Week 2 — Under the Sea
A gentle ocean week for our littlest ones — soft sea animals, splashy water play, and warm routines — ending with our Open House. June 8–12 · Toddlers classroom, ages 18 months–2.
This guide pairs with the General Planning Guide and applies it to Under the Sea, built around the Toddlers (18 mo–2) daily schedule. For our youngest, the ocean is a sensory week — soft sea animals to hold, cool water to splash, ocean songs to sway to. There is no project and nothing to perform; the whole curriculum is a warm, predictable rhythm and the simple joy of water and soft animals. The week also ends with our Open House on Friday, June 12 — but for toddlers, the best Open House is simply a calm, happy ordinary day, with the room looking lovely when families arrive.
Week Snapshot
Five Gentle Days
For toddlers, the week isn't really an arc — it's five warm, splashy, deeply similar days. The sameness is the comfort. Each day is soft sea animals, cool water, and ocean songs; Friday is just a touch celebratory, with families visiting that evening.
The Daily Rhythm
Every day runs the identical clock — and each day plan below carries it in full. Four blocks are fixed by the clock — the two snacks, lunch, and the nap. Everything else is flex: gentle, sensory, and care-led.
Friday, June 12 — Evening
Families come to see what we do. Your part as a teacher is the classroom and the children — not the event logistics (snow cones, the raffle, and the rest are run by the leadership team). For the Toddlers room, it's simple — two things:
- Make the room lovely. The little ocean — the water-play setup and the children's ocean crafts on the wall — is the display. Have it looking warm and inviting by Friday.
- Keep Friday gentle and normal, then welcome families warmly. Toddlers don't perform or give tours — their best Open House is a calm, ordinary, happy day. In the evening, be present and warm, and help each family settle their little one in to show them around.
The good news: there is nothing extra to plan. A gentle, well-run ocean week is the preparation.
Five Days, Fully Planned
Each day is the full run-sheet — every block of the Toddlers schedule, in order, so you can print a day and run it from the page. Fixed blocks are kept brief; the gentle flex blocks carry the detail.
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
A calm, predictable start to the week. Familiar table toys out, and perhaps a few soft sea animals tucked among them. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
A short, sing-song circle on the rug. Hold up a soft toy sea creature for everyone to see and pat. For toddlers, circle is about gathering and warmth — keep it tiny, end early if wiggles win.
Opening Circle / Craft — My Little Fish
A gentle first ocean project. Each child makes a paper fish — pressing on tissue-paper scales or big dot-stickers, hand-over-hand as needed. The warm together-time at the table matters more than the picture. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The week's gentle anchor. Outside while the morning is still cool — low water bins or a water table with soft floating sea animals. Toddlers splash, scoop, pour, and meet the animals. No project, no product — pure sensory joy. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by. Stay right alongside — water play always needs a calm, watching adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups and scoops, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs with big, simple motions — "swim like a fish," "the waves go up and down." Teach the cleanup song here too. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. A little shaded water play, bubbles, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about the soft little fish — she splashed and held it so gently."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The same calm start as yesterday — and the sameness is the gift. Familiar table toys out, soft sea animals nearby. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
The little sing-song circle again — the second day of a routine is when toddlers start to feel it click. Hold up a soft sea creature; today add a small cup of water to dip a finger in. Keep it tiny; end before the wiggles do.
Opening Circle / Craft — Splashy Blue Painting
A simple, sensory ocean craft. Children sponge or finger-paint blue "water" onto paper — big, free, splashy strokes. The feel of the paint matters more than the picture. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to paint.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor again, while the morning is still cool — and today it's all about the water itself. Cups, scoops, funnels, and little pitchers in the water bins. Toddlers pour, dump, fill, and splash. The soft sea animals bob along too. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach at all times.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, small pitchers, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The same ocean songs as Monday — repetition is how toddlers learn them. "Swim like a fish," waves going up and down, and the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bubbles, a little shaded water play, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about pouring water today — she scooped and splashed for the longest time."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The familiar calm start. Today, set the soft sea animals out where small hands will find them. Greet each child by name at their level, and give every grown-up a warm, unhurried handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle, midweek and well-loved by now. Pass one soft sea animal slowly around the rug — each child gets a moment to hold and pat it. That passing-and-holding is the whole lesson. Keep it tiny; end early if wiggles win.
