The infant classroom has a class size of 7, with ages ranging 8 weeks to 15 months old. This classroom is enrolled within a 6 month developmental window. The class is designed to help children develop motor skills such as lifting head and chest off of floor, rolling over, sitting, crawling, standing, and walking while developing cognitive activities and language and social skills.
This is an example of what happens during the day in The Barn Infant Room. Please keep in mind that this schedule is very flexible due to the changes that infants are going through during their first year of life.
8:00
GOOD MORNING - Parents and infants are welcomed into the classroom. At this time, information and messages are exchanged between the parents and staff. Once the child is settled, parents say good-bye and the infant starts their day.
9:15-10:00
SNACK - After saying good-bye to parents, and playing for a while snack begins. Snack is served in accordance with the needs of each child. Snack is not served after this time.
9:45-10:15
MORNING CLEAN-UP - As snack is cleaned up the infant's diapers are changed and they are prepared for the next part of the day, playtime or naptime. The infants diapers are changed every two hours, or if soiled.
10:00-11:30
ACTIVE PLAY - Once snack is over and diapers are changed, the infants who need naps are helped to sleep. The infants who are awake participate in a relatively open plan of activities that are developmentally appropriate for each child. This time is also used for walks. All infants are included, napping infants are put into strollers.
11:30-1:00
LUNCH/CLEAN-UP - The infants are fed according to their needs and schedule. Some infants may be bottle fed, while others eating solid foods. The infants who are eating solid foods usually eat at noon. Infants provide their own lunch. Once the infants have finished, clean up begins and the infants begin to relax for nap or get ready for more playtime.
1:00-3:30
NAPTIME - Before nap, diapers are changed and many infants have bottles. The older infants who were very active in the morning are very ready to rest their weary bodies. Once they have gone to sleep, they younger babies get some welcomed one-on-one time. These younger babies do eventually fall asleep, and all is quiet for a whiLe.
3:30-4:00
AFTERNOON SNACK - When the children have woken up, they are offered a light snack. This consists of foods provided by the Barn. Some babies will have bottles.
4:00-6:00
AFTERNOON PLAY - In the afternoon, there is a continuation of morning play. Each child will also be casually prepared for pick up. This includes the last diaper change of the day.
5:00-6:00
CLOSING - Staff replenishes supplies, does some cleaning and prepares the Infant Room for the morning. At this time. parents are also greeted and told about their child's day.
Large motor activities include large muscle experiences such as: lifting head and chest off the floor, rolling over, sitting, creeping, crawling, standing, walking, rolling balls pushing toys and much more.
Fine motor activities include small muscle experiences that involve: gripping objects, batting at objects, using thumb and forefinger (pincer grip), clapping, and manipulating toys.
Cognitive activities include looking at faces, using their senses to explore: recognizing Familiar objects, developing eye-hand coordination, building attention span, object permanence, simple problem solving, and using trial and error methods of learning and imitating their peers and adults.
Language activities: Language is used throughout the whole day. and is inclusive in everything we do. Some examples of this are learning how to produce: different sounds, tones and intonations with their voices, listening to and eventually understanding conversation, using simple words, reading books and listening to music.
Social/Emotional activities allow our infant's to experience feelings and self- awareness of themselves and others. We bring this to the infants by showing a wide variety of feelings using different voice tones to express each one. Social development is constantly being encouraged as they watch and play with the children and adults around them.
Self-help skills are encouraged to begin promoting independence. It starts with the young infant who is learning to hold her bottle. Then continues, as she begins to eat solid foods, then finger foods, and then drink from a cup and eat with a spoon. *At the end of active play, the children are cleaned up and changed once again. This is our transition to lunchtime.