Today, I put on a workshop session for parents to show how we can create play spaces at home, inside or outside, for little effort and cost, to encourage communication from birth. It's part of a series of workshops we are putting on for parents with 0-3 year olds called Talking Together, and this one was called Chatter and Play. A big part of our inspiring talk and communication initiative is the use of stories in play and extending children's learning by taking stories into other areas of their learning. I set up a selection of play spaces around the hall at school - I'll go in to how and what in a minute... Families came along and we all sat down on the floor together to talk a bit about why we are doing this. Children need to communicate in order to : learn make friends make their needs known know how to behave, and make the most of life. Communication (passing on and receiving messages) can be verbal or non-verbal, made up of gestures, noises, words or signs, and consists of the developing ability to listen, pay attention and talk. Communication skills are built from a base of attachment to carers, listening and attention. Then babies, toddlers and small children go on to use play to learn communication skills, begin to understand what people around them are saying by hearing words used in context, interact with other people and their friends and babble or talk, beginning to use words, and finally beginning to form words using speech sounds, and expressing themselves through speech. There are some really good resources about this from The Communication Trust here. Chatter and play as a workshop was about how we can set up simple play spaces at home to promote listening, attention and talk. It's loosely based on Elizabeth Jarman's Communication Friendly Spaces approach which you can find out more about here. However this workshop, was specifically designed to show families how to set up these sorts of play spaces easily, cheaply and at home. Play spaces like this are made up of three elements: Resources - what "toys" or objects we select Environment - what it is like where the play is taking place - calm, few visual distractions, no TV People - an adult or play partner to respond, listen, comment and model play to the child and one of the most important things to bear in mind - look at your resources from the child's perspective - get down on the floor, at their level, and share their play... So I set up 9 play spaces for families to try out, and took a picture of each before the parents, babies and toddlers started to play: Build a den - clothes airer, throw, pegs, books and a few toys What's in the box - shoe boxes containing objects to investigate (pine cones, scarves, wooden trains, kitchen roll tubes and a magnifying glass) Teddy bear's (or dollies) picnic - teddy bears, enough plates for the adult, child and teddy bears, cups, play food (or you could use real fruit) Crawling obstacle course - a runner with pillows and cushions and a basket of scarves to investigate at the end Story den - pop up tent with blanket, cushion, books, torch sensory crawl - bubble wrap taped to the floor (or you could try a survival blanket from the pound shop), a mug tree and some teething rings to hang on the mug tree A mark making space with chalk, children's magazines for inspiration and a surface to draw on A mirror crawl and play - mirror, rug, a few toys Treasure basket - the big treasure basket filled with lots of natural treasures to explore and talk about At the end we read a story - "Honk!" by Mick Inkpen - Kipper finds a little gosling and manages to work out just what he wants even though the gosling only says "Honk". If you want to know more about this, I've put together a list of resources and websites, not exhaustive by any means but each of these will lead to other useful stuff. You can download it here. For more ideas and inspiration please go to: Pinterest - www.pinterest.com/allaboutstories/ Blog - www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk/ Facebook - www.facebook.com/itsallaboutstories
Like all of you, I am using the new year as a fresh start! When I was in my kindergarten classroom, it was always a nice time to think about our learning environment. Specifically, what was working well since September, and what could be improved upon. I loved re-organizing the furniture, setting out new provocations or materials, and re-imagining the space to match our values and vision. As you all know, I am currently on maternity leave from the school board. Once Lilianna turns six months (late February), I will be going back to work with my consulting services. This includes my first big public speaking appearance at the Reading for the Love of It conference in Toronto. I have plans to offer another Kindergarten Additional Qualification course with York University, as well as host several sessions in my new TransformEd Creative Studio. So what has inspired me to make TransformEd extend its reach beyond the blog? I would like a special place to build relationships and strong connections with children, parents, grandparents/caregivers, educators, and community members. A space that invites play, inquiry, creativity, and learning in collaboration. Somewhere with a warm atmosphere that welcomes even the youngest of infants to explore the world around them. TransformEd will be an artist's escape and any child's dream. I imagine going deeper into the creative process and losing ourselves in inquiry research on topics that we are curious/passionate about. How wonderful it would be to have a studio where we aren't always working against time or the stress of deadlines... Instead we will engage with the hundred languages and truly experience the joy of learning in life's beautiful everyday moments! Here is draft one of what the space will look like: Whether I were back in my classroom or transforming this new space, I am hoping for more of an integrated approach to our physical setup. In other words I want the different areas to be fluid/flexible