Daily Schedule needs update?

Hello fellow providers!!
Question regarding our day, Here's our sched -
7:30-9:00 kids arrive, some have breakfast, rest are playing freely, t.v.
9:00-10:00 learning time
10am snack for non-nappers (1030/11 snack for a.m. nappers)
11:30-1:00 Park and outside play
1:30-2:00 lunch
2:15/2:30 afternoon nap
2:30-3:30 for non-nappers is learning time, maybe a tv program while i tidy quickly.
3:30 Snack time for non-nappers (4:00 for nappers)
4:30-5:30 Play time, usually outside while kids are picked up
Looking for other schedules, ideas etc. Just finding right now that with the nice weather we are outside ALOT and seems the kids are sleeping, eating, (daily walk and park visit) sleeping eating and then going home. Suggestions? I've cut down the amount of food because for a while there was quite a bit of waste (too much food in small time frame). I really cannot cut out a nap just yet, parents still wanting two (myself incl!). Any insight to other scheds and routines would be wonderful.. THX

I don't have a set schedule for anything other than nap (1230/1-3) and lunch/snacks (930ish, noonish and 3ish) but usually do my art or structured play in the morning as afternoons go too quickly with early pickups.

We also have been spending so much time outdoors and I also feel like all we've done is eat, sleep and play outside. I don't particularly like that because I feel like our outdoor play is just free play and I like to offer more than that. I make sure we do 2-3 activities for our letter of the week. When it gets nicer outside (been windy and rainy) I am going to start planning to do some of our "lessons" outside and keep the supplies I need in my garden shed. I have a chalkboard outside that I clip onto my fence so that at least some form of art is accessible.

There is nothing wrong is "play, eat, sleep, eat, play" I the kids are well rested, well fed and active then you are right on track for this age group!!

Can you make small changes like 'clean' snacks outside. It means less time spent on full snack routine so more play time outside and frees up time in the schedule for learning activities. As much as I prefer a very healthy snack (veggies and hummus) sometimes it is justified to just hand out some crackers and fruit while playing outside as it means more active time!

I have Rubbermaid containers full of indoor toys that I bring out to use outside so it isn't just 'free play' all the time. I also try to do art outside at a plastic picnic table (paint, play dough, markers etc).

See how you can 'bring the inside, outside' then maximize the activities you do while inside.

We tend to have snack outside, especially when it's summer holidays. Most days we go to the park by 9:30 and stay until around 12, so I bring snacks and drinks and we have them there. Then when we are home, the kids can play for a bit while I make lunch. Nap/quiet time is from 1 to 3, then we do learning activities.
Also, the great thing is that the children are exhausted from playing at the park, so they go for nap so much better!

I do outside from arrival to 9:00 while it is still cool and need for sunscreen is minimal - parents apply if they want to. We play out on our deck - playhouse, garden swing, ride ons, balls, climber, a plastic sandbox of pinecones vice sand, as well as a few toys for the little ones. Then inside for drinks (no food same as above with waste). Littlest go down for naps and older ones have activities at the table followed by freeplay with littlest joining freeplay as they wake. Lunch is served by 11 and oldest into bed by 12:30 with a small baby time for the littlest with story, fingerplays, songs etc and then back into bed. All are up by 3 then it is snack and back outside where we play down in the yard this time where there is a proper sandbox, soccer nets, plants etc. Parents pick up from the yard so dirt goes home not back into my house. It helps us avoid the hottest parts of the day outside when the sun is intense.

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Originally Posted by Frogsandrabbits

Hello fellow providers!!

Looking for other schedules, ideas etc. Just finding right now that with the nice weather we are outside ALOT and seems the kids are sleeping, eating, (daily walk and park visit) sleeping eating and then going home. Suggestions? I've cut down the amount of food because for a while there was quite a bit of waste (too much food in small time frame). I really cannot cut out a nap just yet, parents still wanting two (myself incl!). Any insight to other scheds and routines would be wonderful.. THX

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Human beings are (usually) creatures of habit. We tend to like to do the things we like and we tend to do these things over and over. There are exceptions, of course, even with children but I believe, for the most part, this is true. So, in daycare and then in school and then in work, there is routine. For little ones, it is necessary because it provides them with a sense of security and comfort. They know what is coming next and what is expected of them. My schedule is flexible to meet the needs of the group I have. It does not change daily, but will be altered when the group ages over time or new babies start, for example.

If your schedule is working for your group, meaning the transition times and the expectations are working, then why change? If they are having trouble with the routine, figure out what the problem is and make a change and see what happens. I personally, don't think there is anything wrong with a routine of; play, eat, sleep, play, eat, sleep, play, home. I could live like that! LOL

Is it that you are bored with the routine? If so, the advice is the same, Figure out why. What would you rather be doing? Looking at your schedule, I think I would be bringing lunch to the park. I like the picnics that we have on Fridays (except today cuz its raining so we ate on the playroom floor) and I like the no dishes on Fridays too. We have also done the snacks outside too from time to time. Just out of curiosity, what do you do for learning time?