the classroom environment

[Meredith Gaines]

I would love to hear and see pictures of what others have done to set up their classroom environment. Last year I tried to incorporate more natural pieces into my classroom as I am just a novice in this arena. I added flowy pieces of fabric to section off the dramatic play area, curtains by the windows with chiffon (sp?), covered the metal cabinets in my room with wood contact paper, etc. However, I'm struggling to find ways to store things. I know baskets are nice, any other ideas? What about pretty things like crystals or jewels? Any suggestions are appreciated!

[Marianne Cane]

Hi Meredith,
I'm not great at decorating, but have found that thinking about what your classroom actually offers is important. Do you have windows? It is important to use them for the light they offer. Sun, shadows, translucence, etc. And organize the materials to provide the children access to them. Open shelves with baskets or clear bins show what you have, and make their purpose clear.

[Meredith Gaines]

i do have windows...what would you suggest putting in them at the beginning of the year? and what kinds of things hav eyou had the children create to hang in them once school starts?

[Marianne Cane]

Hi Meredith,
I use one set of windows for our birthday tradition. I trim the holes-edge from page protectors and also trim the top to make 9" square pockets, one for each child. Using ink-jet transparencies, I print each child's name in an easy font, then cut out the names and drop one in each pocket, in order of the approaching birthdays. When the birthday's arrive, a committee of children create a "Birthday Window." This year, the windows are translucent collages on transparencies (also trimmed to squares). In the past, we sewed through the inexpensive screen you can buy at Home Depot. The embroidery frames were just doubled manila paper, with the trimmed square of screen taped between the two sides. We glued the frames together, the children sewed their designs, then painted both sides of the frame. One side faces the classroom, and the other the street. The colors were chosen by the birthday child, the committee did their best to create something beautiful. Embroidery thread is a wonderful medium for exploring line and shape. The rule was that you couldn't sew around the frame, but had to turn the window over each time before choosing where to "draw" your next line.

This is only an example of a way to use light to highlight design. As each child celebrated his or her birthday, I printed a headshot of the child on inkjet transparency film, and inserted it in the pocket with his or her name. The faces of the growing children appear in the window next to their Birthday Window. The children love to anticipate who will have the next birthday, and it supports mathematical knowledge, as well as art and social studies. It is really fun to see all the color as we walk toward the school, too. I make a birthday card with photos of the children who worked on the gift, as well as the headshot of the child, and a photo of the gift and headshot in the window. The card goes home the next day, and the gifts and headshot go home in June.

[Meredith Gaines]

Wow! This sounds amazing. Do you have pictures of what the final product looks like? I'm having a hard time visualizing...not my strength:)

[Jackie]

Hi Meredith...
I saw your thread here and thought I'd share. One thing my children found intriguing were the use of those transparent colored blocks with the wood edges (not sure what they are called). I would put them on the window sill and they could build there with them. The wonder happened when the sun came streaming in and cast the design on the floor. The children didn't connect the two at first and were so full of wonder at the experience. The figured it out and then began to arrange the blocks to make different "light sculptures". One of the best things is that the light does not always come through the window in such a way to make these sculptures and so the children have to figure this out. It was a very engaging experience.

Also, I used a crystal in the windo which cast moving rainbows throughout the room. They loved this!

Jackie

[Mary Page]

Meredith,

We are a Reggio inspired school in Kansas Ctiy Missouri. We have been involved in this approach since 1999 when this building was designed and built as an inspired school. We have 130 students enrolled during the school year. We have a wonderful environment and I thought I would share some photos that might help.

Regards,

Mary

[Marianne Cane]

Mary,
thanks for the photos. They are beautiful. I love the little dolls the children drew in the block area. Too precious!

[Andrea]

What a beautiful environment!!!

[Gina]

I like to store the pretty things like jewel in see through containers. Peanut Butter jars that have been cleaned work great. We have a great place for resources in our area where people take their "trash" and the people who work there sort it and wash it and then put it on a shelf. For $7 the public can come in and fill a paper grocery sack (educators get it for FREE!) They have everykind of container imaginable so I always stock up on jars and baskets while I'm there. Maybe there is someplace similar in your area?

[Meredith Gaines]

mary the pictures are wonderful! i'm going to refer to them when i'm setting up my classroom in august. gina, there was a place like you mentioned where i used to live in michigan where i got some things a few years ago. i have yet to find a place in indiana though! those places are wonderful because they are so inexpensive and eco-friendly:)

[Anne Grant]

On a recent visit to Reggio I was so overwhelmed with the environments and the brief they filled as the third teacher that I was moved to tears.
The environments in the centres are aesthetically stimulating and very purposeful. Decoration is not there for decorations sake - just to beautify. Everything has meaning and the third teacher works very hard. We are seduced by the beauty and often will just copy or adapt without thought given to the why.In so many instances I see busy but beautiful environments that are simply a return to the over decorated and busy environments we are striving to rid ourselves of. We see the what replicated without regard to the solid body of research on space, light , proximity and purpose of the placement of materials. Is it only our voice in the choice of materials - where is the voice of the child and your particular community?

[Abbey Daniels]

one day i want to visit Reggio and its schools...one day