our day
Daily Life in Our Classroom
If you're wondering what we do all day , here are some examples of things we do.
Morning Activities and structured play
Every morning, we begin by saying our prayers at 9 20, and then each group/ table has an activity to complete. It could be completing jigsaw puzzles, maths games, english word bingo games, creating a town with bricks, using the ipads, cutting paper with scissors,using márla, practicing their writing on the writing pads etc.
In the beginning I tell each group what they are doing but after a while the children themselves can check which activity their group is doing that day by checking the structured play chart in our classroom. Some mornings we might do some Brain Gym exercises as well which the children enjoy. Click HERE for video clip.
Morning meeting.
Our "Morning meeting" takes place after the morning activities. We usually start the morning meeting with The Good Morning Song. click HERE. After that, we count how many children are in school and then I take the roll . The meetings content varies ,but generally the children tell their news, we see whose birthdays are taking place this week/month, we talk about the season and any seasonal changes we have noticed, we sing songs, recite poems, look at our maths calendar,count the days, do our maths "problem of the day" ,we record the day ,date and month,dress our very popular weather monkey appropriately, talk about the work we are doing in the classroom, what's happening in the school in general and then the wider world. Sometimes we would look at The National Geographic website for kids at this stage also if there is an earthquake/ tornado or something important taking place somewhere in the world that they would be interested in. Click HERE for website.
Break times.
Children have 2 break-times where they go out-side. Small break is from 10.50 until 11 o'clock and big break is from 12.30 until 1 0'clock. Children get approx. 10 minutes to eat their little break inside, before they go out, and 15 minutes before big break. While they are eating they are listening to their Jolly Phonics Songs or listening to a story, looking at a maths slide-show, or watching phonics sounded out etc. I use this time to reinforce work already done during the day, as well as helping them to open drinks etc. They also get time to have a chat with the children in their group and they eat their lunches happily! I keep an eye to make sure every child is eating and drinking but if you have concerns please let me know.
Evening time.
When children are going home they pack up their belongings and collect their coats, in their turn, table by table. They put on their coats in the classroom and sit down . I help children to fasten their coats if needed.We then sing our Goodbye song, click HERE, and after that I check to see who is waiting outside and call the children by name and then the children come out to meet you in the yard. In the beginning I won't know all the parents so it would be helpful if you could tell me who you are waiting for please! If you are in a particular hurry some evening please come in and knock on the door and your child can go out with you straight away or send in a note in the morning and your child will be ready.
After a few weeks, when children are settled, our classroom generally has the following routines.
Monday is one of the days that the children get a new letter, from the Jolly Phonics Programme, in their sounds copy. (A letter will go out to parents explaining homework and homework folders before I give your child their folder). They learn how to form each new letter, in their sounds copy, with their finger in the air. They also learn a song about the letter and the sound. You can find these songs and letter sounds in the English section.
Monday is P.E. day. School tracksuits are optional in Junior Infants but should you wish to buy one a plain navy tracksuit top and bottoms will do. They are available from most of the chain stores. All your child really needs is a pair of runners thanks.
Tuesday is a very busy day. Mrs. Farrell kindly volunteers some of her time and takes a group to the Computer Room and does great work on the computers with them. I use this time to test each child individually on their phonic sounds or later on in the year on their wordlists and then we swap groups. It works really well and the children always look forward to seeing her! On Tuesadys children get a second letter sound in their sounds copy. Tuesday is also Library Day in our class and your child gets a different bag of Library books each Tuesday to bring home. These are for you to read to your child,as a bedtime story perhaps, and are not for "homework" but for enjoyment and to develop a love of reading in your child.
A letter outlining all this will be sent home around the end of September when your child will be given their homework folder for the first time.
Wednesday is the day we do Art. There are two boxes, under the table, in the hall outside my classroom. They are marked "Boxes" (for cereal boxes) and "Toilet rolls". We use these for Art so if you could save these items from your recycling bin at home and put them in these boxes, when you can, that would be a great help thanks.
Thursday is the day we get the ipads for a session. Children love playing Starfall and maths bingo on them amongst other apps. It's amazing how quickly the children pick up how to use them. On Thursdays children also get another letter sound in their sounds copy and we learn the song to go with it.
Friday is Drama day.
Each week on Mondays I post a short classroom blog outlining some of what we are doing that week and there are generally links to songs or stories that I am doing,what's coming up during the week and an outline of homework or things I feel you would be interested in.I hope you will find this creates a helpful link to your childs school life.
