​What daily routine will my child follow at the preschool?

At Rushmore House Montessori preschool the day has a structure designed to keep your child safely settled, engaged and accessing all areas of the curriculum. Your child is greeted at the door and registers themselves using the My Montessori Child Ipad system. After hanging their coats and belongings and changing to indoor shoes they go and choose an activity. They then engage in activities of their choice helped by teachers both inside the classroom and in the garden. At midday the children have circle time with their friends. At lunch time the children that are staying all day have lunch whilst children attending just the morning session go home. The afternoon has a wide range of activities designed to encourage children’s continued learning and it ends with the second circle time. The children then prepare to be collected by their parents and carers.

Arriving at the preschool

​The daily routine in the preschool starts with welcoming children and registration at the door. A teacher greets them by their name and presents the My Montessori Child Ipad system displaying small photographs of all the children attending. Your child chooses their picture and touches it to register. Your child then takes off their coat and hangs it on a hook by the door together with their backpack. Another teacher helps them if they need it, however the children are encouraged to do everything themselves. If they are staying all day they will also have a lunch box with a packed lunch that you prepared for them.

​Morning activities

​As soon as children finish hanging their coats and changing to indoor shoes the children engage in activities of their choice. They could choose to go to the art table, the home corner, the Book corner or use one of the Montessori activities. The activities are selected from low level shelves. Your child will take their chosen activity to an adjacent table. When they are finished they have been shown how to return their activity to a shelf and push their chair in. Teachers are always at hand to help children achieve these steps. Access to the garden is free flow, children can come in and out when they choose. Children can continue their activities outside.

 It is the freedom of choice that helps to foster a child’s concentration as they focus their energies on what they have chosen. Teachers know your child’s next steps and introduce activities that your child may be interested in, that help them to develop their confidence and capabilities. Teachers may take children that are at the same level in small groups especially for Mathematics and Literacy.

​Snack bar

​The snack bar is available with a teacher to supervise. Children have a choice of nutritious food. They take a plate and a cup for water or milk. When they are finished they push their chair in and, with the teacher’s support, wash their plate and cup in an adjacent child level sink.

​Circle time

​Circle time is at midday. There are two circle times with different presentation styles. One has more hands on presentations. The aim is to capture children’s interest and increase their attention. The other one involves more discussion, as a preparation for Reception where children spend more time being taught in groups. Circle time is an opportunity to promote the planned theme for the day, talk about the day of the week, the season, the weather and choose a book to read together.

​Lunch

​After circle time some children will get ready to go home. The children that are staying for the afternoon go to the snack bar, wash their hands and sit with their lunch box. This is very much a social occasion and the teachers encourage children to eat their lunch by talking about healthy eating. 

​Afternoon activities

​Your child’s progress is recorded in the My Montessori Child Ipad system. You can view the observations through the secure My Montessori Child website, when they have been released by the preschool manager. Children can go into the garden to use the climbing frame with a slide, tricycles, mud kitchen and other outdoor activities. This develops their gross motor skills and coordination. The art corner is set up with a range of activities as well as special activities that support the planned theme for the week. 

​Circle time

​Just as in the morning, there are two Circle Time groups with different presentation styles so  children can have presentations appropriate to their stage of development and concentration. These presentations and activities support the planned theme as well as the Montessori curriculum. Each teacher takes a turn to prepare  a circle time presentation to explore and reinforce the planned theme.

Going home

​The children get ready to go home. Each child deregisters themselves by selecting their photographs on the My Montessori Child Ipad system. Outside parents congregate ready to collect their children. A noticeboard tells parents and carers what were the main activities of the day and food present on the snack bar. This information provides a starting point to talk to your child about their day. If teachers need to talk to parents about their child this is a good opportunity. Parents collect their children safely.