Though we follow a loose schedule, there truly is no "typical day" at FTGU. Special presentations and field trips frequently alter our day, and of course, we always allow room for the kids' interests and curiosities to take over. Here is a sample of our daily schedule. 

8:30 Arrival and settling in - As students trickle in, they put away their things and spend time greeting their friends and playing outside. Allowing our students the time for debriefing and decompression when they first arrive is one of the things that makes our day run smoothly.

9:00 Community meeting - In community meetings, we make announcements and share important goings-on of the community and our lives. This meeting is central to who we are as a group, as it is oftentimes when we vote on important decisions regarding how FTGU functions.

9:30 Tribe time - Kids break into small groups - called "Tribes" - to work on math and language arts with kids closer to their age/ability level.

10:30 Snack break - We all eat snack and have time for free play. We don't refer to our breaks as "recess" in an attempt to re-emphasize the interconnectedness of learning and play.

11:00 Class project work - During this time we explore the topic that the students have voted on as their big class project. We might break out into small research groups, play a game, or work on big, hands-on projects connected to our unit theme. For instance, during our food unit, we used this time to transform our entire building into a lifesize digestive system that we all crawled through!

12:00 Lunch break - Kids are encouraged to play outside after finishing their lunch. Some of our favorite lunch break activities include board games, dancing, fort-building in the woods, and basketball.

1:00 Chill time - After lunch is the perfect time to reunite the group and read a book or watch a video pertaining to our unit theme. Kids draw, build, and snuggle as we discuss and learn. 

1:45 Rabbit holes - The kids are invited to work on projects of their own design or choose from a short list of suggested activities (we call them "Rabbit Holes", an Alice in Wonderland allusion for following your creativity!). In the past the kids have used this time to do science experiments, film a newscast, write spoken word poetry, and even research Big Foot. :) Rabbit holes are also opportunities for the kids to teach each other! Some Rabbit Holes that have been led by kids include: a class about tornadoes, a tutorial on triangular numbers, primitive weapons training, and role playing games.

2:40 Clean up and prepare for dismissal - Everyone does daily chores and gets ready to go home.

3:00 Dismissal - Parents arrive and students go home after a full day!