to the interests of those who learn within them. Instead of having a more traditional "reading corner" for instance, I would rather see reading materials throughout the various rooms or provocations. And I have purposely not referred to my areas as "indoor" or "outdoor," so that we may flow between both and essentially make it feel like one place. When we are inquiring, it's more natural for the learning to unfold... Children are creative and they tend to play in such a sophisticated way that we often see math, literacy, science experiments, etc. But what I don't want to do is limit myself to searching for these subject based learning expectations only... I would much rather keep the studio open ended and see where our questions take us. Sometimes it's as simple as moving a mirror over to the light table for a new discovery to emerge. When we have trust in our students and create a responsive learning environment they always far exceed any curriculum! With this in mind, I am looking forward to documenting our space as it evolves and those who experience it. Then I hope to share our inquiries with a wider audience who reads this blog and attends my workshops. This is the form that I used to reflect upon the learning environment: Subscribe at the bottom of this blog post to receive all my handouts by email. Here are some images on Pinterest that helped me dream of what's to come: Urban Mamas Lil Luna Stomping in the mud Amy Wonder Years Design inspiration Floor Right Interiors Clipzine Progressive Early Childhood Education Play at home mom Infinite playgrounds Houzz Designing a creative learning environment continues to be one of the best parts of being an educator and Mom. I could probably post all night with what's available online! Sometimes when I start browsing on Pinterest, I can't fall asleep from all of the ideas!!! Anyhow, I hope that you have been enjoying your first month of the year! I look forward to continuing my posts about the TransformEd Creative Studio and sharing more resources with you. To ensure that you don't miss any of the updates, handouts, or info., subscribe to the blog (on right hand side) and to the new mailing list below. Subscribe to the TransformEd mailing list To act as an educator for the child, the environment has to be flexible: it must undergo frequent modification by the children and the teachers to remain up-to-date and responsive to their needs to be protagonists in constructing their knowledge” (Edwards, Gandini, & Forman, 2012, p. 339)
If you are looking to buy a ready-made high-quality playground communication boards. We got you! You can purchase our communication boards or we can help you.
Set up a specific area for playful maths investigations at home or at school, to encourage plenty of open-ended play with a range of everyday materials.
As my twins have gotten older, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep them engaged inside. They bore easily with the same toys, books and tickle or chase games, and I definitely let them watch …
Thanks everyone for your support over the past four years. Stomping will be closed for the 2015/2016 school year. Check back for an update in the spring for our September 2016 plans. We hope you have a wonderful summer. Thanks for Stomping by!
The Unspoken Revolution: Therapists and Educators Unite To Make Public Spaces More Inclusive For Non-Speaking Children This transformative vision aspires to create a ripple effect, originating in Boston but capable of affecting communities globally. Rather than merely departing with new insights and connections, attendees and the broader community
Creek Play Dubai Creek Harbor | Dubai | UAE Creek Play is a project to enhance the public realm of Dubai Creek Harbour, for its upcoming opening. The latest ambitious project from Emaar Properties is pedestrian friendly, with humanly scaled streets, spaces for leisure and fun, active public spaces, walkable and discoverable. A new ...
The emergency exit to outdoor learning...
Explore Tishylishy’s 79 photos on Flickr!
I first learnt about schemas in the brilliant book from Pen Green called "Involving Parents in their Children's Learning". And this quote from the same team sums it up - “Schemas are patterns of linked behaviours which the child can generalise and use in a whole variety of different situations. It is best to think of schemas as a cluster of pieces which fit together.” “A schema is a pattern of repeated actions. Clusters of schemas develop onto later concepts.” - Pen Green Children's Centre, Corby. Children who are learning through a rotation schema love going round and round, drawing circles round and round and round, spinning, playing with wheeled toys, those awful spinning tea cup rides in the park, rolling balls or metal bracelets across the floor.... Some experiences for rotation schema children. I know the list could be endless but I want his to be more about story ideas! Singing "the wheels on the bus" painting using a rubber ball or a golf ball on a piece of paper taped to an old baking tray. rolling bracelets or soft balls across the room playing with wheeled toys of all sizes, even better with a ramp to roll them down Stories to go alongside the rotation schema - Skates by Mick Inkpen - Kipper on skates, watch out! Round and round the garden and other hand rhymes from Walker books and illustrated by Louise Comfort The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle - probably my favourite illustrator - the spider goes round and round and round as she spins the web. The wheels on the bus from Child's play books illustrated by Annie Kuebler Enjoy! Please add to my suggestions by commenting below... For more story ideas and inspiration: Pinterest -www.pinterest.com/allaboutstories/ Blog - www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk/ Facebook - www.facebook.com/itsallaboutstories
If you are looking to buy a ready-made high-quality playground communication boards. We got you! You can purchase our communication boards or we can help you.
