Whose line is it anyway – Predict and own your day
Have you ever wondered why little children constantly ask what is going to happen next? and after that and after that?
That’s because we are already wired to be aware, plan and be prepared for what life has to offer us. When we boil that down to the life of a preschooler it simply becomes a quest to know a little bit about what they can expect so that they can brace themselves and not be unprepared for what is expected of them. They all love to please their audience and get credit for their good work, which only gets easier if they know what is going to happen next.
At PVM we like to offer them a chance to do just that. To acknowledge a new day, to understand the vagaries of a new day and to also brace themselves for what is to come.
We do that with line time.
Each day, at 9 AM we pile into the classroom and take our spots on the line (it’s a rectangle actually). The teacher welcomes the children and with a song settle down to enjoy the line time but by giving each other enough space to breathe. A parent who was observing was completely enthralled with the message ” Be like the rays of sunlight falling on the earth, shh they make no sound at all”
Each child is individually called upon as part of a song and gets a chance to respond back on how he/she is feeling that day. Most always the kids chime back with “I’m fine today and hope the same is with you”. After acknowledging their unique presence, the teacher prompts the children to do various things. Have you asked your child to look outside the large panel of windows and recognize what the day looks like? It’s an activity the teacher performs at line time.
“Look at the calendar and identify what day it was yesterday and where are we today” is another question from the teacher that sees many excited hands raised to be picked to answer.
They also practice different walking styles such as slow, quick and measured, quiet and excited and also perform some stretching exercises.This prepares the child for the new day with full cognizance of self and others. It prepares them by knowing what to expect and what they may want to do on a particular day to enjoy the company of friends and learning opportunities for a fulfilling day.
From here on out, the class room moves to “Make Silence” before engaging in next activities.
