Daily Schedule Linky Party

Growing Kinders is having a linky party to share daily schedules! I find it so interesting to see how others allocate their time each day - I think I am lucky that my district allows me so much leeway with my schedule! The only things I am mandated to include are a solid 30 minute block of Math and 90 minutes of Language Arts, but this is allowed to be broken up if necessary. The one thing I don't like about my schedule is having our PE/Music so early in the day - it would be wonderful if we could move it to the afternoon when my kinders really need to burn off the energy, but that time is reserved for the testing grades so they have an uninterrupted morning for their Read 180 program.
The other thing that is interesting is lunch time! I know some kindergarten classes that have breakfast at 8:45 and then lunch at 11:00am! I think it's crazy to schedule lunch so soon, but kindergarten always has to eat before the rest of the school, at least in our district. This makes snack time so much more important - I send out a calendar each month assigning each child a day to bring snack, but usually I end up providing snack at least 3 times a month either due to someone forgetting their snack day or because I incorporated cooking into our lesson.
Here is my schedule, we've got a new principal this year so I am anxiously awaiting word as to whether it will change!

8:45-9:00 Waking and Shaking Assembly in the gym - the whole school says the Pledges, the Preamble, the 8 Expectations, sings a patriotic song and then goes over some kind of testing vobaulary or skill.

9:00 - 9:20 - Breakfast - our school provides free breakfast for all students and we eat in our classrooms.

9:20-9:40  - Calendar time

9:40-10:05 - Writing

10:05-10:25 - Music

10:25 - 10:45 - PE

10:45 - 11:00 - Continue our Writing

11:00-11:30 - Math block - this is usually a whole group lesson followed by independent work on Monday and Thursday, Tuesdays and Wednesdays we do small groups and Friday is game day.

11:30-12:00 - Lunch

12:00-12:20 - Recess

12:20-12:30 - Bathroom break and drinks - it is HOT in Oklahoma way up into November and starting again in March, so hydration is super important. I allow my kinders to have bottles of water at their tables, but the vast majority don't bring them in. I am thinking of writing a grant to get water bottles that we can keep in the classroom and wash each day.

12:30-1:40 - Language Arts - this is for whole group read aloud, phonics games, phonological awareness activity, and emergent reader before seperating into small group rotations.

1:40-2:25 - Snack/Rest time. By January we usually phase out rest time, and instead do quiet reading or writing. I play lullabyes, classical music or put an aquarium video on my SmartBoard - my students really like this one.

2:25-3:35 - Center Time - I do free choice centers. We have an Art center, Sand & Water table, Computer Center, Science center, Block center, Math center, Fine Motor center, Puzzle center, Reading center, Housekeeping center, Playdough center, and Listening center.

3:35-3:45 - Wrap up day. This is when I distribute planners and notes and we talk about who was a Bucket Filler that day.


I  think I am incredibly lucky that I get so much "play" time in my day! I do make sure that I take notes on what is going on at each center. I have a Center Time notebook and I jot down which center each child picks and what they are doing - some of the conversations are amazing! They learn so much through their play and it is great to hear them internalizing the lesson of the day. I also have a digital camera and I snap a lot of shots during center time. Mostly because the kids love showing off, but also so that I can show the learning taking place in case anyone ever questions my center time.

That's my schedule :) make sure to check out the others over at the linky party!