Opening Circle / Craft — A Friend for the Sea
Each child decorates a simple sea animal — gluing on cotton-ball "soft," pressing stickers, or patting paint. Hand-over-hand as needed. The warm together-time at the table matters more than the result. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor again, in the cool of the morning — and today the soft animals take the lead. Give the sea creatures little jobs: a fish that "swims," a turtle that "rests" on a sponge island, an octopus to cuddle. Children hold, carry, and care for them in and out of the water. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, soft floating sea animals, sponges for "islands," cups and scoops, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The same ocean songs — and toddlers will be starting to anticipate the motions. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bring a few soft sea animals out for shaded cuddle-and-carry play, or a blanket with ocean board books. Move indoors on a hot day.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask [child] about the soft turtle — he carried it so gently all morning."
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The familiar calm start. As children settle, glance around the room — the ocean crafts and the little water world should be looking lovely for tomorrow's visitors. Greet each child by name; give every grown-up a warm handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle. Today, gently mention the visitors: "Tomorrow, your mommies and daddies and grandmas come to see our ocean!" Toddlers won't fully grasp it — that's fine. The warmth in your voice is what they'll catch. Keep it tiny.
Opening Circle / Craft — Finishing Our Ocean
A final, gentle ocean craft — and the chance to finish anything started earlier in the week. Children add to a shared ocean mural, or complete their fish and animals. Everything that goes on the wall is part of tomorrow's display. Table toys out alongside for any child not ready to craft.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor in the cool morning — today, the full little ocean, all of it together: water to scoop and pour, soft animals to hold and float, splashing and caring side by side. A whole, happy ocean. This is the experience families will hear about tomorrow. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, soft floating sea animals, sponges, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The ocean songs, well-loved by now — many toddlers will join the motions on their own. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song. Familiar, repeated, joyful.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Bubbles, shaded water play, or ocean board books on a blanket. Move indoors on a hot day. Before pickup, do a last tidy of the room so it's ready for tomorrow evening.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
Children drift to combined care as families arrive. Warm handoffs — and a friendly Open House reminder: "We can't wait to see you tomorrow evening for Open House — come see our little ocean!"
Early arrivals, free play. The youngest all together for a soft, quiet welcome until the Toddlers room opens.
Settle Into Classroom · Table Toys
The same calm start — and on Open House day, that ordinariness is exactly right. A gentle, happy, normal Friday is the best gift you can give a toddler today. Greet each child by name; give every grown-up a warm handoff.
Opening Circle
The little circle, one last time this week. A warm, simple wrap-up of the ocean — the songs, the soft animals, the splashing. Mention the evening lightly and happily, then move on. Keep it tiny.
Opening Circle / Craft — Free Ocean Play
No new project today — Friday is for revisiting favorites. Set out the ocean crafts, the blue paint, the stickers, and let children choose. Anything made today can join the wall before evening. Table toys out alongside for any child who'd rather.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Wash up and gather at the table. Calm and social — let little hands help where they can.
Outdoor Play · Our Little Ocean (anchor)
The gentle anchor, one last cool-morning splash. The whole little ocean out — water, scoops, soft animals — and the children simply enjoying what's become familiar and beloved. Take a few last photos for Brightwheel and for tonight. Sunscreen and hats on first; towels close by; an adult within arm's reach.
Materials — low water bins or a water table, cups, scoops, funnels, soft floating sea animals, towels, sun hats, sunscreen.
