HOLIDAY, BIRTHDAY & UPCOMING CLOSURE CALENDAR 2009:

Friday, May 8.  Will celebrate Ryleigh's 2nd birthday come join the fun!!!

Monday, May 25, Memorial Day

Friday, July 3, Fourth of July weekend

Friday, July 17, personal, medical day

Monday, September 7, Labor Day

Thursday, Friday, September 17, 18, Texas Professional Home Child Care Annual Conference, Houston, Texas.

Thursday, November 26 & Friday 27, Thanksgiving

Christmas holiday closure to be determined.  Will incorporate a few extra days for vacation time in lieu of regular two week paid vacation to try and help you out so backup care arrangements will be a little easier.  I can give you a few names for backup care if you need them.

 

Typical Day at La La's

DAILY SCHEDULE:

I try to plan a daily schedule. It lets the children know what to expect from day to day. But when I am busy with the young children, toddlers and babies it is not always possible to follow a strict schedule. I try to follow our routine to the best of my ability. But if the children are having a really good time outside than I am not going to rush them in just because it’s now time to do a project. If weather is nice outside and the children are having fun outside we may do our program outside during warm weather instead of being cooped up inside most of the day.

    

Daily Schedule

7:30 - 8:00

Children begin to arrive, Free Play/Table Toys/puzzles /dance to music

8:00 - 8:30

Wash for breakfast/bathroom Breakfast/clean up  older children help with clean up

8:30 - 9:00

Toileting, (infants changed every two hours, or as needed throughout the day), wash hands after breakfast. Calendar/Weather Chart/Pledge of Allegiance/Coloring/Learning Centers.

9:00 - 9:15

Circle Time is spent as a group, including infants to discuss our letter of the week or other activity.

9:15 - 9:45

Art project-ties in with weekly posted thematic unit

9:45 - 10:00

Learning Time/Games/Manipulatives.  Children help clean up after their playtime.

10:00 - 11:00

Outside Play

11:00 - 11:30

Wash for lunch, Lunch

11:30 - 11:45

Wash hands, face after lunch, toileting, Songs

11:45 - 12:00

Story Time based on weekly posted thematic unit

12:00 - 12:30

Clean Up, brush teeth

12:30 - 2:30 or 1:00 - 3:00 or 1:30-3:30

Nap Time-infants and toddlers, and sometimes preschoolers will be allowed to nap on their own schedules.

3:00 - 3:30 (or after naptime)

Wake-up toileting, hand washing Snack Time

3:30 - 4:00

Learning Centers or outside play

4:00 - 4:30

Table Toys/Dramatic Play/Games or outside play.  Children play independently with various manipulatives, blocks, books and centers.  Daily Child Reports made ready for parents.

4:30 - 5:30

Toileting/Clean up/Free Play till parent pick-up. Events of the day and plans for the next day are discussed with children prior to pick up time.  Activities for the next day are posted on the outside parent communication board. 

5:30 La La's is closed.  Have a good night!

Remember:  This is a private, home based, infant through age five home-school.  We work at our own
pace year round.  While much structure is obviously provided we do have the luxury of allowing children to
make choices.  Children thrive with a balanced combination of structure and choices.  Further, I prefer to
allow children to learn at their own PACE using many different learning 'tools'.  Forcing a child to sit and
work before he/she is ready is counterproductive.  Rushing a meal is rude.  Stopping a child from examining
leaves closely while on a walk is stifling their imagination.

Learning is a life long adventure and should be treated as such!  Hence, while the schedule above is a fairly
accurate picture of our day - the schedule is not set in stone and we may linger to watch the Weeping Willow
tree bend and sway in the wind.  We may also have seconds or even thirds if we are eating home made
pizza and this feast usually takes longer than 30 minutes.  Sometimes the children decide to sing and laugh
after having a good meal and I see no reason to interrupt their happy, healthy display of jovial socialization.  
It's fun, the smells are wonderful and the happy memories created by such things will leave an indelible print
on each child's brain.


Nap time notes:  By law, I am required to provide preschool children with a nap time everyday.  Typically,
this occurs between 1-1:30 - 3-3:30; however, during the summer months in Texas, we are only able to play
outdoors during the early morning hours.  Afternoon play is no longer a possibility with 100+ degree
weather; hence, we linger in the mornings knowing that this time is our only opportunity for running, playing
and climbing outside.  Naturally, this pushes our other activities back, including nap.  Still, all things being
equal, bed time should not be an issue if bed time routines are kept the same.  Children need a certain
amount of sleep each day and their bodies will get it somewhere, somehow.  Below is a guide line, taken
from the National Sleep Foundation's web site, for sleep needs of most age groups:


Research suggests that most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Children and
adolescents need even more sleep than adults. The following is a breakdown of the recommended number
of hours of sleep people need by age (*including naps):

INFANTS

(0 to 2 months): ................10-1/2 to 18 hours*

(2-12 months): ...........................14 to 15 hours*

TODDLERS/CHILDREN

(12-18 months): ........................13 to 15 hours*

(18 months-3 years): ...............12 to 14 hours*

(3-5 years): ..................................11 to 13 hours*

(5-12 years): ....................................9 to 11 hours

ADOLESCENTS

8-1/2 to 9-1/2 hours

ADULTS

7 to 9 hours

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