A New Preschool in Japan Designed to Accumulate Large Puddles When it Rains. The courtyard of the new Dai-Ichi Preschool in Kumamoto | photos Ryuji Inoue courtesy Hibino Sekkei What is it about puddles of water that makes kids want to jump right into them with all their might?
It’s no doubt that outdoor play, whatever the weather, is a necessity of childhood. So if there’s any place where kids should be allowed to be kids, without being subject to the cringes and shouts of adults who are overly concerned about wet shoes, socks and pants (don’t even mention the mud), that place is preschool. Usually when it rain, kids aren’t allowed to play outside until the ground is dry. But the new Dai-ichi Yochien in Kumamoto City is designed to make sure the puddles stay exactly where they are. Environmentsconference.pdf. Environmentsconference.pdf. Www.kidsafensw.org/imagesDB/wysiwyg/EMBARGOED2014KidsafeNationalPlayspaceDesignAwardsFULLPPTPresentation.pdf. Www.nicurriculum.org.uk/docs/foundation_stage/learning_outdoors.pdf. 25_Easy_Nature_Play_Ideas_for_Early_Childhood_Centers_-_website_version.pdf.
Natural Learning Initiative. American Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua 'Rotundiloba' Native range: Southeastern U.S.Hardiness Zone: US 6-9Sun: Full SunPlant habit: Deciduous TreeWater requirement: Medium The American sweetgum is a native tree of the Eastern US well known for its fall color.
Often found in parks and along roadsides, it is also an excellent choice for outdoor learning environments, providing shade in the hot summer months, color in the fall and habitat for the lovely luna moth. Designing natural playground fact. Making the case natural playgrounds gen. EYC18.2_CARRIE_ROSE.pdf. Outdoor Kindy week Term 2, 2014…..day 1. The first thing we heard as we woke this morning was the sound of rain on the roof, it was steady and rhythmical, but as the time to head to kindy drew nearer it cleared….but as always the children arrived prepared for what ever might eventuate – I think some may even have been a little disappointed by the lack of rain today!
It wasn’t one of those days that you were ever confident it wasn’t actually going to rain, but it left us alone for the whole session, and only returned as we finished packing up the last of the yard. It was the perfect day to gently introduce our new group of children to the outdoor kindy experience. Landscape for Learning: The Impact of Classroom Design on Infants and Toddlers. LANDSCAPE FOR LEARNING: THE IMPACT OF CLASSROOM DESIGN ON INFANTS AND TODDLERS By Louis Torelli, M.S.Ed., and Charles Durrett, Architect Jan, a teacher in a toddler classroom, takes out two baskets of blocks and brings them to the middle of the room.
The children love to build, and within seconds there are eight toddlers surrounding Jan and the blocks-all shoulder to shoulder. After only a minute or so, one child grabs another's blocks. Www.lead.ece.govt.nz/ManagementInformation/EstablishingAnECEService/EstablishingACentreBasedService/~/media/Lead/Files/Establishing/DevelopingPlaygroundsGuide.pdf. Preschool Outdoor Environments on Pinterest. Early Childhood Playground Photo Gallery. Www.greenheartsinc.org/uploads/A_Parents__Guide_to_Nature_Play.pdf. Abcdoes.typepad.com/files/lighting-the-fire-community-play-things.pdf. Webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110118095356/http:/www.cabe.org.uk/files/sure-start-every-building-matters.pdf.
Www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/childhood/providers/regulation/pracnotesnatenvph. Reggio American. Environments. Www.natureexplore.org/naturalproducts/documents/ne-resource-guide-13-14.pdf. What If You Stopped Going Outside? Creating a powerful inside learning environment. Introduction Caring for infants and toddlers in a group care setting is a relatively new field in early childhood education in New Zealand.
The increasing demand for care of this much younger age group has been swift, and caught many of us unprepared for the special nature of working with very young children and their families. Spaces for infants and toddlers often resemble simplified versions of environments for older children, with toys, furnishings and activity areas that do not meet the developmental strengths or interests of this younger age group. The design of a learning environment for children 0-3 years must address the unique rights of this age group during a time when a child’s developmental growth is great.
Children from birth to age three are primarily making sense of their world through sensory exploration and physical activity. They need a rich sensory landscape and spaces that provide for safe exploration and active whole-body learning. Creating order and flexibility. The architecture of early childhood. Inspiring Early Childhood Learning Environments. Inspriring Environments - Journey Into Early Childhood. Transforming our Learning Environment into a Space of Possibilities: August 2012.
During our "Great Beginnings" conference/course, we read Mrs.
Spitzer's Garden by Edith Pattou, to teachers who were new to the Full-Day EarlyLearning-Kindergarten program. I discovered on Google Books that Edith originally wrote this book as a gift to her daughter's kindergarten teacher, "whose watchful, nurturing spirit reminded her of a gardener tending her garden. " In the story, the principal gives Mrs. Spitzer a packet of seeds at the end of the summer to plant a garden. Mrs. Julie and I thought that it would be a positive way to begin our four days together, and shared the story with our participants. Be Reggio Inspired: Indoor Learning Environments. Welcome to the second of the series Reggio-Inspired Preschool Environments.
