Whew! Sarah's 3rd week at daycare was muuuuch better! She seems to finally get the hang of the place and the people. All week, she didn't cry during drop off!! I am so happy that she got through this transition phase fast! (yes, yes, I didn't think it was fast enough last week). Every morning, we would walk her in, wash her hands, and then bring her to the table to eat breakfast.
At breakfast, she has a variety of foods, including oatmeal, smoothie, cereal, fruits, pancakes, eggs, etc. Then they have free play - they can roam around in the play kitchen, build blocks, hit the drums, pretend-play with figurines, soft toys, play dress up, or read a book. Then they do a morning snack with crackers and fruits. They have group activities which vary by day. Sometimes it's puzzles, water play, or messy art. Then it's time to go outside to play in the play yard. Sarah loves to go outside. In fact, she insists that she is the first kid to go on the buggy so she is guaranteed not to be left behind!
After the outdoor play, they wash their hands & eat their lunch at 11:30. The lunch menu is prepared fresh by the on-site Center's chef daily. Most of the food are organic, including milk. After lunch, they brush their teeth and go for their naps. Unfortunately, this lands during my lunch hour. One day I walked to the center planning to visit Sarah, only to find out that they were all sleeping!
Depending on the length of the nap, some kids will go outside for a second time. Others will continue to sleep. Sarah is a pretty good napper, so she usually misses the afternoon outing and sleep for 3 hours. Then by 3ish, all the babies come together for an afternoon snack. They then do afternoon activities such as music, dancing or more art projects. Then free play for the rest of the day until pick up time!
I feel that Sarah learns a lot from this daycare, since all the activities and even playing are geared towards child development. I noticed that there are no battery operated toys there... Not only because it's expensive to buy batteries all the time, but it takes away interaction time. The toys there induce creativity and imagination, which some battery operated toys lack.
This center is by no means perfect. There are things that I dont like. One of them is that I feel the place is very instituionized. Everything is by the book and there are a lot of rules and regulations, for both kids and parents! Most parents are very involved in the classroom....kinda like the PTA. I'm not used to it. Dont people know that I'm anti-social!!?
1 comment:
commenting on - " In fact, she insists that she is the first kid to go on the buggy so she is guaranteed not to be left behind! " - She must be Chinese!
Post a Comment