Category: Day-to-day

From 9am to 9.30am, the arrival at school is a time when children need a welcome, a time to connect, an adult look that attends them… In short, a necessary moment of presence and availability.

The relaxed entry allows us to accompany, so that both children and families can be cared for, with the necessary time and commitment to make the transition from home to school in a careful, child-friendly manner. The arrival is also accompanied by a series of very beneficial morning routines that the child will carry out calmly: put the fruit in the basket, hang up the coat, put down the rucksack, put the shoes in the shoe rack, check the drawer…

The triangle sounds, children and accompanists come together to create the circle of ‘Bon dia!’. During this time, between approximately 9.45 and 10 a.m., we look at each other, we pay attention to those present in the circle, we mention those who have not arrived, we greet each other, we start the day, we sing songs according to the seasonal climate, we play with the calendar, we explain those things that we like to share… The circle is a moment of togetherness in which we also take the opportunity to discuss, give information, anticipate what will happen during the day, and even celebrate birthday rituals.

There are days when the game takes place in the movement space, others in indoor and outdoor spaces of the school and, once a week, it moves to the facilities of the Fundació S’HORT VELL (cross country, sand courts, corrals, area of wild olive trees, etc.)

A wide variety of games are on offer between 10am and 12.30pm, either indoors or outdoors. They can emerge from the children themselves, as well as from those accompanying them, and when we must take charge of our own environment: feeding the animals, watering the trees, tending the garden, collecting the eggs, preparing the sawdust, etc. Each child participates voluntarily in whatever interests him or her.

Throughout the free play day, fruit and nuts are available for the children on the porch tables.

At around 12.45h, we know that the free play time is over when we see María de Lluc, the cook at Els Molins school, arriving with lunch.

The dynamic of this moment leads us to tidy up our projects, wash our hands, set the table, and enjoy the meal. Each child, as they finish their meal at the pace they need, picks up their own dishes and washes them in the sinks.

After lunch, at around 1:30pm, one of the adults accompanies the story time and explains it to the group of children interested in participating. It is a routine that helps the little ones to slow down after eating, encouraging the necessary time for the body to slow down while digesting, facilitating the children’s rest for those children who need to take a nap.

After story time, families start arriving gradually from 2pm until 4pm. This is a time for the companions to exchange information with the child’s family and discuss how the day went. Slowly and calmly, each family says goodbye to the classroom and sets off for home.