Since children are allowed to progress according to their individual needs and rythm,  a Montessori classroom does not have a set daily/monthly lesson plan.  Rather there is a multitude of various activity humming throughout the room that is constantly fine tuned by the teacher. Although we do not structure "units" in a tradtional way, classroom themes are dynamic and influenced by the natural rythms of life around us. We also take cues from the child as to what should be explored more in depth. That said, here is a general idea of what goes on... 

Children who come to early morning between 7:30 and 8:30 may bring their own breakfast from home. They ease into their morning with unstructured play time (puzzles, drawing, manipulatives, building blocks), read books, or help the teacher set up the classroom for the day.  When the rest of the children arrive at 8:30, we gather for a circle to greet the day, sing songs and share ideas. The teacher may present a new material to the entire class. Group time is where we practice grace and courtesy, (like raising hands and taking turns) and is a wonderful space for practicing self expression and communication with peers. As the year unfolds, sometimes this morning gathering is shortened (or eliminated) as the children often prefer to start their day as soon as they arrive.

From 8:50 to 11:00 we have uninterrupted work time where children choose their own activities and receive individual and small group lessons on materials. They can enjoy snack whenever they are hungry with a friend (the teacher monitors that all the children have had the opportunity to eat). Activities that occur during the morning may include pickle cutting, snipping paper, painting, shell scrubbing, counting work, building the pink tower, making shapes with constructive triangles, doing a "parts of" booklet, tracing and pin-punching continents to make a map, handwork (sewing, finger-knitting), taking care of classroom plants, tracing letters in the sand tray, or doing yoga poses in front of a mirror. Children do not necessarily get a new lesson every day.  They are allowed to choose work and repeat it until they are satisfied. 

At 11:00 we tidy up the classroom and gather again for songs, poems, show and tell and small discussions. Then we put on our outside gear and play outdoors until lunchtime. An adult (with a couple of children) stay in for a bit to transform the classroom into a lunchroom with tablecloths and pitchers of milk. At 11:30 half day children who do not stay for lunch go home while the others wash up and sit down to lunch brought from home. Luchtime is friendly and conversational. Morning children who stay for lunch get picked up at 12:30. 

After lunch, nappers lay down while afternoon children arrive. The afternoon (for non-nappers and new children) sometimes starts with outside playtime, then a group time (around 1:00) to settle in and get reoriented.  The afternoon schedule is similar to that of the morning.  When nappers awake, they put aways their nap things and calmly phase into the community of their peers. 

When observing our classroom at any given part of the day, it is very difficult to tell which children attend half days and which have longer days. They are similarly absorbed with work and friendship. Activities of the full-day children may vary however. Those who worked diligently on math, reading and geography in the morning may spend more time on art activities or on a science project in the afternoon, or vice versa. Half-day children tend to balance their activities, if not daily, then throughout the week. Although it is not obvious to the children, the adult helps to achieve this balance with encouraging words and a positive approach to activities. 

In addition to the children's familiar individual routines, there are several opportunities for experiences in large group activities like cultural cooking projects, sewing the friendship quilt for the spring auction,  holiday craft making, participating in mini workshops with visiting performers/artists, practicing for poetry night and the amazing end-of-year class play. These projects are harmoniously integrated into our daily schedule.

Around 3:00, the children put their work away, do "jobs" to  tidy the room and either go outside or maybe do some group games. After the 3:30 pick up time, extended day children gather for a group snack and their choice of Montessori work or "late day" materials such as art activities, legos, building blocks, puppets, puzzles, board games, or silk scarves. Often we have soft music playing. This time of day is designed for small groups of children to have free and unstructured creative exploration while socializing with their friends. Extended day children are picked up by 5:00.