Music & Movement
The ocean songs one more time — a joyful, familiar sing-along to close the week. "Swim like a fish," waves up and down, the cleanup song.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, unhurried, social. Teachers sit low with the children.
Closing Circle
The wind-down before nap. Soft books, dimming lights, a quiet song. Keep voices low — this block is a bridge into rest.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The familiar nap ritual — same dim lights, same soft music, same loveys. A long, restorative rest; the day's biggest block. A well-rested toddler is a happy Open House toddler.
Fixed
Wake-up · Afternoon Snack
Wake slowly, lights up gently. Snack at the table — quiet and low-key as bodies come back awake.
Outdoor Play
A light, shaded second outdoor block — gentle in the heat. Keep it easy and unhurried. As the block ends, do the final room tidy: the little ocean and the craft wall ready and inviting for the evening.
Pickups · Cleanup · Move to Combined Care
The regular day closes as usual — children to combined care as families arrive. Warm handoffs, and a happy reminder for those returning tonight: "See you back here this evening for Open House!"
Open House
Open House — Welcoming Families to Our Little Ocean
The evening event. The leadership team runs the logistics — snow cones, the raffle, the all-school pieces. Your job is small and warm: be present in the room, and help each family settle in.
For toddlers there is no performance and no tour — the room is the show. The little ocean water-setup and the children's ocean crafts on the wall tell the whole story. As families arrive, greet them, point out their child's fish or painting, and share a sentence about the week. If a child is here, let them lead their grown-up to whatever they loved.
This Week's EF Lens — Inhibitory Control
One executive-function skill to notice — and for our youngest, it is barely present. Hold it very lightly. (The full EF primer is in the General Planning Guide.)
Gentle hands, toddler-sized
Inhibitory control is the skill of slowing down and resisting an impulse. In an 18-month-to-two-year-old it is only just beginning to bud — and Under the Sea gives it the gentlest possible home: the sea animals are soft, and a soft animal invites soft, slow hands. "Gentle hands" is inhibitory control, toddler-sized — choosing a soft pat over a squeeze, even for a moment.
You do not teach this, and you do not look for it hard. When a child squeezes or tosses an animal, there is no scolding — just a warm model: "Soft hands. The little fish likes to be held gently, like this." Show it, and let them try. If a child is gentle on purpose, smile and say so. That warm noticing is the whole of it.
What it looks like — if you happen to notice
- A child who pats a soft sea animal instead of squeezing it
- A child who slows down for a moment before reaching
- A child who accepts a gentle "soft hands" reminder and tries again
- A child who cradles or strokes an animal with care
Brightwheel This Week
One intentional post a day — a photo and a sentence or two. Thursday and Friday double as Open House reminders. Grab the photo, adapt the caption.
What to Have Ready Before the Week Starts
Stage all of this the Friday before. The routines carry over from Week 1 — this list is the theme supplies and the Open House room.
Week 2 — Under the Sea
The week our littlest ones meet the ocean and become its gentlest helpers — and the week we open our doors. Five sensory days under the sea, ending with our Open House. June 8–12 · Littles classroom, ages 2–3.5.
This guide pairs with the General Planning Guide and applies it to Under the Sea, built around the Littles (2–3.5) daily schedule. For our Littles, the ocean is a sensory week — soft animals to hold, gentle waves to make, a classroom sea to scoop and pour. The week's heart is gentle hands: the sea animals are soft, and we care for them slowly and carefully. Each child does their own little version of every activity; nothing here asks two-year-olds to plan or build together. It also ends with our Open House on Friday, June 12 — so the week quietly doubles as getting our ocean ready to show families.
Week Snapshot
The Week Builds Toward Friday
Five gentle days — meet the ocean, learn our soft gentle hands, become little ocean helpers, make our ocean lovely, then show it to our families.
The Daily Rhythm
Every day runs the identical clock — and each day plan below carries it in full, block by block. Four blocks are fixed by the clock — the two snacks, lunch, and the nap. Everything else is flex: that's the curriculum.
