Rain or shine, the sandbox awaits their playful adventures, while the garden shed holds treasures of toys and gardening tools for cultivating herbs and vegetables. Among the diverse array of trees and bushes, carefully designated climbing trees provide both excitement and safety. As you meander through the forest, you stumble upon a child-sized wooden wheelbarrow, soon to be filled with laughter during playtime. From blossoming cherry trees in spring to flowering wisteria and fruit-bearing apple and pear trees, the garden offers a kaleidoscope of colors, nurturing the children’s physical, sensory, and imaginative capacities.

You walk into your classroom and take in the home like environment that you’ve created. There’s beauty all around, simple yet pure. You’ve gathered natural materials such as wood, silk and cotton, plain-cloths, and wool sheepskins for the children to play on and with. All the materials that surround the children in your classroom offer authentic sensory experiences and this helps to bring calm into the classroom. The children’s eyes and nervous system can be at rest in an environment that isn’t cluttered.

With a healthy rhythm in place, the daily activities flow smoothly and seamlessly. From snack time to outdoor play time, to lunch and nap time. Everyone knows what to expect and this makes it possible to gently guide the children through their day. Your classroom rhythm allows for time to observe the children and mindfully attend to their social, emotional, and physical needs while supporting their cognitive development. Parent-Teacher conferences are an opportunity for you to share your observations of the children as well as speak to parents about the inner workings of the classroom. When your classroom community of children, parents, and teachers come together to celebrate festivals marking important times of the year, you are proud of the classroom culture you have cultivated with love and care. 

At the end of the day, you turn off the lights, lock the doors and go home to your family, thus ending another beautiful day. You think of the children, imagining what the next day will bring. You think of the parents, their questions and concerns about their child’s development. You look forward knowing that each passing day brings everyone closer together in relationship. 

You confidently offer these home tasks to the children in simple ways knowing that it’s an essential piece to building their confidence and most importantly, your rhythm establishes a foundation that makes disciplining almost non existent because the rhythm naturally creates boundaries. 

Let’s take a peek into what a day in your program could look like…

This is when you know that you have created more than just a classroom, you have created a home away from home.

As you arrive in the morning, you delight in strolling through the vibrant garden before entering your classroom. 

Picture this… you are a lead early childhood teacher, eagerly awaiting the arrival of children and families in your classroom. Imagine your confidence knowing that you are the one who shapes and influences the children’s environment not only through the rhythm of the day that you have created, but also through the activities, the meals, and the furnishings that imbue the classroom with a welcoming warmth. Together with assistants and other lead teachers, you have cultivated warm loving collegial relationships. 

You know rhythm is essentially the foundation in your work with the children and so you have created a healthy, nourishing rhythm. You guide the children by daily, weekly and seasonal activities which provide essential opportunities for them to engage in a number of activities that take place during the week. 

You have created a classroom environment where nurturing care, filled with warmth and love is alive for the children and their families.

You start each morning with creative free play. During this time, you and your assistant also engage the children in daily, and weekly activities such as preparing snack together, prepping lunch, sweeping or polishing the wooden toys that they play with, watering the plants or cleaning the classroom. 

The outdoor play yard and garden you have created bring you immense joy, knowing they foster the growth, development, and sheer enjoyment of the children.