A New Year and A New Environment of Wonder!

We were faced with a bit of a challenge this year when setting up our classroom environment. Being in a small space with a set-up that worked so well last year left us a bit puzzled as to how we would create a refreshing and enticing new space for our returning students as well as our new students. Below are a few photographs explaining our new exploration areas accompanied by our rationale.  

If you've been following our Instagram account, you may have seen that my husband and I decided to plant Russian Mammoth Sunflowers this summer. They grew amazingly tall and I am so happy I decided to capture the stages of growth for the students to see once we were all back at school. I plan to bring in a few of my sunflowers for them to explore and to sketch. I hope that sharing my experience of the sunflowers with them will give them a better sense of of my appreciation for nature and may even lead to a few wonders. 

Last year I feel we started with too many materials at the light table. Students need time to explore open ended materials and learn to respect them therefore we decided to place a few simple items out as a starting point.  

With a small space we do not have a dramatic area in our classroom in the traditional sense. With that said, we realized that a perfect solution was to add some colourful silk and sheer fabrics to the Construction Area. We also added a basket with a few wooden bowls and cooking utensils. We realized that dramatic play is happening in all areas of the classroom. It does not necessarily need to be contained in one place. We encourage students to move materials to other areas of the room if it enhances their play. 

The other side of our Construction Area contains large blocks and industrial cardboard packaging cylinders. This year we added peg people, grass, tree stumps, magnetic juice and jar lids, and clear plastic cylinders for building. I'm excited to see what the students create!

Another simple provocation we set up allows new and returning students to create at their own level of comfort using open ended materials such as shells, pebbles, and glass gems. I though about using kinetic sand for this provocation, but luckily we have the opportunity to use red sand from the beach in PEI! Thanks Kathryn (RECE) for lugging this back for us to experience! We really believe in sharing items that have a personal connection to us with the children. This allows us to tell stories and and demonstrate an appreciation for nature.

Activities using our names for exploring and reviewing letters, as well as for getting to know each other makes for great authentic learning experience. I hope the students enjoy this provocation. It's open ended so that some children learn the letters and number of letters in their name. Other children may want to explore the names of other students in their class and compare the number of letters in their name with their peers. Writing material is also placed as another medium of expressing or extending their thinking.

Last year we had two units that made up the Arts Studio. One shelf contained drawing materials and glue, and the other shelf contained materials in bins for students to create with. We noticed that not only were the shelves not visually pleasing to the eye, but students had a bit of difficulty accessing the items in the bins. This year, we decided to rearrange some furniture and place items in baskets which are more accessible and more enticing for the students to use. The materials on top of the shelf are also more visually appealing and accessible. Colours, materials, and aesthetics, enhances creativity.

Last year we started the year with empty glass paint containers. Once the students started asking to paint we got out primary paint colours as well as black and white paint and set up a provocation to explore colour mixing. The students enjoyed it and loved naming their new created colours. We hope to continue this exploration this year. 

Inspired by the amazing resource Natural Curiosity, this summer I sent out a letter (found below) to the student's families explaining our Nature Treasure activity. I am hoping that the students create our Discovery Area together by bringing in a nature artifact or as we are calling it Nature Treasure that they connect with. Hearing each others stories and observing each others treasure will support relationship and community building. I can't wait to see what treasures are brought! 

A few existing nature items to explore from myself, Kathryn, and past students. 

The sand table contains shells, stones from the beach, logs, tree cookies, and a few glass gems for creating in the white sand.

Last year the children became really interested in math games. So we decided to create a games cart to place at the math area for children to play when they wanted. We also placed items such as calculators, measuring tapes, a scale, rulers, and an estimation jar full of wooden beads for students to guess how many.

The math shelves contain various items to explore and investigate numeracy, patterning, sorting, adding, and subtracting. 

The Book Area is located in the corner of the room where less activities happen and allows for a bit less noise. We found that the children loved reading and laying down with the stuffed animals, therefore we placed a few more at this area. We also added a few plants for a home like atmosphere, and some star IKEA lights that I fell in love with! This space also acts as our calming place for self-regulation and rest.

