Daily Schedule

07:30-09:15 Arrival of the children, time for parent to talk
09:15-10:00 Table activity followed by fruit snack
10:00-11:30 Care, outdoor play, and bottles for babies
11:30-12:00 Warm lunch
12:00-14:00 Care, naps, and free play
14:00-14:30 Table activity and a biscuit snack
14:30-15:30 Group activity
15:30-16:00 Table activity and a cracker snack
16:00-18:30 Care, free play indoors or outdoors, and children being picked up

Children who take naps are taken out of bed when they wake up. Of course, babies follow their own schedule.

Activities

Outdoor Play
Outdoor play is very important for children, both for motor and emotional development. Playing outside is different from playing indoors; the materials are different, the space is different, and when we go for a walk, even the entire environment is new and exciting! Children should spend at least 1.5 hours outside and be active every day, and we make sure this happens. If the children still have extra energy, we also have several climbing structures indoors where they can release their energy.

At the back of our center, we have a large outdoor playground. Here, the children can enjoy playing with bicycles, balls, and much more. In the summer, we often set up a sandbox or water table, and if the weather is really nice, we put up a small pool, providing lots of water fun.

Excursions
But just playing outside in our playground is not enough; we love taking walks with the children. The change of scenery allows us to encounter new and different things to talk about with the children. Walking helps expand vocabulary and world knowledge, making it both educational and fun!

We also strive to go on trips a few times a year, not just for walks but also to other locations. Sometimes we plan trips to a playground, petting zoo, or park. When we go for a walk, we use our special carts (each cart can hold six children) and our twin strollers. One or two of the oldest children may walk with us, and if they get tired, they can sit in the cart.

Themes
Of course, outdoor play and excursions are not our only activities. We also work with themes that change every six weeks. These themes include various activities such as reading books, crafting, and using word cards.

Nutrition

At Carpe Diem, we take children’s nutrition very seriously. We strive to provide healthy and delicious meals. We do this by offering nutritious, homemade warm lunches and healthy snacks to support children’s growing minds and bodies. Naturally, we also take into account allergies and dietary preferences, including halal and vegetarian diets.

Fruit
Each child receives a variety of fruits, amounting to one full serving of fruit. Along with the fruit, the children drink a small cup of water. We try to offer seasonal fruits as much as possible so that the children get to know different types, such as mangoes, grapes, kiwis, peaches, and mandarins.

Lunch
To keep lunch as healthy as possible, we choose products without added salt and sugar. We ensure this by preparing our meals in-house using the freshest ingredients.

We follow a varied meal schedule so that children get to know different vegetables, meats, and fish. Our meals include dishes such as potatoes with meat and vegetables, stews, rice, and pasta dishes. The vegetables we use are as seasonal as possible.

Children are always given a fork or spoon so they can eat independently, which helps develop their motor skills. At lunch, they drink a small cup of water.

Biscuits
In the afternoon, we offer the children a biscuit as a snack, which they usually enjoy with water or child-friendly tea.

Crackers
For the final snack of the day, we offer a cracker, which may be a light cracker or a rice cake. We provide various toppings, including vegetarian and lactose-free options. The children drink a small cup of milk or child-friendly tea with their cracker.

Babies
We introduce fruit purees to children around four months old and start introducing small food pieces around six months old. At this stage, most children begin to reduce bottle feeding and get used to solid food. Of course, we introduce solid foods gradually. For example, instead of fully pureed fruit, we offer mashed fruit with small pieces. This way the child can get used to the texture. We also introduce crackers that babies can suck on. This helps develop their oral motor skills—important for later speech and eating development.