Friday, June 12 — Evening
Families come to see what we do. Your part as a teacher is the classroom and the children — not the event logistics (snow cones, the raffle, and the rest are run by the leadership team). Your three jobs:
- Build the ocean. The classroom sensory ocean the children make and care for all week becomes the Open House centerpiece. Keep it lovely and showable by Friday.
- Help the children "show." On Thursday, gently practice the idea that tomorrow each child gets to take their grown-up to the ocean and point things out.
- Welcome families Friday evening. Be warm and present, and let each Little walk their grown-up to the ocean they helped care for.
The good news: the whole week — meeting the ocean, gentle hands, becoming little helpers — is the Open House preparation. You don't plan a separate event. You just do the week well and gently.
Five Days, Fully Planned
Each day is the full run-sheet — every block of the Littles schedule, in order, so you can print a day and run it from the page. Transition and fixed blocks are kept brief; the flex blocks carry the detail.
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — quiet free play and a soft welcome until the Littles room opens.
Outdoor Play · Ocean Movement
The Littles' day starts outside, while it's cool. Sunscreen and hats on first. Then a gentle ocean-movement game: "swim like a little fish," "float like a jellyfish," "wiggle like seaweed." Call a creature, move like it together — slow, joyful, no wrong way. A soft, happy doorway into the ocean week.
Materials — open space, sun hats, sunscreen.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up for snack.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Calm and social — a settling moment after the yard. Chat warmly: "What lives in the ocean? A fish? A big whale?"
Circle Time — A Hello to the Ocean
Ten minutes, no more — that's all this age needs. Names, one bubbly ocean song. Hold up a soft toy sea creature for everyone to see and pat.
Craft / Tables — My Little Fish
Each child makes their own simple fish — a pre-cut fish shape they press tissue-paper scales or big dot-stickers onto. One step, no template; on Day 1 the point is just coming to the table. Table toys (sea-animal figures, stacking cups) are open alongside for anyone not ready to craft.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up, then gather for music.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs with big motions — "swim, swim, swim," "the waves go up and down." Loud and joyful; let them move their whole bodies.
Centers / Free Choice — Build Our Ocean (anchor)
The anchor lives here, and grows all week. Set out the sensory ocean — bins of blue water (or blue rice) with soft toy sea animals — plus a small-world ocean with a few smooth rocks and shells. Children scoop, pour, and meet the animals. Parallel play is exactly right: children play near each other, each at their own bit of ocean. You observe, narrate, and name the creatures.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy the centers, wash up before lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, social, unhurried. Teachers sit with the children. Day 1, narrate the lunch routine gently — where cups go, how we wipe our spot.
Handwash / bathroom. After lunch, settling toward the wind-down.
Free Choice & Closing Circle
The midday wind-down. Quiet toys — the soft sea animals, ocean board books — then a short, soft closing circle: one calm ocean song, lights lowering. Walk the room gently toward nap.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The full 2.5-hour nap. Dim lights, soft music, the same quiet-down ritual the room knows. A consistent adult stays near the children who settle hardest.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Lights up slowly, cots away, bathroom and handwash — a gentle thirty minutes, no rush.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Gentle and low-key — the day is winding down. A calm table, easy ocean chatter.
Outdoor Activity / Play
A short second outdoor block — but this is the warmest stretch. Keep it light and shaded: a water table with a few floating sea animals, or shade play. Cut it short if anyone's wilting; on a hot day, this block moves indoors.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up.
Cleanup & room reset. The children help — cleanup song. Reset the room for tomorrow.
Closing Circle
A tiny end-of-day moment: "What sea animal did you meet today?" One round of answers — something for each child to carry to their grown-up.
Combined Active Engagement — Departure
The classrooms combine for departure. Warm, specific handoffs: "Ask Mia about the little blue fish she found in our classroom ocean today."
