Classroom Set Up

As everyone already knows, prep week is hard enough as is. Now, add moving into another classroom and creating a new curriculum to the list. Let's just say, we are much deserving of a sushi date! (Martina and I have discovered that we share three favorite foods- mangoes, raspberries, and SUSHI!)

We chose to switch rooms primarily for the location. The classroom is now at the very end of the hallway- giving the room a sense of independence from the rest of the school, allowing the children to feel older and have a new experience.

At the entrance of our classroom, we have a library for both parents and children and a sign in book. The first week we will be working with the children to sign in with their name and time each morning. Eventually, they will be doing this independently.

Upon entering the room, we have provided the children with "mail boxes". This will allow them to independently collect their work to take home. Step further into the room and we have our "Job Opportunities", puzzles, Zingo, and a sound matching game. This area will allow for some quiet play in either a small group or independent setting. Additionally, to the left of the door on the wall is a poster in which we will be measuring the children throughout the year. We plan to use these measurements as one way to teach math and charting. 

Photo removed for privacy - children's names on wall.

Beyond the entrance is a table and the block/carpet area. The table is intended for works in progress- especially their building projects. At the moment, the table has a basket of Legos and two tan-o-gram puzzles. This year, the block/carpet area is reasonably smaller than the previous two years. Although we still see the importance of building, we wanted to emphasize other area of focus such as reading, writing and science. 

Another reason why we love this classroom is for its extra window. In the corner with this extra window, we have placed our reading and writing nook. We are hoping to help the children make the connection between reading and writing through these adjacent centers. The writing center also has journals for each child that we will eventually use for a long list of different activities. The other purpose of this reading nook is to provide the children with a quiet area. There can be up to three children here. 

Next to the reading/writing nook is our science area with more books, our fish (originally named Night, but lovingly referred to as Fish), binoculars, sand timers, a world globe, and (at the moment) rocks, magnets, and magnifying glasses. We allow only one or two people at this station. 

Along the opposite wall is our art and eating area. Each item was chosen specifically so the children can independently start and complete their own projects. Such items include fuse beads, paint in squeeze bottles with palettes and brushes, collage materials, different kind of paper, glue, and pencils.  

Beyond the art area, to the left of the front door, we have a small table in front of the sink and desk. We will be using this area for small group work, especially cooking projects. 

Another element to our classroom is the lack of overhead lighting. Instead we use natural light and lamps. In our personal experience, we have found that children are able to stay calm and focus more diligently when overhead lighting is limited or completely removed. We even feel the benefit of it! 

In our room, there is very little off limits to the children- if it is out, it is theirs to use. However, this is not to say that their may be appropriate and inappropriate ways of using things. For instance, for snack, we use glass plates. The children set up the table themselves, but if they are to handle the plates roughly or without care, they will be given a plastic plate to use. The only area in which the children have absolutely no access to is the sink and counter area. This is our personal storage and prep area- including a microwave for lunch and important documents. 

After two days of using the classroom, we are in LOVE with the flow and have only made very, very, very minor changes. One change was in the art area- we moved the drying rack against the wall and pulled the shelves out slightly. This has really made the art area and small group table feel more separate of each other. Despite all of the furniture, we really feel the classroom has a large and airy feeling to it due to the use of lightly colored furniture. We prefer when the color within a classroom comes from the children. This is their room, much more so than it is ours.