I have the toughest time designing my classrooms. Where I work, we are encouraged to follow a Reggio-Emilia design style, I WISH I had a Waldorf style classroom, and I am naturally a maximallist (which is the exact opposite of a Waldorf classroom style) and we are given stock furniture. Some of the furniture is the BEST, and some is awful.... and it all depends on your room.
The Views from the Door:
- My already messy teacher table is to the right. This is where we meet for whole group.
- The dragon flying from the ceiling was what the class worked on last year. A few of the kids are staying in the pre-kinder program due to age restrictions, so I wanted it to stick around - plus it is way cool!
- The dragon flying from the ceiling was what the class worked on last year. A few of the kids are staying in the pre-kinder program due to age restrictions, so I wanted it to stick around - plus it is way cool!
- Below is our communal wash basin. We go to the bathroom for before snack, but I wanted a ritual as the children came in. Since the first thing we do is a sensory experience at the table, I thought hand washing might be a good idea. Idea completely stolen from the local Waldorf school!
- Below is the Prayer Table. Pretty basic right now... will soon be changed to an awesome Dragon scene in honor of Michaelmas!
Atelier (Art) Area
I was super lucky last year to have a separate space for my Atelier. We could keep all the mess and loose parts safely tucked away during certain times, and it was easy to close off when it was time for cleaning!
This time, I am not so lucky. That said, I am hoping this space will work well, albeit a much small space!
This time, I am not so lucky. That said, I am hoping this space will work well, albeit a much small space!
I love when teachers separate their crayons by colour - I think it really helps the kids with their categorizing and plus it looks beautiful. However, I hate the lack of functionality with separate jars. Do I (or do the kiddos) want to carry over ten different colours to the table so I can complete my drawing? Nada gonna happen! So I just grabbed a wood block from my shed and drilled some holes in it. It was going to be all beautifully stained, but I lose focus easily when I am doing DIY projects - so it is au naturel!
Other Spaces:
One of the stock furniture pieces we are given is this hard to describe house. It is a three-part divider, that on the outside looks like a house. However, it is wobbly and takes up a ton of room! Since I don't have a separate space for children who are overwhelmed by the activity in the classroom, I decided to make some quiet centers in behind this house area.
Table set up currently as a Math Table.
Table set up currently as a Math Table.
High interest puzzles.
Some science manips - natural tree blocks, magnatiles (my favourite!!!), and magnifying glasses. Next to this shelf is one of my large sensory tables, that will probably be filled with items from our Autumn nature walks as September goes on.
Light table under loft. There are light table blocks stored below, and in the plant hanger there are going to be other manips for the light table. The scarf hangers will eventually be used for ribbon weaving.
Our house center is located upstairs in the loft.
My favourite place to explore and play is the construction/transportation area, so as you can see, I gave it a huge space. We have ramps, large hollow blocks, lego, wooden blocks, a train set, wooden cars, hot wheels... I love me some construction time!
View from the construction area towards the front of the room.
I have a combined small scene (e.g. barnyard, dollhouse, etc) and dress-up area. The dress-up clothes are mostly scarves right now, but perhaps will expand.
The reading area below, which will sometimes include iPads.
A dear friend framed this quote for me one year, I think for Christmas. I have been known as the "messy" teacher, and she would already remind me that the majority of the mess in my room was from fun projects and activities we were doing! It makes me smile every time I see it!
Writing center below, and we will just be starting with our chalkboards. Below that is the only sensory bin I have for now, and we are using it as a "snip" bin for students to randomly cut things (paper, straws, etc) to practice their grip.
I didn't really take a picture of it, but I have two rectangular tables in the middle of the room put together lengthwise (or family style) for snack-time.
That is my room! We will see how much it changes as our community builds and our needs/interests change!
That is my room! We will see how much it changes as our community builds and our needs/interests change!