Within the flexible arrival window, children arrive at the Primaria 1 (grades 1-3) or Primaria 2 (grades 4-6) classrooms between 7:45 and 8:30 am and can start straight into free work, which lasts until 11:30 or 11:45 am. During free work, each child chooses a suitable piece of work for themselves. It is the educators' task to support, observe, and document the children during this process. Throughout the day, the educators call small groups of children to the presentation tables for lessons in various areas - including art, music, and English. After a presentation, children also have free choice regarding the follow-up activity, which they help decide themselves and which draws them into further inquiry. Some come on their own initiative, some seek help in implementing their idea, and others look for exchange about the results of their research.
In the mixed-age classes, children form new cooperative partnerships with one another every day, experience their own social competence, and thereby develop their independence. Some children switch between subject areas several times during the morning, while others work with focus on a longer piece of work. There is ongoing consultation with the educators; planning and reflection take place regularly.
The classrooms are fully equipped with Montessori materials and each also has its own age-appropriate library. A further means of gathering information is the so-called "Going-Out," which the children organize themselves by phone or email. Through this, they get in touch with educational institutions in the school's wider surroundings and thereby learn how to interact with adult experts, whom they visit at their workplace. The children's research activity as well as their information gathering (book/internet/experts) are supported step by step and age-appropriately by the educators. The children can present their research findings to one another in small or large groups.
The children take on duties that are essential to the community's everyday life. Through activities such as caring for animals, checking tidiness and, where needed, tidying up, preparing snacks, and much more, the children develop a sense of responsibility for the community. They sign up for these duties on a weekly or biweekly basis and help one another.
Primaria 1 goes up to the third floor at 12:00 pm for shared lunch and afterward spends a break in the garden; while P2 spends time in the garden before lunch and doesn't eat lunch until 12:30 pm.
In the afternoon, the children either do sports, work creatively in the studio, engage in theater/drama, or have a second free-work session. At 2:45 pm, the "duties" (e.g. sweeping, wiping down tables, dusting) are done together. At 3:00 pm, the children are dismissed or handed over to supervised free time (aftercare).
On Fridays, the school day ends at 12:00 pm.
