reposting here-? for preschool teachers

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Reposting here-? for preschool teachers

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amother

Thu, Jun 04 2009, 10:49 am

I'm about to accept a summer job as a head counselor for a VERY small camp- 1 group of children ages 2-3. the hours are about from 9-1. Can someone here please suggest an appropriate schedule for kids this age. When to have snack, storytime, circle time, arts and crafts. I haven't done this in awhile, but am taking the job b/c need the $ and I do love working with the yummy children who are this age. any suggestions for a schedule or activities would be greatly appreciated! thanks so much!

bbmom ↓

Thu, Jun 04 2009, 4:44 pm

This was our schedule when I taught kids that age -

9:00-9:20 - welcome, free play

9:20-9:30 - "morning meeting" - basically good morning song, modeh ani, torah tziva, shema, and one other song

9:30-10:00 - centers (free table art, easle art, sensory table, blocks/legos/cars, dress up/kitchen area, manipulatives, science, reading)

10:00-10:15 - snack

10:15-10:30 - circle time (themed, game, gross motor activity)

10:30-11:00 - outdoor play

11:00-11:30 - water play

11:30-12:00 - lunch

12:00-12:20 - themed craft and/or themed game

12:20-12:50 - quiet centers (table art, reading, manipulatives, science)

12:50-1:00 - Goodbye circle, story

Pineapple

Thu, Jun 04 2009, 10:17 pm

Where is this camp?

If you dont feel comforable posting can you please pm me

shopaholic

Fri, Jun 05 2009, 10:27 am

Thanks for this! I'm starting a playgroup, also a small group, this summer & needed an idea of a schedule. This one seems just what I was planning on doing - keeping the activities short.

MiamiMommy ↓

Fri, Jun 05 2009, 12:14 pm

Free Play should be longer then 20 mins. for this age. Especially since they will probably not come right on time. If a child comes at 9:10, they only end up with 10 mins of Free Play. Socialization is the most important thing for kids this age.

Also, don't for get all the transitions. You won't be able to jump right in to each activity, there will also be clan up, diaper changing/bathroom, and changing the kids in and out of their Water Play clothes, which takes about 10 years.

↑ bbmom ↓

Fri, Jun 05 2009, 2:48 pm

MiamiMommy wrote:

Transitions are important - to me they're obvious. I just posted a basic schedule but notice that I had 1 full hour of center play throughout the day. The "free play" in the morning is actually only there as a transition - something for the children to do while they're waiting for everyone to come. If you read it again- the morning circle time is all of ten minutes (or less) followed by 30 minutes of center play.

My classroom was always divided into centers so the only way to play was through center play. This was constructive play (learning through play).

Also, on very hot and/or rainy days as well in the winter we had a gross motor room we played in for 30 minutes instead of going outside.

↑ MiamiMommy

Sun, Jun 07 2009, 1:17 pm

Oh! Sorry! The center time didn't click when I read it! :-)

↑ bbmom ↓

Sun, Jun 07 2009, 8:06 pm

It's ok, I didn't take it personally, I was just explaining! I don't even teach that age anymore so I can't say I'm an expert.

nana18

Mon, Jun 08 2009, 1:04 am

I just have a question about that schedule. What is the difference between free play and centers? How do you teach 2 year olds the concept of staying in the center and what is the reason to interrupt the play with a very short circle time (which means cleaning up twice?) I am a teacher of 2s and I find that once they get into the playing I do not like to interrupt them unless they dont really settle into something. To have clean up for a tiny circle time and then go back to play, I wonder how it would work.

↑ bbmom

Mon, Jun 08 2009, 5:05 pm

Centers wasn't an issue in my classroom - that was the method we used and the children adapted to it very fast.

The first free play was simply a transition- something for them to do while they were waiting for everyone else to come. There were specific things that they were able to play with at this time, nothing that was messy or difficult to clean up.

The point of the first circle time was to greet the children as a class - impossible to do right when they walk in because they all come at different times. It was important for me to welcome them as a class, and for them to greet eachother every morning. This also separated my "davening" time from my regular (themed) circle time.

30 minutes of center play is not short for 2 year olds, it's plenty long.

The second circle time focused on the theme/subject of the day/week and included a gross motor activity (jumping song or the like).

In any case, like I said I don't even teach that age anymore and I'm not about to argue as to what I think is or isn't appropriate for 2 year olds. Just realize that just because you run your classroom a certain way that doesn't mean that that is the best way or the most correct way. There are thousands of different philosophies when it comes to running an early childhood classroom.

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