I hope you have been getting a little bit of an idea about how your children spend their days in kindergarten, but I know at the end of a long day many children are short on details!  After arrival and a short ease in time we begin each day in kindergarten with Morning Meeting.  This starts with a greeting, which has been done by passing an object around the circle and greeting classmates on either side of us. This helps us learn each other's names and provides practice using clear voices and  a friendly tone.  Once this routine is firmly established we will incorporate some more complex greetings. 

After the greeting several students have an opportunity to share.  Right now we are using this time to share artifact bags.  Sharing is a great time for students to practice speaking in front of a group with a loud clear voice, as well as listening thoughtfully to the speaker.  We have been working on asking questions or making relevant comments about artifact bags, without shifting the focus to ourselves.  This is really challenging, but children are starting to get the idea!  We will work on this skill throughout the year.

Sharing is typically followed by an activity such as a song or game, often something that involves movement.  We have been playing a freeze game with a chime to practice being ready to listen when it is time for a direction.  We have also played a game called "A Warm Wind Blows." For this game one student chooses a category and says "A warm wind blows..." and then states the category.  Anyone who fits the category steps into the center of the circle.  This is a quick and simple game, but students really enjoy playing it.  Another game we have played is a movement game called "Walk, Stop, Wiggle, Sit."  Perhaps your child can tell you about that one.

Finally, we read the morning message together.  My message follows a predictable pattern, telling students the day and what specials they will have.   The final sentence is a question that changes each day.   Children answer by recording their names next to their answer.  We often briefly talk about the information revealed by students answers, for example "more kids liked the book Chalk than Rainstorm".  Several children are also invited to circle specific letters or sight words in the message, reinforcing literacy skills we are currently working on.

After Morning Meeting we move into a literacy block that includes hands on, small group stations.  This is followed by snack and our first recess of the day at 9:30.  When we come in from recess at 10:00 we move into math, which also includes stations, followed by choice time.  We go to lunch each day from 11:45- 12:15.  Most days we have writer's workshop after lunch before we go to a special.  After our specials we have Number Corner, a 15 minute skill building component of our math program that revolves around the calendar.  When we have finished number corner we pack our bags, do our jobs, and head outside for our second recess, which brings us to the end of the day. 

This is our general schedule and I try to be very flexible depending on daily circumstances.  However, two things that I will always try to incorporate no matter what are recess and choice time!