Robins (4 Year Olds)

Mondays & Fridays, 9 am – 11:30 am
Wednesdays, 9 am – 1 pm

Age Requirement: 4 years old by September 1st

The goals for our four year olds fall into four categories of growth: social, emotional, intellectual, and physical. On any given day, you will see children engaged in play activities that fall into these categories. At this age level, we guide and encourage children to demonstrate cooperative behavior, critical thinking and problem solving. We introduce basic reading, writing and math skills. We continue to build upon their developing fine and gross motor skills.

9 am – 9:15, Arrival & Floor Games

As the children arrive, the teacher is always sitting in her chair to welcome each child. After the children place their belongings in an assigned cubby, they wash their hands and join the others in the Climbing Room to play age-appropriate floor games and wait for the others to arrive.

9:15 – 9:30, Morning Meeting

Once all of the children arrive, the teacher begins the morning meeting with a familiar song and helps the children find out if they are assigned a special job for the day, such as feeding the birds or helping set up the snack. They are always excited to see if their name is selected for one of those special jobs. The teacher introduces a letter or number and describes what is planned so children know what activities are available for them that day..

9:30 – 10:30, Free Play

Once the morning meeting is over, the children are free to move between three rooms to play — Art Room, Block Room, and Climbing Room. A variety of activities are available including , pretend play, art projects, sorting objects, climbing, cooking, finger painting, or even taking apart an old mechanical item. Through these different experiences, children develop important social, motor, and academic skills. They are encouraged to work cooperatively, ask questions, and solve problems. Early math concepts are introduced through such activities as sequencing, patterns, and one-to-one correspondence. Early handwriting skills are taught using the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum, which focuses on connecting the letter with the sound. The teacher and three participating adults assist children as they grow in independence in their interactions with one another. The children are supported as they practice conflict resolution and communicating their emotions. On some days the entire day is spent outside doing activities, storytime and eating snack or lunch.

10:30 – 10:40, Clean Up

The children practice teamwork by helping to pick up the toys from free play while also learning the skill of caring for their school and classroom environment. They then gather for quiet reading and look at books independently with soft music playing in the background as they prepare to transition to Circle Time.

10:40 – 11, Circle Time

During Circle Time, children participate in group activities such as finger plays, singing, dancing, or a flannel board story followed by a storybook. These activities are chosen to enhance language and math skills. Growth in skills such as taking turns, sharing thoughts, and listening to one another’s ideas are evident throughout the course of the school year.

11 – 11:10, Snack

The children, teacher , and participating adults gather for a small snack on Mondays and Wednesdays, the shorter class days. Snack time is not just about eating but also allows the children to sit and rest after a busy morning and to practice social skills such as sharing the snack basket and engaging in conversation.Snacks are provided by the school, and food sensitivities and allergies are accommodated.

11:10 – 11:30, Outside Play & Dismissal

After snack, the children are encouraged to dress themselves for outdoor play, with assistance as needed from the teacher and participating adults. As long as the temperature is above zero and it is not storming, children play outdoors on the school’s half-acre Nature Explore Certified playground every day. Children are free to play on all playground equipment and with toys such as tricycles, sand toys, sleds, sprinklers, rakes, and wheelbarrows. The teacher and participating adults are stationed around the playground to ensure a safe and fun outdoor time. The children are dismissed from the playground, and many caregivers stay and socialize with each other while play time continues.

Wednesdays: Lunch & Field Trips 9 am – 1 pm

On Wednesdays, the order of activities is slightly modified due to the extended day. The children bring their lunches and eat together. These days often include field trips, which are a great way to extend in-class learning and fit in well with our hands-on learning philosophy. Field trips occur throughout the year, and favorites include a fall creek stomp and winter hike, raspberry picking, visits to the Indianapolis Museum of Art (both inside and out), a city bus trip to purchase vegetables for homemade soup, and theatre performances.  

Music

Our music teacher comes twice a month and leads the class in a music lesson. This is a very interactive session during which the children participate through movement and learn about pitch, rhythm, and tempo and frequently have the opportunity to play different instruments.