3. CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS

The environment is a foundation of the early childhood curriculum. Each classroom environment is aesthetically pleasing and rich in opportunities for children to notice, wonder, explore and discover.

Each classroom is divided into learning centers or areas. When developing a room layout, teachers think about the fixed features in the room (windows, sinks, electric outlets, bathrooms, etc), what is going to take place in each area and how the “flow” of traffic will affect the program and children. A good strategy for room layout is to divide the room into a messy zone, an active zone, and a quiet zone.

The materials in each area are housed on low shelves and arranged so they are accessible and generally self-explanatory to children. Appropriately sized tables and chairs along with area rugs provide spaces for children to spread out and use the materials. Safety is a key consideration. The materials selected for children are appropriate to their development level and safe for children’s use. New and intriguing materials and activities are rotated into the learning centers, depending on planned activities and children’s interests.

The following books are excellent resources for setting up and maintaining classroom environments: Designs for Living and Learning, by Deb Curtis & Margie Carter; The Creative Curriculum, by Diane Trister Dodge, Laura J. Colker, and Cate Heroman; Prime Times, by Jim Greenman, Anne Stonehouse & Gigi Schweikert; The Right Stuff for Children Birth to 8, by Martha Bronson; and Cultivating Outdoor Classrooms by Eric M. Nelson.

The learning centers, along with examples of materials that might be included in the area, are provided below (please keep in mind, these lists provide only a few examples of the types of materials to give you an idea of the topic area; they are not exhaustive):

1. Dramatic play & pretend play areas.

Dramatic play is simply the representation of objects, events, or people that children are familiar with. Imitating Mommy, acting out eating a meal, and pretending to be a puppy are all examples of dramatic play. Infants and toddlers enjoy watching, engaging in solitary play and participating in dramatic-play activities often while sitting on a lap or at the edge of the play.

Older toddlers enjoy directing and narrating the dramatic play of the teacher. Preschool age children are more able to take on roles and carry out an elaborate play theme.

Examples of materials that can be included in the dramatic play and pretend play areas are:

• baby dolls, carriage, pretend bottle and blanket
• play telephone
• stuffed animals
• rubber animals & people
• Hats
• Plexiglas mirrors
• real pots and pans
• blankets/tents

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• large doll furniture
• dress-up clothes and related props (both real, pretend and abstract)
• child-sized sink, stove, refrigerator, cupboard
• Vehicles
• dishes and silverware
• Suitcases

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• special event clothes
• artificial foods
• jewelry, shoes, handbags, hats
• Puppets
• doll house

2. Blocks & large motor.

Having available a variety of blocks (large and small, soft and hard, multicolored plastic and wood) provide children with endless opportunities for learning and discovery. Blocks are excellent for unstructured manipulative constructions and math skills development. Blocks can be stacked, crawled around, sat on, knocked down, lined up, made into a house, made into a car, and other endless ideas for building and representing objects. Since blocks lend themselves so well to pretense, it’s best if they are located next to the dramatic play area.

Adding large motor equipment such as indoor climbers, ramps, rocking boats, and beams can provide an endless variety of locomotor challenges.

Examples of materials that can be included in the block areas are:

• soft foam blocks
• buckets/small blocks
• cardboard blocks

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• a set of toddler hollow blocks
• Trucks
• snap blocks
• waffle blocks

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• a larger set of unit blocks with extra shapes included
• a larger set of hollow wooden blocks including ramps and planks
• sheets/blankets
• traffic signs
• construction tools including hard hats
• rubber zoo and farm animals
• rubber people
• architectural plans and drawing paper
• Crates

Examples of materials that can be included in the large motor areas are:

• Ramps
• Steps
• Tunnel
• Sturdy wooden boxes
• Balls

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• Toddler lofts
• Dowel climber
• Push pull toys
• Rocking toys
• Tennis balls

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• Climbing structures
• Slides
• Seesaw
• Obstacles to go over and through

3. Creative art & music.

Developmentally appropriate art is a sensory exploration and creative expression of materials and media where the “process” is often more important than an “end product”. The process of smearing, poking holes, and pounding can be the activity rather than making something to take home. Teachers help children by using open ended questions, artistic terms, or descriptions that focus on the process involved with the explorations.

Teachers also allow for growth by providing opportunities to use age-appropriate materials and tools. For older children, art experiences can be a good opportunity to encourage group efforts and to represent their ideas, review their own or others works of art. Staff should help ensure that art materials and supplies are nontoxic and age appropriate. Materials and art supplies should not be used when children and/or staff are eating or drinking. Supplies and materials should be used in well-ventilated areas.¹²

Teachers also include a variety of materials to support music and movement activities as well as creative expression and play. This includes music makers of all kinds (drums, rhythm sticks, xylophone, bells, pots & pans, etc.), scarves for dancing, and a recorder to play music CD’s or tapes.