Given the significant benefits of play on children’s health, wellbeing and happiness, the design of a new residential community should begin with the question: How can we provide the youngest residents with opportunities to freely play outdoors, walk independently, and feel a sense of belonging and ownership within their communities? This publication, funded by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, explores various design interventions and policies from around the world, which aim to improve liveability for children and their families living in urban environments. To download please visit: https://www.citiesforplay.com/child-friendly-neighbourhoods
Most little ones like the packaging much better than the toy inside, after all, look what you can do with an empty box... You can put it on your head like T in this picture for instance! Here's some mostly visual examples of enveloping schema in action and some stories that go alongside. Covering the whole paper in paint is a good example of enveloping, here she covered the plate, the potato we were printing with and the toy horse! M loves hiding under a blanket - or it is just a picture of a blanket? Stories to inspire and extend the enveloping schema: Stop sticking Stan by Nicola Killen - Stan covers EVERYTHING in stickers Peppa's Post from the Peppa Pig guys - like the Jolly Postman but with Peppa Pig The Jolly Pocket Postman by Janet and Alan Ahlberg - a beautifully illustrated letter to pull out from each envelope as the postman goes on his journey. Plus The Jolly Christmas Postman and The Jolly Postman or other peoples' letters Enjoy! For more story ideas and inspiration: Pinterest -www.pinterest.com/allaboutstories/ Blog - www.itsallaboutstories.blogspot.co.uk/ Facebook - www.facebook.com/itsallaboutstories
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Transforming your third teacher (room) is something that can be as simple as focussing on just one area in your room and can change how your children interact instantly with each other and the materials!
Last winter was a dry one here in Seattle, mild and dry with more sunny days than we're accustomed to seeing here in the Pacific Northwest. It was pleasant, but I for one am glad that we're back to normal this year as the atmospheric rivers have returned to their proper course, alternatively dousing and dribbling on us, filling our water reservoirs to overflowing and building up snow pack in the mountains that provide us with plenty when the dryer summer months return. They say that wars of tomorrow will be fought over water: I reckon I live on a future battle field. If you've read here for any length of time, you know that I have many bones to pick with how our public schools do business, but in all honesty, the thing that provides the sharpest burr under my saddle is how they deal with rain. I mean, more often than not, when it's rainy, and it's pretty much always been rainy for weeks now, the kids stay indoors for what's called "rainy day recess." And when they do go out in the damp, the kids are commanded to stay out of the puddles. In fact, a couple years back the mother of a former student sent me pictures of a magnificent puddle that had formed at her son's school. She said that the kids spent their recess standing outside of a line of caution tape watching the custodian try to sweep it away. That is a special kind of crazy. In contrast, we play with a lot of water at Woodland Park, going through a hundred gallons or so a day, most of which flows through our cast iron water pump and down through the sand of our two level sand pit, even when it's dumping from the sky. I know this sounds decadent to those of you who live in water challenged parts of the world, but, you know, I'm sure you have things aplenty that we would covet. Still, I recognize how lucky we are and have no problem living with the 9-10 months a year of cloud cover that is the price we pay for living in one of the greenest places on earth. Children never tire of playing in and with water: experimenting with it, studying it, attempting to control it, splashing in it, feeling it soak through their pants or shoes or sweaters. Perhaps the most popular fashion accessories, after rubber boots, are what we call "Muddy Buddies," light-weight, full-body rain suits that cover the kids from head to toe. I see it as one of my special missions as a preschool teacher to spend as much time in the rain as possible. I mean, after all, we all know how important it is for all of us, and especially children, to be outdoors. If we don't play in the rain, we don't play outdoors at all. I once met an educator from the Reggio Emilia region of Italy who was touring our area. She said to me, "All the preschools here say they are Reggio Emilia. How can they be Reggio Emilia in Seattle? Why can't you be Seattle preschools?" Well, rain and mud are Seattle, which is why they are a central element of what we learn about through our play. Most of our rain comes in the form of misty drizzle, but last week we played in torrential rain, the kind that feels as if someone is dumping buckets of water on your head. A magnificent puddle formed at the bottom of the sand pit. There was no caution tape or custodians and when there were breaks in the rain, the kids kept it full with the pump. I put a lot of time and effort into this blog. If you'd like to support me please consider a small contribution to the cause. Thank you! -->
A lovely set out our two popular wicker arches. A great way to create learning zones in an open plan space or simply to add a cosy feel to role play, reading and construction areas. These arches are on the smaller scale so will also work well in a small setting while maximising play potential. Inside and outside arch. H90cm x D73cm x W90cm. Display items not included. Complementary products: ANIMAL SQUARE FURRY CUSHIONS 10PK - 51400 LANDSCAPE HOME CORNER RUGS - 36695
I'm incredibly excited to share a peek into Nammi's Reggio Inspired Classroom. Click here to see all the photos of how its been transformed.