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — quiet free play and a soft welcome until the Littles room opens.
Outdoor Play · Calm Ocean, Wavy Ocean
Sunscreen and hats, then a gentle ocean game. "Calm ocean" — sway softly, slow arms. "Wavy ocean!" — bigger, bouncier waves. "Calm ocean again" — settle and still. A tiny, joyful taste of stopping and slowing — the seed of self-control, played as a game.
Materials — open space, sun protection. A blue scarf each, if you have them, to wave.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up for snack.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Calm and social. Chat: "Was it easy or tricky to be a calm, slow ocean?"
Circle Time — Soft and Gentle
Ten minutes. Names, an ocean song. Pass a soft toy sea animal slowly around the circle — each child gives it one gentle pat. Introduce the week's little idea: gentle hands.
Craft / Tables — Soft Jellyfish
Each child makes their own jellyfish — a paper-plate or coffee-filter top, with ribbon or crepe-paper streamers to glue or tape on as soft, dangly tentacles. Loose and sensory; the wispy tentacles invite gentle little touches. Table toys alongside.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up, then gather for music.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs, plus a soft "gentle hands" chant set to a little tune — sing it, and it becomes a calm cue you can use all week.
Centers / Free Choice — The Ocean, Held Gently (anchor)
Back to the sensory ocean. Today the gentle focus: children hold, stroke, and move the soft sea animals slowly and carefully. No project — just the warm, repeated practice of soft hands at their own bit of ocean. You stay close, model, and narrate.
A soft sea animal is the perfect teacher of gentle hands. When a child squeezes too hard or tosses an animal, don't scold — model and narrate: "Soft hands. The little fish likes to be held gently — like this." Show it, and let them try.
For a two-year-old, choosing gentle over grabby — even for a moment — is real inhibitory control, just beginning. You are not drilling it; you are noticing it. Every time a child is soft and careful on purpose, say so warmly: "Those are such gentle hands." That warm noticing is the whole lesson at this age.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy the centers, wash up before lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, social, unhurried. Teachers sit with the children.
Handwash / bathroom. After lunch, settling toward the wind-down.
Free Choice & Closing Circle
Quiet toys and ocean books, then a soft closing circle — one calm song, lights lowering. A gentle bridge into nap.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The full 2.5-hour nap — same dim lights, same songs, same ritual. By midweek it should settle a little faster.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Lights up slowly, cots away, bathroom and handwash.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Gentle and low-key — the day is winding down.
Outdoor Activity / Play
A short, shaded second outdoor block — keep it light in the heat. A water table with soft floating animals, or shade play. Move indoors on a hot day.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up.
Cleanup & room reset. The children help — cleanup song. Reset the room for tomorrow.
Closing Circle
A tiny moment: "Show me your gentle hands." One soft round of gentle-hand waves to end the day.
Combined Active Engagement — Departure
The classrooms combine for departure. Warm handoffs: "Ask Noah about gentle hands — he held the soft little octopus so carefully today."
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — quiet free play and a soft welcome until the Littles room opens.
Outdoor Play · Ocean Movement
Sunscreen and hats, then the ocean-movement game the children know now — swim, float, drift — plus one round of Calm Ocean, Wavy Ocean. Familiar and joyful; it gets the wiggles out.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up for snack.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Calm and social. "Today we get to be little ocean helpers — taking care of our sea animals."
Circle Time — Little Helpers
Ten minutes. An ocean song, and a soft idea: "Our sea animals need someone to take care of them. Today, that's us — little ocean helpers, with gentle hands."
Craft / Tables — A Cozy Spot
Each child decorates a little "home" for a sea animal — a paper-plate tide pool, or a small box they line with blue tissue. Simple and their own; later it's where their animal can rest. Table toys alongside.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up, then gather for music.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs and the "gentle hands" chant — the week's favorites by now.