The Writing Area consists of a shelf that used to be a wooden dry rack with the slots removed. Once again, with little space, a large shelf would not fit this space. This little unit worked well last year, therefore we decided to keep it as it held the perfect items for a writing area. 

These small spools are so handy. They are great to use for displaying the children's work during the year. Since it's a new start it also makes a handy book shelf as well as a great central place to house a few clipboards and crayons to make writing accessible in all areas of the room!

I'm excited to observe how the children will interact and form relationships with each other as well as with the materials and their environment! 

Travelling Tuesday: Passionately Curious Educators: Connecting Lifelong Learners

Welcome to Travelling Tuesday!

This week I am so excited to be featuring Tracy Pickard and Cheryl Emrich, Kindergarten teaching partners in Kitchener Ontario and the authors of the blog:

Passionately Curious Educators: Connecting Lifelong Learners

 I have learned so much from reading this blog. It is full of ideas, reflective thoughts and practices relating to education, and provides a wealth of wonderful resources for both classroom use with your students as well as on a professional level.

What message does your classroom send to families and children? A must read blog post on things to consider when setting up a classroom space.  

Intentional and purposeful provocations. An example that less is more at the beginning of the year. 

 
The construction/building area have clipboards and pencils to support the children in play. They use them to make signs, lists, and notes. For example, small groups may discuss the roles of architects and create blueprints or plans for building.

Providing different and unique loose parts encourages children to be creative, to think outside of the box, and to create pieces of art that can easily to altered or "tweaked".

Providing materials that allow for explorations and investigations to take place. 

Using 10 frames to show their thinking to a mathematical problem. E.g., "How many ways might the dogs be in and out of the bed?"


Using hands on explorations to discover math concepts!

 The dance studio, an idea sparked by the interest of a student.

Measuring and installing a dance floor in the dance studio. Visit the blog to read further about the Dance Project!

Classroom documentation containing photographs, student work, quotes, and thoughts. Read more about the Wind Inquiry and other inquiries by visiting the blog.

Please share an insight...

'"Thinking about the upcoming school year, our biggest advice is to give yourself (and your team) permission to slow down. We often hit the ground running in September and put unnecessary pressures on ourselves as educators. We try to find out how many letters our new students know, whether they can write their name, and if they can count to 10.

While all of those things are important, our focus as we begin the school year should be on building relationships with our new students and families. Relationships are the foundation and without them the academics and project work will be much more challenging.

We have found that it is so important to take time to build trust and relationships with students. Slow down in everything that you do so that the children can understand the new routines that are in play. When children understand routines it eases their anxieties and makes them feel more confident in their interactions. 

Slowing down also supports educators in getting to know children (and not in the academic sense). We learn about their families, their developmental needs, their temperaments, their mindset, and their interests. All of this information supports educators in planning meaningful provocations, small group experiences, and learning opportunities.

Families are also very important to us as educators. To foster relationships with families we host Open Houses monthly when families can come into the classroom to experience learning with their children, read their documentation, browse portfolios, have conversations with educators, and network with other families. We also share our learning on social media via Twitter and Facebook so that families can remain connected to what is happening in the classroom. 

We feel that these relationships support us in having consistent messaging with children both at home and school, it supports parents anxiety as the new school year begins, and it provides families with insight into what is happening on a daily basis while their children are at school."

For further information on specific projects and reflective insights please visit Tracy and Cherly's blog!

Do you have a classroom that encompasses the same philosophies and beliefs about emergent curriculum as we do?

We would love to feature your blog/website for an upcoming Travelling Tuesday!

Please leave a comment below with a link to your site.

Thanks for travelling with us this week!

Travelling Tuesday: Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers' Kindergarten

Welcome to the second week of Travelling Tuesday!

This week I am so excited to be featuring Darla Myers, an educator that teaches Kindergarten in Ohio and the author of the blog:

Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers' Kindergarten

 I have been following Darla's blog and teaching journey for quite some time. I love the way she makes learning visible and offers the students choice as well as a variety of materials and experiences to demonstrate their learning.

Purposeful materials are placed to encourage building and engineering.

The art area displays materials arranged by colour supporting intentional selection of items.

-How does the sun move across the sky?

-Why does the moon change shape?

-How are clouds made?

