Classrooms

Welcome to the Owl's Nest Classroom (Pre-K Education for 4-5 year olds)!  In the Owl's Nest room, children are preparing for an adventure of a lifetime – kindergarten!  Our Pre-Kindergarten program is designed to get them ready by teaching them letters and words, math concepts, and valuable social skills.  With small-group instruction, independent play in an organized atmosphere, and large-group activities, children will have all the skills needed to jump right into kindergarten.  Everything we do is designed for Pre-Kindergarten learning.

The Pre-Kindergarten Program Features:

• Small group lessons in mathematics and literacy (reading and writing) every day
• Activities and lessons that help prepare your child for kindergarten and school success
• Classroom activities and features that help your Pre-K child build literacy and numeracy skills
• Hands-on experiences that encourage independent, creative learning
• Whole-group activities that help your child build and awareness of others and a sense of community
• Observation-based assessments that track your child’s progress toward developmental milestones and kindergarten readiness
• Portfolios that document growth and development through your child’s work
• Regular teacher-family communication, including daily updates to keep you informed. 

What to expect in The Owl's Nest Room!

6:00-7:30AM: DROP-OFF AND FREE PLAY IN GYM
As parents arrive; they drop off their children in the gymnasium.  Teachers supervise the children while they free play.

7:30-8:00 AM:  DROP-OFF AND TABLE ACTIVITIES
As children arrive; they will be able to choose a preselected activity at the tables.  Table activities include small motor skills such as lacing cards, age appropriate puzzles, etc.

8:00-8:45 AM:  BREAKFAST & CLEAN-UP
In the Owl's Nest classroom we begin our day at approximately 8:00am by sitting at the table and eating breakfast with all of our friends.  A homemade breakfast is served while teachers greet parents and children upon arrival.  After finishing breakfast, we prepare the children for group Circle Time activities. 

8:45-9:00AM:  BATHROOM BREAK/LIBRARY TIME
Children have an opportunity to use the restroom and wash hands.  As children are waiting for all their classmates to return, they sit on the circle time rug with a book.

9:00-9:30 AM:  CIRCLE TIME ACTIVITIES
Circle Time consists of everyone sitting on the Circle Time rug and participating in group activities.  We begin Circle Time with a Welcome/Good Morning Song emphasizing first and last name recognition, followed by a Weather activity, Calendar Time, Story Time, etc.

• Welcome Song – “Good Morning”
• Weather Song/Activity
• Calendar Time – Learning Days of the Week, Months and Year
• Number of the Week – Focus at this age is on one number, every two weeks; Numbers 0 thru 50.
• Letter of the Week – Focus at this age is on one letter, every two weeks; Learning the ABC’s (Upper and Lower Case)
• Story Time – Teachers read 1-2 stories that correlate with the weekly theme.  Many times teachers incorporate felt board activities and puppets when reading stories to enhance the learning experience.
• Telling Time – At this age we begin to focus on telling time (hour and half hour)
• Early Math – Addition and Subtraction
• Basic Sight Words – Begin reading sight words

9:30-11:000AM: LEARNING AND ART TIME VIA LEARNING CENTERS
During this time, teachers set up table activities that focus on early math, story writing (with teacher’s help), money counting – quarters and dollars, art activities, etc. Children rotate among the centers after completion of each task. 

11:00-11:30AM:  GYM TIME / OUTSIDE PLAY
 Our gym time and/or outside play time consists of both large and small motor activities.  Each ½ hour of gym time and/or outside play time includes 15 minutes of structured play (specific games and activities planned for the children) and 15 minutes of free play.  The activities used are meant to help develop a child’s balance and muscle development.  The games selected for this age group are designed to help develop coordination and balance and help the children integrate using different parts of their body together.  These games also involve other types of skills, such as learning about animals and developing language and comprehension.

• Parachute Play
• Duck-Duck-Goose Game
• Ping-Pong
• Bean Bag Toss

11:30-11:45AM: BATHROOM BREAK / LIBRARY TIME
 Children have an opportunity to use the restroom and wash hands.  As children are waiting for all their classmates to return, they sit on the circle time rug with a book.

11:45-12:30PM:  LUNCH TIME
During this time, all children sit at the table and eat lunch with their friends.  A homemade meal is served while teachers initiate conversation with the children. 

12:30-12:45PM:  CLEAN UP /BATHROOM BREAK
Children have an opportunity to use the restroom and wash hands.  As the children return to the classroom, they unwind by sitting on their cots and looking at a book while waiting for nap time.

12:45-3:00PM:  NAP TIME
All children are encouraged to nap and/or have quiet time.  This time is supervised by a teacher in the classroom at all times.  As the children wake from their naps, they are given the opportunity to use the restroom and then participate in table activities until all other classmates are awake. 

3:00-3:30PM:  SNACK / CLEAN-UP
During this time, all children sit at the table and eat a snack with their friends.  We do encourage the children to serve themselves (learning portions and manners).  Each child will be assigned to bring in a snack for the class once or twice each month.

3:30-4:00PM:  CENTER/STATION ACTIVITIES AT TABLES
During this time, the children engage in specific activities set-up at the tables.  Activities are geared around the weekly themes. 

4:00-4:30 PM:  GYM TIME/OUTSIDE PLAY TIME
Our gym time and/or outside play time consists of both large and small motor activities.  Each ½ hour of gym time and/or outside play time includes 15 minutes of structured play (specific games and activities planned for the children) and 15 minutes of free play.  The activities used are meant to help develop a child’s balance and muscle development.  The games selected for this age group are designed to help develop coordination and balance and help the children integrate using different parts of their body together.  These games also involve other types of skills, such as learning about animals and developing language and comprehension.

• Parachute Play
• Duck-Duck-Goose Game
• Ping-Pong
• Bean Bag Toss

4:30-4:45 PM: BATHROOM BREAK
Children have an opportunity to use the restroom and wash hands. 

4:45–5:30 PM: FREE PLAY AT CENTERS IN CLASSROOM / GETTING READY FOR PICK-UP
During this time, the group engages in structured table activities.    

5:30-6:00PM:  PICK-UP IN THE GYM/OUTSIDE PLAY AREA
Children are taken to the gym or outside play area for free play and parent pick-up.