Simple Co-op Circle Time

I recently posted about how I set up and found members for our STEAM Play Preschool Co-op. Today I'm going to talk about our typical class schedule.


We meet Fridays at 10:00 am (since we are pretty casual it's usually more like 10:15 by the time most of the class shows up)

We always start class or any field trip we go on with the super cute attention getting rhyme "I like learning" pictured to the left. (Along with the hand motions implied) I first heard it at the public library story time in Bountiful,Utah where they said "I like reading" instead of "I like learning" and it was so stinking cute it just stuck with me. The kids learn it quickly and get excited about the "Lets go!" part at the end.

After our welcome rhyme we sing Happy Birthday to anyone who had their birthday that week.

Then we talk about the weather. I made this cute weather chart found over at First Grade FUNdamentals. It didn't take more than some thick poster board, a laminator, scissors and a hot glue gun. (The arrows didn't survive the school year getting transported in the back of my SUV every week so we just ended up pointing to the chart at the end.) Also instead of making it hang from a wall I put a kick stand on it so it could sit on a desk.

Every week we first ask them what season it is, which is fun when the seasons change, but also really brings to mind how LONG Alaskan winters are! For awhile we had a cute "Season Tree" (but it kicked the bucket in the harsh conditions of the back of my car as well.) I'm going to try to build something sturdier for the spring transition but if yours isn't being transported you can get the pattern here and either color it or print it on brown paper and laminate it. After that I just used velcroe to attach color leaves for fall (made with a punch), flowers for spring (from a template at the bottom of that same page) and green leaves for summer (also made with a punch). The kids loved putting the leaves on/taking them off and it adds to a fun atmosphere in the classroom.

Once we review the season I have them look out the window an tell me what the sky looks like and then ask them how cold they think it is.

After this we will usually do another song or two or maybe a rhyme that has to do with the theme of the day. I got most of my songs from The Children's Song Book from my church or from a song and finger play book like this one the kids this age LOVE singing so when I need to buy some time, this is my go to activity. They really like the color song,  "Rain is Falling" and lately "The Bear Went Over the Mountain". Now that we've started Right Start Math, "Yellow is the Sun" is the new song we are obsessed with at my house and I'll definitely be adding it to the mix for early number concepts (be forewarned: It will get stuck in your head.)

That about sums up circle time. I read that concepts of time are a little early for the 3-5 year old range and meeting only once a week wouldn't really give them a good over view of the days of the week anyway. We just wanted to have something to draw them in and give them a sense of routine since the topics/ teachers change weekly and this little schedule (after a few weeks of finding what fit and what didn't)  fit the bill perfectly.

After circle time we turn it over to whomever is teaching for the day to read one or two books and have a demonstration or hands on lesson.

Lessons are about a 20-40 minutes then we let the kids play in the gym. Sometimes directed with a ball, obstacle course, or parachute and sometimes we just let them run while we visit. When the weather is good we take them over to the park instead.

Exceptions are when we have a holiday party and I'll share some examples of classes, parties, and field trips in the next few post in this series.