These are some of the children's questions that lead to an inquiry about the sky! What a beautiful display of documentation! For more information, visit Our Sky Inquiry on Mrs. Myers' blog.

Areas that focus on literacy explorations.

Areas that encourage numeracy explorations.

A provocation focusing on the exploration of measurement.

Please share an insight...

"I would say that one helpful insight for me when teaching through an emergent curriculum is to let go and look at the world through the children’s eyes instead of my own. I was so used to controlling what the kids learned in the past. Once I let go of that control and spent more time listening and observing the kids, I started seeing things through their eyes and realized by giving them control and the freedom to follow their interests, their learning was so much more meaningful. Through this they have taught me to slow down, look closer and wonder about even the smallest things. This insight is what helped me to start to create environments that allowed for them to explore and wonder."

For a more inspiring ideas please visit Darla's blog!

Do you have a classroom that encompasses the same philosophies and beliefs about emergent curriculum as we do?

We would love to feature your blog/website for an upcoming Travelling Tuesday!

Please leave a comment below with a link to your site.

Thanks for travelling with us this week!

The Rhythm of Learning in Nature

This past week I had the privilege of being part of The Rhythm of Learning in Nature, a Reggio-Inspired, Forest School-Influenced Professional Inquiry hosted by the York Region Nature Collaborative. Educators from across Canada, and a few from Michigan, came together to experience, interact, and embrace nature as the canvas for learning following an emergent curriculum framework. Our learning was very self directed, we had lots of choice, which enabled individuals to feel safe and comfortable to explore and investigate concepts at their own pace and of their interest. On the first day, like many of the days that followed, we set off to explore the Swan Lake Forest. Initially we were a large group travelling down the path, but quickly individuals broke off into pairs, small groups, and some preferred to explore independently. That particular morning, I had one of many a ha moments. It dawned on me how many different entry points there were in the way everyone chose to explore and interact with the forest. Much like our students, we were very diverse in our interests and learning styles. Some individuals were drawn by the materials that the forest offered and chose to create with these materials on different surfaces. Others enjoyed collecting things that they found to be fascinating, bringing them back to research and show the group. I found myself to be an explorer. Though I spent 2 hours observing bugs, leaves, bark, frogs, etc., I was only 100 meters away from the conference building! Another a ha moment! There was so much to look at in such a small space! You don't necessarily need a forest to have an outdoor learning program! I also noticed that the more time I spent in nature, the better I became at seeing and hearing things. I had a deeper appreciation for colours, textures, and shapes of flowers, trees, bark, and little creatures! I constantly had wonder questions and was very excited to figure out these puzzling questions. There are so many learning extensions (dramatic stories, painting, sculpting, writing, researching, etc.), that nature can foster. According to Condie Ward, "To observe nature requires patience and quiet watchfulness. Imagination comes into play as children create special places and use natural items to create stories and play." (Teaching Young Children). 

Video courtesy of Laurel Fynes

The professional learning experience was combined with a Forest School (camp) for children that was taking place simultaneously. It was wonderful to be able to observe the children's behaviours and interactions with nature, while being in the forest. Many of them did not know each other, but in just a short time, relationships and learning were starting to develop. Observing, building, orienteering, climbing, and dramatizing all fostered these relationships. According to Carlina Rinaldi (1994), "The construction of knowledge is a group process. Each individual is nourished by the hypothesis and theories of others, and by conflicts with others and advances by co-constructing pieces of knowledge and the identities of those who are part of the process. (Julianne Wurm, Working in the Reggio Way).   

Courtesy of Diane Kashin

After exploring the forest, we gathered together for group discussions. Many times, we reflected on things seen, and the sharing of new knowledge or materials. I was very inspired during these gatherings as they always sparked new interests. New things were learned, and relationships were fostered through the sharing of certain skills that others possessed. I found this to be similar to the Knowledge Building Circles practiced with children. The sharing of knowledge and experiences creates connections that further motivates and sparks learning. According to George Forman and Brenda Fyfe (1998, 239), the theory of Negotiated Curriculum "holds that knowledge is gradually constructed by people becoming each other's constructs, and by honouring the power of each other's initial perspective for negotiating a better understanding of the subject matter" (Susan Fraser, Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom, 184). 

