It is almost mid-September, so most preschool classrooms have been ‘set up’ for the year, but here are some thoughts on creating appropriate classrooms and spaces that take into account the basics.

Basically – Set up your room keeping in mind the basic growth areas of any good curriculum – Body, Mind, and Spirit.

Body – Physically, the room must be a place of safety and logical arrangement of space. The furniture and equipment must be in good condition and of age appropriate size and shape (so there’s no digestion of Play Doh or Legos up the nose). The spaces must be organized with simple common sense – separating Active & Quiet and Messy & Clean; locating activities that call for liquids (water tables & art) close to sink or water source; and making sure carpeting and area rugs are safely used.

Mind – Educationally, the room can be divided into what most teachers call ‘Learning Centers’, which usually match the educational skill objectives the program has for the children. Traditionally these are things like Fine Motor, Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies, & Art, designated by names like Writing, Library, Manipulatives, Discovery, Blocks, Home Life, and Art. It is of no consequence at all what these Centers are called except for their use in building skills of memory and organization – the magnifiers may and should be used all over the place, indoors and out, but at the end of the day, knowing to put them back in the “Discovery Center” is a fairly valuable skill.

Please remember that Learning Centers should be used only for organization of storage and display rather than Centers of Attaining Educational Objectives. Learning in the areas mentioned above occurs all over the room, the playground, the campus, and the neighborhood, not only in a specific Learning Center.

What is important is not WHERE children learn, but HOW they are allowed and encouraged to learn through the Learning Methods – Movement, Sensory Exploration, Manipulation, Construction, Role Play, and Expression.

Spirit – For Emotional and Social development, the room should have spaces for individual, small group, and whole group work and should have a Safe Place for children who need a moment of peace – NOT A TIME OUT, PUNISHMENT, OR NAUGHTY SPOT!

I like  a curriculum called Lakemont. Here are their “rules” about Classy Classrooms:

• Rooms must be appealing to THE CHILDREN (not teacher, parent, or Pinterest).
• Less Disney Décor and more Kid Creations
• More natural and raw materials and fewer ‘one-use’ toys so children can imitate, imagine, create, and truly learn
• Less “stuff” on the shelves so choices are evident but not overwhelming (and therefore of greater value, brain-wise)
• More age appropriate ‘loose parts’ of ALL KINDS
• Fewer primary-colored plastic things
• BOOKS AND WORDS IN EVERY CENTER