the garden, such as the sandpit, often draws children who enjoy less energetic, noisy play.
2. The Creative Area
This is usually the busiest area in the school. It is here that each child is encouraged to be independent in his/her choice and use of art materials. The materials range from garden objects to so called 'junk' from your homes.
The activities in the creative area are carefully structured to encourage hand-eye co-ordination, shape, colour and size matching and good spatial judgement. All these skills are necessary when children learn to read, write and think for themselves. The end result is not
as important as the 'doing'.
3. The Quiet Area
After the frantic, free, creative area - the Quiet Area is there for any child wishing to calmly and quietly concentrate on a task. The activities include puzzles, construction toys, card games, books and hand-eye co-ordination apparatus. Each activity requires careful thought, sharing and perseverance to complete the task. The educator tries to encourage and help the children solve problems on their own, using a calm trial-and-error approach if necessary.
4. Fantasy Area
This make believe area is possibly the most misunderstood area of all by parents and visitors. The comment, "Oh, they just play!" is often heard. You may have heard, "Oh, this is so sweet/cute". In many ways, fantasy play tells us much about the child's whole personality. When a child dresses up and steps into a role, what he/she feels about his/her own life and what he/she has learnt about his/her environment, is expressed in his/her role-play. By expressing these feelings, a child often comes to terms with the negative areas in his/her life.
5. Block Area
We put out a wide variety of blocks and extra supportive toys to encourage the children to build and create using a three-dimensional technique. This play allows children to use words such as above, below, between, next to, in front of, etc. It also helps children represent the world they live in. It is especially good to teach children to try and try again when they come across a problem whilst working. Sharing, talking and working co-operatively with apparatus happens naturally in this area. The children work with counting and sorting skills as they create their scenes with the blocks.
These then are the five main areas that are available to your children during this Free-Play Time, which we prefer to call Work Time. Children learn best through active learning, so when they are playing they are actually working with various concepts. Each child may choose where to play, depending on his/her physical, emotional and intellectual needs. We encourage the use of all the areas by the children, but the final choice is left up to the child.
Snack/Toilet Routine
Now each group comes together again for more structured, educator-directed activities.
(i) The toilet routine is necessary to encourage good personal hygiene and independence.
(ii) After the toilet routine, the snack routine is a social experience for all.
Second Ring
This is the most structured and intensive learning session of each day. A different type of ring is done every day, covering the areas of music, rhythm, discussion of general knowledge topics, creative movement, object study, design and technology, physical co-ordination and baking. Activities in these areas are graded and encourage the children to try out their own ideas when exploring a concept. Recognition of each tiny step and level of involvement is constantly given.
Second Free Play
Only outdoors. Here the children are allowed to try their hand at woodwork, gardening and puppet shows.
Special Skills Time
After this peak learning period, each group is then asked to work in a specific area on a set task with their own group educator. The educator observes each child's ability and approach to the set task.
Story Time
One of the most enjoyable times of the day follows. During this time poetry, group discussions and a story are included. Although this period requires good concentration and listening skills, it is nevertheless a calm and much enjoyed time of the day for each child.
Rest Time
The children wait calmly for their lift home, leaving school on a happy, fun-filled note. After such a morning of activity, a rest is essential.
Foyer Themes
The educators arrange a display in the foyer every two weeks. All rings and activities for those two weeks are based on the theme in the foyer. Children are encouraged to use the foyer with their friends and parents. Children are asked to bring items to school which are related to the themes.
Other Fun Events and Outings
We try and visit places outside our school environment whenever we explore a theme. These outings take place during the school day. Adult supervision and safety is a priority on these occasions. We enjoy celebrating events such as Easter, Mothers' and Fathers' Day, Spring, Grandparents' Day, Eid, Deepavali, Hannukah, Christmas, Arts & Craft Day and Design-Tech Day, the annual Big Walk and of course, the Concert! We thrive on having visitors such as our parents and grandparents to join in our fun wherever possible.
With this full, active programme, each child is able to develop at his/her own rate. The staff are able to pick up any problem areas or learning difficulties and work on them with the child and parents. This opportunity of fun-filled learning under specialist guidance helps make the often traumatic entrance into Grade 1 so much easier. |
