Hello Magnolia Families,

It’s been a joy to get to know your children these last few weeks! This week we welcomed our new friend Lara and her grownups Edna and Nate to our classroom community. Be sure to introduce yourself when you get the chance!

In our first official blog, we’d like to share a behind the scenes glimpse into a typical day in Magnolia. You’ll see what we’re up to in our learning and play, and we hope it will enhance how you connect with your child at the end of the day! Sometimes parents say they ask their child what they did today and a common answer is “I don’t know!” 😄 We will share some examples of questions to try with your child in this blog too.

---

Drop Off

During our morning drop off time, we invite families to help their child put their tote bag in their cubby, their lunch on top of their cubby, and their water bottle in the water bottle tray. Some families create a routine such as reading one book with their child before coming outside to say goodbye. We simply ask that you make sure not to leave your child unattended in the classroom during morning drop off, as Mitra and Emily are mostly outside helping friends say goodbye to their grownups. When it’s time to say goodbye, teachers are there to help with big feelings.

Morning Circle

Magnolia friends hear the tambourine and know it’s time to come inside for the morning! Friends clean up then line up on our ramp on the blue line. We slowly come inside and put away jackets and stuffed animals. We join each other at the rug, join hands, then create a big circle. We walk around in the circle a few times then sit down. We sing our good morning song then have a lesson or talk about the choices for the day.

Question to ask your child: “Can you sing your morning song to me?”

Choice Time

Magnolia friends have many options available for their choice time. We offer invitations for art making, block building, dramatic play, snack, and more. Often the children move throughout the room at their own pace and engage with materials and activities with friends. We have a special song to signal that it’s almost cleanup time. Ask your child to sing it for you!

Question to ask your child: “Tell me about a choice you made today”

Cleanup Time

A teacher will ring a special bell that signals that it’s time to stop what we’re doing and look for the teacher with the bell- they’ve got a message! The message is to quietly clean up, go potty, wash hands, then come to the rug area for our circle time.

Question to ask your child: “What did you help clean up today?”

Movement Circle

Our movement circle is a very important part of our daily routine. During this time, the children have been busy learning and playing all morning, and it’s time to get some of our wiggles out. Emily may bring out musical instruments, or Darius might lead a dance or movement circle. Each day there’s a fun and new way to enjoy physical movement.

Question to ask your child: “Can you show me a dance move you learned?”

Outside Time

Outside time is full of opportunities for gross motor play. Several offerings include monkey bars, a swing, building with big blocks, a climbing web, and tricycles. We also provide activities that are quieter such as play with trains and cars, legos, and a book basket. On Rainy days, we set up opportunities for gross motor play indoors.

Question to ask your child: “Did you play with a friend today?”

Lunch

Once the children have cleaned up their outside play, they line up again on the blue line on our ramp. They come inside, use the potty, wash hands, then find their lunchbox. The children are invited to eat indoors at a table or outdoors on our small Magnolia grassy area. Each group has a ten minute long quiet eating time, then there’s about 15 minutes for quiet conversations and read-alouds. On Rainy days, we’re all together inside with windows open and our air filter running.

Question to ask your child: “Did someone have the same lunch as you?”

Rest and Nap

We clean up our lunches then it’s time for rest and nap! We have two dedicated zones for this: a large carpet for our napping friends and the outside grassy area for our “non-nappers” who have a 15 minute quiet laydown time on a blanket. When the non-nappers have had their 15 minute rest, they are invited to do an activity with a teacher then play outside. We wake our sleeping friends at about 2:15p and help them put their things away and pack up for the end of the day. On rainy days, our non-nappers have a quiet activity inside.

Goodbye Circle

The non-nappers arrive just in time to pack their bags and join our closing circle. Mitra leads the group in an activity or a read-aloud as Darius and Emily help our napping friends transition. On Fridays, we host “Farsi Fridays” at our last circle and Mitra shares small lessons with the children about her Persian culture and language. We sing a goodbye song and say farewell!

Dismissal and Extended Day

Extended day friends line up and go outside with Darius, Mitra reads with the remaining children at the circle and Emily opens the front door for dismissal. Children in extended day have a welcome circle then are invited to play!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this glimpse into a typical day in Magnolia!

♥Emily.Mitra.Darius