If you're wondering what we do all day , here are some examples of things we do.
Morning Activities and structured play
Every morning, we begin by saying our prayers at 9 20, and then each group/ table has an activity to complete. It could be completing jigsaw puzzles, maths games, english word bingo games, creating a town with bricks, using the ipads, cutting paper with scissors,using márla, practicing their writing on the writing pads etc.
In the beginning I tell each group what they are doing but after a while the children themselves can check which activity their group is doing that day by checking the structured play chart in our classroom. Some mornings we might do some Brain Gym exercises as well which the children enjoy. Click HERE for video clip.
Morning meeting.
Our "Morning meeting" takes place after the morning activities. We usually start the morning meeting with The Good Morning Song. click HERE. After that, we count how many children are in school and then I take the roll . The meetings content varies ,but generally the children tell their news, we see whose birthdays are taking place this week/month, we talk about the season and any seasonal changes we have noticed, we sing songs, recite poems, look at our maths calendar,count the days, do our maths "problem of the day" ,we record the day ,date and month,dress our very popular weather monkey appropriately, talk about the work we are doing in the classroom, what's happening in the school in general and then the wider world. Sometimes we would look at The National Geographic website for kids at this stage also if there is an earthquake/ tornado or something important taking place somewhere in the world that they would be interested in. Click HERE for website.
Break times.
Children have 2 break-times where they go out-side. Small break is from 10.50 until 11 o'clock and big break is from 12.30 until 1 0'clock. Children get approx. 10 minutes to eat their little break inside, before they go out, and 15 minutes before big break. While they are eating they are listening to their Jolly Phonics Songs or listening to a story, looking at a maths slide-show, or watching phonics sounded out etc. I use this time to reinforce work already done during the day, as well as helping them to open drinks etc. They also get time to have a chat with the children in their group and they eat their lunches happily! I keep an eye to make sure every child is eating and drinking but if you have concerns please let me know.
Evening time.
When children are going home they pack up their belongings and collect their coats, in their turn, table by table. They put on their coats in the classroom and sit down . I help children to fasten their coats if needed.We then sing our Goodbye song, click HERE, and after that I check to see who is waiting outside and call the children by name and then the children come out to meet you in the yard. In the beginning I won't know all the parents so it would be helpful if you could tell me who you are waiting for please! If you are in a particular hurry some evening please come in and knock on the door and your child can go out with you straight away or send in a note in the morning and your child will be ready.
After a few weeks, when children are settled, our classroom generally has the following routines.
Monday is one of the days that the children get a new letter, from the Jolly Phonics Programme, in their sounds copy. (A letter will go out to parents explaining homework and homework folders before I give your child their folder). They learn how to form each new letter, in their sounds copy, with their finger in the air. They also learn a song about the letter and the sound. You can find these songs and letter sounds in the English section.
Monday is P.E. day. School tracksuits are optional in Junior Infants but should you wish to buy one a plain navy tracksuit top and bottoms will do. They are available from most of the chain stores. All your child really needs is a pair of runners thanks.
Tuesday is a very busy day. Mrs. Farrell kindly volunteers some of her time and takes a group to the Computer Room and does great work on the computers with them. I use this time to test each child individually on their phonic sounds or later on in the year on their wordlists and then we swap groups. It works really well and the children always look forward to seeing her! On Tuesadys children get a second letter sound in their sounds copy. Tuesday is also Library Day in our class and your child gets a different bag of Library books each Tuesday to bring home. These are for you to read to your child,as a bedtime story perhaps, and are not for "homework" but for enjoyment and to develop a love of reading in your child.
A letter outlining all this will be sent home around the end of September when your child will be given their homework folder for the first time.
Wednesday is the day we do Art. There are two boxes, under the table, in the hall outside my classroom. They are marked "Boxes" (for cereal boxes) and "Toilet rolls". We use these for Art so if you could save these items from your recycling bin at home and put them in these boxes, when you can, that would be a great help thanks.
Thursday is the day we get the ipads for a session. Children love playing Starfall and maths bingo on them amongst other apps. It's amazing how quickly the children pick up how to use them. On Thursdays children also get another letter sound in their sounds copy and we learn the song to go with it.
Friday is Drama day.
Each week on Mondays I post a short classroom blog outlining some of what we are doing that week and there are generally links to songs or stories that I am doing,what's coming up during the week and an outline of homework or things I feel you would be interested in.I hope you will find this creates a helpful link to your childs school life.