Our Daily Rhythm
“The curriculum is not child centered or teacher directed. The curriculum is child originated and teacher framed…We have given great care in selecting the term ‘negotiated curriculum’ instead of emergent or child centered curriculum. We propose that ‘negotiated curriculum’ better captures the constructive, continual and reciprocal relation among teachers, children and parents and better captures the negotiations among subject matter: representational media and the children’s current knowledge.”
Innovations in Early Education: The International Reggio Exchange,vol. 3
We are responsive to our children’s natural rhythms and develop our daily activities with our children’s interests and pace in mind.
We begin our typical day with play. We have many areas for exploration in our classrooms including natural settings, wooden blocks, dress-up, instruments, a place for reading, a studio with art supplies, kitchen or home areas and dolls. Each day we plan additional small group activities such as cooking, painting, sensory table inquiry, weaving and sewing. These small group activities are based on the interests and curiosities of our children and allow them to explore their theories and ideas at deeper levels.
After indoor play, we head outside to the wooded playground or tend to our garden plots. The children grow seasonal vegetables. Outside the classroom, children discover so much about themselves and the natural world. Our vegetable, herb, and butterfly gardens are an essential component of our environmental education and provide the children with authentic opportunities to connect with nature. Each class maintains a raised bed garden, composts and recycles daily.
After outdoor activities, we move back to our classrooms and eat a healthy vegetarian snack. The children take snack leftovers out to the compost.
We then hold circle time where we sing seasonal songs and discuss our day. After circle time we break into small groups to explore an interest of the children.
Pick up time is at 12. There is the option to stay for lunch for children 2 and older. Lunch pickup is at 1pm.
One day every other week we offer yoga with a certified Yoga Kids instructor and music with our music teacher. We have music every week for our 4’s class and recorder is taught. We also have a music room, library and studio. Our studio teacher works with all of our teachers to explore our children’s interests through a variety of mediums.
“I would like to say that I love the school curriculum. Instead of just painting or drawing all the time, you are doing all hands on activities. I really think that [at] this early age kids need hands-on activities more than anything else. Eliot loves going to school too.” - Miri, APP Parent
“As a two mom, 2 kid family, our oldest being a three year old daughter, our experience at Atlanta Progressive Preschool has been incredible. Our daughter is thriving within the program and looks forward to going to school each week. The school’s focus on learning through play and on providing the kids with unique experiences is the perfect environment for children to thrive. She loves cooking, yoga, gardening and all of the activities that she’s been introduced to at school. When selecting a program, it was important to us to find a program that would not just tolerate our family but that would accept and honor us as they’d do with any other family. The team at APP has far exceeded our expectations. We are so grateful that we found this school and believe we won’t fully realize the incredible impact it’s had on our daughter until she starts public school!”
-Amy & Melanie, APP Parents