Centers / Free Choice — Caring for Our Sea Animals (anchor)
The anchor day. At the sensory ocean, each child gently finds a sea animal, gives it a soft pat, and carries it carefully to a cozy spot (their craft tide pool, or a calm corner of the bin). Each child does their own — this age cares side by side, not as a team, and that is exactly right. The whole activity is soft hands and kind attention.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy the centers, wash up before lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, social, unhurried. Teachers sit with the children.
Handwash / bathroom. After lunch, settling toward the wind-down.
Free Choice & Closing Circle
Quiet toys and ocean books, then a soft closing circle — one calm song, lights lowering.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The full 2.5-hour nap — same songs, same loveys, the same comforting ritual.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Lights up slowly, cots away, bathroom and handwash.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Gentle and low-key — the day is winding down.
Outdoor Activity / Play
A short, shaded second block — light in the heat. Water play or shade play. Move indoors on a hot day.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up.
Cleanup & room reset. The children help — cleanup song. Reset the room for tomorrow.
Closing Circle
A tiny moment, and a gentle seed for tomorrow: "In two days, our families come to visit our ocean!"
Combined Active Engagement — Departure
The classrooms combine for departure. Warm handoffs: "Ask Ava about the little sea turtle she took care of today — she found it a cozy spot."
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — quiet free play and a soft welcome until the Littles room opens.
Outdoor Play · Ocean Movement
Sunscreen and hats, then the familiar ocean-movement games — swim, float, Calm Ocean / Wavy Ocean. Joyful and known; a happy start to a gentle day.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up for snack.
Fixed
Morning Snack
Calm and social. A little happy buzz about tomorrow is fine — let it be warm, not over-exciting.
Circle Time — Our Families Are Coming
Ten minutes. An ocean song, and a gentle, happy idea: "Tomorrow your grown-ups come to see our ocean. Today we make it nice and ready."
Craft / Tables — Ocean Decorations
Children make simple decorations for the ocean display — paper seaweed to tape low on the wall, more little fish, a hand-printed "Our Ocean" sign teachers letter. Loose, sensory, every hand on the display. Table toys alongside.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up, then gather for music.
Music & Movement
Ocean songs — practice the favorite one the children might sing for their grown-ups tomorrow.
Centers / Free Choice — Make Our Ocean Lovely (anchor)
Two gentle jobs. First, children visit the ocean and tidy it with you — arranging the sea animals, adding today's decorations, making it lovely. Then, very lightly, practice "showing": crouch with a child and ask, "When your grown-up comes, what will you show them?" Let them point and pat. This tiny rehearsal is what makes Friday evening feel happy and proud, not overwhelming.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy the centers, wash up before lunch.
Fixed
Lunch
Calm, social, unhurried. Teachers sit with the children.
Handwash / bathroom. After lunch, settling toward the wind-down.
Free Choice & Closing Circle
Quiet toys and ocean books, then a soft closing circle — one calm song, lights lowering.
Fixed
Nap / Quiet Time
The full 2.5-hour nap. A calm rest matters today — tomorrow is a big, happy day.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Lights up slowly, cots away, bathroom and handwash.
Fixed
Afternoon Snack
Gentle and low-key — the day is winding down.
Outdoor Activity / Play
A short, shaded second block — light in the heat. Water or shade play. Move indoors on a hot day.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up.
Cleanup & room reset. The children help — cleanup song. Tidy gently around the ocean display so it stays lovely.
Closing Circle
"Tomorrow our families come to see our ocean — and YOU get to show them." A calm, happy note to end on.
Combined Active Engagement — Departure
The classrooms combine for departure. Warm handoffs plus a personal reminder: "We can't wait to see you tomorrow evening — [child] has a whole ocean to show you."
Combined arrival care. All classrooms together — quiet free play and a soft welcome until the Littles room opens.
Outdoor Play · Ocean Movement
Sunscreen and hats, then a happy, celebratory round of all the ocean-movement games — swim, float, Calm Ocean / Wavy Ocean. Let the joy of the last day breathe.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up for snack.