Examples of the materials that can be included in the creative art areas are:

• finger paints
• block crayons
• paint & short handled brushes

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• Chalk
• large brushes
• Chalkboard
• play dough and putty
• ink stamps
• Paper
• chunky pencils
• Paste

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• Tape
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Ruler
• Glue
• Stencils
• variety of papers

1. collage materials such as cotton balls, pipe cleaners, fake fur, cupcake papers, dried noodles, magazine pictures, rubber bands, wood pieces, fabric
2. different types of materials for modeling and sculpting including support materials such as clay hammers, cookie cutters, rolling pins and sculpting tools

Examples of the materials that can be included in the music & movement areas are:

• Rattles, shakers
• Bells
• Dried gourds
• Wind chimes

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• Xylophone and mallet
• Sturdy bongo drum or floor drum
• Metal juice-can lids, spoons and bowls
• Castanets
• Scarves for dancing

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• Tambourine
• Rhythm sticks
• Music recordings
• CD or cassette player

4. Manipulatives & math.

Teachers get to know individual children and provide the right range and number of materials to challenge their small-motor and perceptual motor development. Early math skills that develop in the early years include such things as matching, sorting, exploring quantity, measuring, counting, comparing, noticing similarities and differences, naming shapes, patterns, quantities, numbers, making one-to-one correspondences, and incorporating math concepts and terminology into everyday use such as time.¹³

Examples of materials that can be included in the manipulatives & math areas are:

• Rattles
• push, pull, and squeeze toys
• Stackers
• noisy squeakers
• sorting boxes
• large pop beads
• sorting containers such as cans and cups
• busy boxes
• bean bags and other infant toys

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• stacking & nesting toys
• large pegboards
• boxes of interesting materials to sort
• lock boards
• pounding bench
• simple puzzles
• jars and lids
• Duplos

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• small pegs
• lacing boards
• items to count
• number cards
• Clocks
• geometric shapes
• pattern cards and cubes
• rods of varying length and thickness
• play money
• floor puzzles
• age-appropriate board games
• construction and snap together toys of all kinds
• Legos

5. Discovery science & sensory.

The early childhood years are filled with science and discovery and learning through the senses. With infants and young toddlers, it’s through their mouth and entire body. Older children can be more sophisticated in their explorations. Teachers can fill the environment with hundreds of different materials from nature and the physical world that provide perfect hands-on experiences to explore. This allows them to introduce topics for children to explore and talk about with children. Teachers encourage observation, the use of simple tools, collecting and documenting materials, exploration of cause and effect, and integrate scientific terms and concepts into everyday experiences.¹⁴ Sensory tables or tubs are great for holding materials such as sand, water, flour and other things to touch, smell, taste, hear, and explore.

Examples of materials that can be included in the discovery science & sensory areas are:

• Mobiles
• garden tubs
• water and tub toys
• wading pools filled with materials to experience
• Plants
• Aquariums
• bird feeder
• wind chimes
• texture/smell boxes
• treasure baskets filled with objects from nature

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• buckets/jars to fill
• Funnels
• Sifters
• measuring cups
• bubble machines
• Magnifiers
• large magnets
• Flashlights

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• woodworking materials
• cooking project materials
• cages for bugs
• Prisms
• seeds to plant and classify
• science pictures everywhere
• collections such as rocks & shells
• weather recording materials
• charts and graphs

6. Language & literacy.

The language and literacy areas include materials and activities rich in rhymes, chants, songs, the sounds in languages, and things in print. Children of all ages love to look at the images on the pages of books and build their vocabulary of words for familiar objects. They enjoy being held while being read to. Older children benefit from learning about the mechanics of a book (front to back, left to right, author, when to turn a page, and so on). Storytelling with puppets, props or flannel pieces increases literacy skills such as listening skills and understanding the sequence of events.

Examples of materials that can be included in the language and literacy areas are:

• board books
• cloth books
• Photos
• Posters
• cozy couch
• Mirrors

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• picture books
• telephones
• listening center
• pictures of animals to name and classify
• matching cards
• magazines and catalogs
• flannel board
• Puppets

Additional Materials for Preschoolers

• tape recorders
• stories on tape
• matching picture and word activity cards
• Alphabet
• child made books
• groups of cards with rhyming words
• magic slates
• Dictionaries
• Computer
• story props
• labels, paper and writing materials
• signs and symbols
• sign language charts and books
• picture direction

7. Social Studies and Emotional Learning.¹⁵

Social studies and emotional learning is ingrained throughout a child's day and often does not rely heavily on physical materials in the environment, but is more often taught within the natural context of a child’s day through moments and interactions. Teachers utilize tools such as visual cues, games, and books that may help introduce or reinforce emotional, social study, or geographical topics. Many of these lessons may come from routines, collaborating with other classrooms/age groups, large group activities, or small group activities. The use of books or current events can aid in the discussion of environment, geographical, or world concepts. Topics of non- stereotypical cultures, family structure, abilities, languages, or genders can be discussed as well as visually represented through pictures, displays, books, or the use of Crayons of the World (or multicultural crayons). Maps and globes are useful tools when talking with older children about communities, countries, economic concepts, global concepts, or environmental effects. This can include maps of our “Beyond” (a pre- approved green space surrounding our school on the UW Campus), choosing locations in the “Beyond” to help take care of the environment, or contributing to the health of our natural environment around us.

Classrooms can include community topics such as classroom jobs, local community drives/collections, and care of the classroom environment can help build a sense of belonging.

Topics of fairness, friendship, and responsibility often arise throughout a child’s day, and teachers discuss these topics through the natural occurrences to give real-life context. Storytelling with props, puppets, and felt pieces can also encourage the continuation of dialogue on these topics.

Examples of materials that can be included in the Social Studies and Social/Emotional areas are:

• Family pictures
• Emotion pictures
• Multicultural Dolls
• Mirrors
• Child photo albums

Additional Materials for Toddlers

• Picture books
• Puppets
• Felt/Flannel stories
• Pictures of other countries/places
• Pictures of people with a variety of abilities
• Pictures of activities such as sharing
• Pictures or books that show a variety of types of homes
• Books discussing friendship
• Classroom job charts
• Question of the Day chart
• “People who love me” chart
• Community/Campus map
• Visiting local art galleries
• Trips to local gardens/green houses
• Crayons of the World (Multicultural Crayons)
• Cash Registers and pretend currency