Reggio-Inspired Learning Environments Space has to be a sort of aquarium that mirrors the ideas, values, attititudes, and culture of the people who live within it.- Loris Malaguzzi Paying thoughtful attention to creating an environment that enables children to develop relationships with the world around them, themselves and each other is an important aspect of any early childhood program. The Reggio Emilia approach is known for regarding the environment as the third teacher, and for good reason as these images show:
Playscapes - All the Best Playgrounds are Here. Garden Decoration and Handicraft, 2009 - Page 21 - Landscaping - My beautiful garden online. Organic playground equipment. If you don't have trees to climb, then this certainly looks like the next best thing:
Niki Buchan (niki_buchan) on Pinterest. Images/Wonder.pdf. Www.pscalliance.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Perfect_play_spaceWEBv2.pdf. Claire Warden's Blog. The Green School Builds Beautiful Bamboo Bridge by Hand in Just Four Months! We have fawned over The Green School in Bali many times before, and they have wowed us once again.
Overseen by Indonesian firm PT Bamboo Pure, students and visitors constructed a bamboo bridge in only four months! The hand-built Millennium Bridge consists of 192 bamboo poles to symbolize the world’s numerous countries and was entirely funded by donations. The team not only used local materials, but also implemented ancient and traditional building techniques, including a lalang-alang thatched grass roof. The Green School is an international holistic learning center for people to visit and collect sustainable practices and principles. Our space: Story tables. What are story tables and why do we use it in our site?
Story tables are a rich litracy experience where children use props to sequence, recount and retell the story . They are exposed to concepts of print as they help create story tables of their own.Using story tables is an excellent tool for children with English as a second langauge as well as special rights, as they use the props and use verbal and non-verbal communication to tell the story.
The story tables can be a functional or factual book with props and adjuncts from the story, for children to retell the story or recreate the story their own way. Precious Childhood. Beacon Rise Playtime - What play at an OPAL Platinum School Looks Like. Therapeutic Landscapes Network. Remember when your mom used to tell you to "go outside and play?
" Unfortunately, that's not happening much anymore. Children, on average, spend less than 30 minutes a week in outdoor unstructured play. Children's contact with nature helps to ease attention-deficit disorder, aids cognitive development, enhances creativity, and reduces stress. And of course, with obesity at a critical level in this country, kids need to be running around outside now more than ever. Listed below are useful organizations, books, and articles. Kids play made too safe - expert. Culture of fear blamed for rules that stop children experiencing hard knocks Do you think kids play these days is too safe? Gallery. Reggio-inspired learning environments part 3. Silkwood Independent School. How to Create Irresistible Outdoor Play Spaces for your kids. Natural play spaces.
The BODY SMART Blog » Ideas for adding natural elements to your outdoor play space – Part 1. Just add sand. Did you ever dig a hole to China when you were a child? Children have always been intrigued by sand play. They dig in sand, sift it, build with it, pour it, enjoy the feel and smell of it, pretend with it, and explore how it moves. Stomping in the Mud. Awesome Outdoor Play Inspirations. The warmer days are here, and as the trees are filling with leaves and flowers begin to bloom, we ALL are wanting to spend more time outside. While in China, we are living on the 24th floor of an apartment building. Designing Early Childhood Australia. When I Play Outside I Am Learning.... Does this sound familiar? I receive many emails for advice like this one from teachers who are feeling the pressure to justify their play-based outdoor programs to parents, administrators or colleagues.
Lisa Murphy aka The Ooey Gooey Lady refers to these folk as 'wolves': Wolves ....desire to know the rationale for flubber, the developmentally appropriateness of ooblick, the reason for the hokey pokey...and seem to search incessantly for an overall justification of the importance of what we might call “play.” Wolves desire goals, objectives and activities that are aligned with standards, benchmarks and an assortment of desired results. - A Crash Course in the Language of the Wolves by Lisa Murphy. How to Set Up Natural Play Spaces in Your Own Back Yard. Childspace. Education review office comments: "Strengths evident in the centre are the positive relationships, the extent and depth of professional learning and self review, and the rich, age-appropriate experiences offered to children". Education Review Office, 2012 "The programme is flexible and learning is child-led.
Teachers notice children's interests and skills and determine when and how to intervene. Whiria te ao tamariki. Earlychildhood NEWS - Article Reading Center. Jan, a teacher in a toddler classroom, takes out two baskets of blocks and brings them to the middle of the room. Community Playthings Collage Newsletter. ChildCareExchange.com. Landscape for Learning: The Impact of Classroom Design on Infants and Toddlers. T & P PRESCHOOL EQUIPMENT. Bellbird Kid-Z specialises in the supply to Child Care, Day Care Centres, Kindergarten, Pre-School Centres, Play Groups, Family Day Care, and After School Programs: Art and Craft from primary school to studio art quality, Stationery for school & office us. Fresh Ideas for Outdoor Play. Risky play. Designing indoor environments - articles and resources from Community Playthings. Mmunity Playthings: Roomscapes. Creating places for birth to threes. An early childhood environment is many things.
Spaces: Room layout for 0–5 year olds.