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Morning Snack
Calm and social — a slightly festive feel is welcome.
Circle Time — Our Ocean Is Ready
Ten minutes. A favorite ocean song, sung warmly. "Tonight our families come to see our ocean — the one we made and cared for all week. Look how lovely it is."
Craft / Tables — A Little Ocean Keepsake
Each child makes one small thing to take home — a sea-animal sticker picture, or a little fish on a stick. A proud, simple keepsake of their gentle ocean week. Table toys alongside.
Handwash / bathroom. Wash up, then gather for music.
Music & Movement
The favorite ocean songs of the week, back to back — a joyful, familiar sing-along to close the week.
Centers / Free Choice — One Last Gentle Visit (anchor)
A last, happy visit to the ocean. Children play gently with their sea animals, give them soft pats, and help make the ocean look its best. When the block ends, leave the ocean set up and lovely — it stays exactly as it is for tonight's Open House. Don't pack it down.
Handwash / bathroom. Tidy the centers — gently, around the ocean display — and wash up before lunch.
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Lunch
Calm, social, unhurried — a warm last lunch of the week. Teachers sit with the children.
Handwash / bathroom. After lunch, settling toward the wind-down.
Free Choice & Closing Circle
Quiet toys and ocean books, then a soft closing circle — one calm song, lights lowering.
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Nap / Quiet Time
The full 2.5-hour nap — a real rest matters today, with the Open House this evening.
Wake-up · handwash / bathroom. Lights up slowly, cots away, bathroom and handwash.
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Afternoon Snack
Gentle and low-key — the camp day winding down.
Outdoor Activity / Play
A short, shaded final outdoor block — light in the heat. A last calm round of water or shade play. Move indoors on a hot day.
Handwash / bathroom. In from the yard, wash up.
Cleanup & room reset. The children help — cleanup song. Clean gently around the ocean display; it stays set for tonight.
Closing Circle
One last gentle moment of the week: "What did you love about our ocean?" A warm, happy close.
Combined Active Engagement — Departure
The classrooms combine for departure. Warm handoffs: "See you tonight! [Child] has a whole ocean to show you." For families leaving before the evening event, send the week's warmth with them.
Open House
Families arrive. Your role: be warm and present, and let each Little take their grown-up by the hand to the classroom ocean — the one they met, cared for, and made lovely all week. They'll point, pat, and beam; that's the whole show. (Event logistics are run by the leadership team; see the Open House box near the top of this guide.)
This Week's EF Lens — Inhibitory Control
One executive-function skill to notice this week — held very lightly, because these are our youngest movers. (The full EF primer is in the General Planning Guide.)
Why gentle hands, and why the ocean
Inhibitory control is the skill of slowing down and resisting an impulse — and in a two- or three-year-old it is just beginning to bud. Under the Sea gives it the gentlest possible home: the sea animals are soft, and a soft animal asks for soft, slow hands. "Gentle hands" is inhibitory control, Littles-sized — choosing careful over grabby, slow over fast.
You are not teaching this as a lesson — for this age, that would be far too much. You are simply noticing it, smiling at it, and saying it out loud when a child is gentle: "Look how softly you're holding the fish." Naming the invisible skill is how a Little begins to feel it. Keep it warm, keep it light, never a scolding.
What gentle, careful self-control looks like this week
- A child who holds a soft sea animal gently, instead of squeezing or tossing it
- A child who slows down to look at a creature before reaching for it
- A child who waits a moment for a turn at the ocean bin
- A child who pats, strokes, or cradles an animal — soft hands, on purpose
Brightwheel This Week
One intentional post a day — a photo and a sentence or two. Thursday and Friday double as Open House reminders. Grab the photo, adapt the caption.
What to Have Ready Before the Week Starts
Stage all of this the Friday before. The routines carry over from Week 1 — this list is the theme supplies and the Open House display.