Here's my day, based off of the lesson plan I still have from yesterday.
Come in, start morning work (usually cutting out letters and placing them in the right order to form the words that are shown by pictures). Some kids eat breakfast at this time. The students do not have daily homework, but a monthly homework packet to be worked on at their own pace. I was given a few of these. While they are working I check their parent communication folders that go back and forth every day, then the kids make their lunch choices (note that in the poor school in the area I sub at, the school provides free lunch to all students so there is no choice, only counting hot or cold). Then it was library time for those who brought their books back. Then we do calendar (counting, days of the week, weather, etc...) and then writers workshop. They have to write a story of at least three sentences and then draw a picture to match. Then it is time for special (Spanish, Music/art (combined) or gym). After that is lunch and after that they go to the next special. After lunch is poetry time (copy poem in to journal and illustrate it) and then their "power hour" this is the only play time during the day, but it is all structured and educational, they get 15 minutes at a station (writing, math, art or reading) and we rotate. Then we have snack and afterwards an hour of math (they have a book to write in and do pages of) after math they get ready to go home and we go to recess, directly after recess they keep their coats on and go home.
When I was in kindergarten we would get to school and do circle time where we sang songs and read stories. Then we would have show and tell and work on our letter for the week (the letter people http://memoryglands.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/LetterPeople.jpg) we would then draw a picture and write about it. After that was playtime. I remember a sand table, a play doh station, a huge doll house in the corner and tons of stuff to do. Then it was the end of AM kindergarten and time to go home.
I don't think it's bad to get kids learning more, and I don't think we need to go back to the old way, but it also think that if a parent isn't expecting it a kid can be unprepared, and that's not great for that kid.
