A Morning or Afternoon at ASMO ...

As the children are of mixed ages, they learn from each other, facilitated by careful observation, individual lessons and assistance by the teacher. Teachers keep a careful record of a child's activities to provide feedback to parents and assist in the development of the child.

A favourite of all children is the kitchen. Here they can make pancakes, bread, cakes, orange juice or tea, provided they have learnt how to clean up after themselves.

Several activities are aimed at developing pychomotoric skills. The children enjoy jumping through hoops, walking down the balance beam and finding their way through mazes.

Towards the end of the 3 hour morning or afternoon period, the children gather together for "Circle Time". During this time, there may be singing, group discussions or "Show and Tell". On fine days, the program draws to a close with the children running free in the garden adjacent to the kindergarten. Here they can truly experience Switzerland's four seasons: the garden is filled with fruit trees ... in spring, the children play in the "blossom snow", in summer, the trees provide shade, in autumn, there are apples to be picked and in winter, they can play endless games in the snow.

Periodically, the teachers will introduce themes around which a number of activities will be based. Examples of these include the ocean, planets, countries, animals, seasons and holidays.

A very popular theme each year is Christmas ... a magical time at ASMO. The children enthusiastically prepare by decorating the windows and the big Christmas tree. They also sew their own Samichlaus bags and learn both English and German Christmas songs. The highlight is the Christmas musical. Family and friends gather to watch the children present songs, dressed in costumes ranging from sheep to shepherds and from cows to Mary and Joseph.