Providing a variety of art materials further supported creativity and fostered another type of interaction and connection with nature. Paints, clay, yarn, wool felts, markers, feathers, and leaf presses, allowed participants to design and build using the natural materials found in the forest. 

Flower presses

Pressed flowers and leaves on the light table

Wool felt

Sample work from Acorn School

My first attempt at wet felting! 

Small world creation on a log

Small world creation 

 Sticks ready to be painted for using as math sticks

Math sticks (great for sorting, patterning, shapes, counting, etc.) 

Loom made of sticks and yarn

Xylophone made of sticks and yarn

Painting feathers and rocks 

Painted feathers

Journey sticks

We became a community, participants started to bring in resources (books, leaf presses, and art materials) to share and teach those who expressed an interest. These are things we as educators strive to create in our own classrooms. The building of a community of learners, all diverse, but supporting each other, bonded through relationships. Another a ha moment, what is the best way for children to form relationships? How do children form relationships? For myself, having participated in this professional learning opportunity, the importance of giving choice, letting the children take initiative of their learning, allowing them to explore what interests them, then coming together, sharing experiences, involving others, and teaching peers creates a learning environment that fosters relationships! According to Susan Fraser, "The fundamental principal of relationship ensures that all participants in the program have to collaborate to make the program function successfully. This collaboration, in turn, increases each member's commitment to work toward strengthening the group as a whole. Decisions are no longer made by one person, but in collaboration with others. Team members share their observations, and reflections and plan the program as a team." (Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom, 106). 

Why learning in nature?

According to Condie Ward, "Recent studies document the importance of introducing children to the natural world, beginning in the early years. Their social, emotional, and physical health depends on this exposure to develop. Nature instills in everyone a sense of beauty and calmness. It exposes us to things that are alive and growing and promotes curiosity and exploration. With an adult as a guide, children can learn about being gentle and respecting living things. Self-esteem can thrive outdoors because nature doesn't judge people (Teaching Young Children).

Forming relationships not only with each other, but also with the natural world fosters a long lasting respect and sensitivity for nature that cannot be taught until one is immersed in its beauty. "As teachers, we have a responsibility to help create a future generation who will care enough about the natural world to become it's guardian. How fortunate are children who have a teacher who loves to grow plants, care for animals, or loves to stop and examine little things like a buttercup or dandelion. Teachers who share an attitude of caring and enthusiasm for the natural world are giving children a gift that will last a lifetime." (Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom, 104).

The importance of providing a sense of place...

According to Epstein (2009), A developing sense of place is linked to a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging contributes to children's overall social and emotional development and is an essential aspect of school readiness (Pamela Brillante and Sue Mankiw, Young Children, July 2015). I highly recommend reading the full article: A Sense of Place: Human Geography in the Early Childhood Classroom. Richard Louv points out how important it is to give children a sense of place, a grounding in where they live, because this gives them a secure footing to enter the larger world. Teachers can achieve this by connecting children to the natural world around them through the materials, activities, and environment they prepare for them. (Authentic Childhood: Experiencing Reggio Emilia in the Classroom, 105).

I feel so fortunate to have been a part of the learning journey of The Rhythm of Learning in Nature. I am so inspired and cannot wait to share this experience with my students!
  

"When a curious child 

and a knowledgeable teacher

explore the phenomena

of the world,

genius science begins." 

-Frances Hawkins (The Pond Study)

Travelling Tuesday...Let's Go!

Welcome to Travelling Tuesday!

I am so excited to be hosting with Alessia Albanese, from Mrs. Albanese's Kindergarten blog.

The two of us will be featuring a learning blog each week on Tuesday that embraces emergent curriculum...

"Emergent curriculum can be defined as a cycle that involves:

-watching and listening to children with care;

-reflecting on and engaging in dialogue with others about what is happening; and

-responding thoughtfully in ways that support children's ideas, questions, and thinking."

(Susan Stacey, The Unscripted Classroom)

Please visit Mrs. Albanese's Blog for her first featured blog!

Stay tuned for next Tuesday as I feature Darla Myers' classroom blog:

Inquiring Minds: Mrs. Myers' Kindergarten