September 14, 2008 09:25 AM EDT
(Updated: September 23, 2008 05:12 AM EDT)
By it's very nature, a kindergarten classroom is full of worthwhile activity. During Free Activity, I encourage the children to make individual choices. I love watching as the children engage their minds...some choose housekeeping while others choose big structures. Through play, children mimic the world around them. Come take a peek into
my classroom.
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Exploring shapes with attribute blocks.
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Constructing with pattern blocks.
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"What would you like for dinner, dear?"
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An artist in the makings!
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The children love the water table. Today, whales are swimming free.
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Ohhhh, this feels so good!
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Building with legos.
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"Wouldn't you like to have "free activity" too....where you get to choose what you want to do?"
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Comments: 70
Funny. You can't get me near one, now.
I am glad the children are allowed to make their own choices, I know Cam certainly LOVED housekeeping.
Cam DID love the housekeeping center. When are you going to "volunteer" in my room?
Friday went well, the kids sure are great.....it was fun watching the kids act like little monkeys on the playground.
I like the math games that they play, they are so neat, and keep the kids engaged, school has changed so much since I was in 1st grade!
I learned how to use the photocopy machine and Mrs. Leonard really is a great, great teacher and person :)
They loved the Castle, the Doctor's Office, the Store...special buildup sections - one a month, in addition to blocks, the water table, sand table...all of those...kindergarten was my favorite year, too.
Interesting to note that although kindergarten originated in Germany, - now, when kids begin school, they begin at grade 1 - though it is not even called grade one - it is just grammar school until grade 8, then gymnasium from age 13 until 19.
There is a kindergarten in Germany, but it is pre-school.
I think the American kindergarten is so very important for kids.
During free activity, children take responsibility for their own learning. During this period, I roam around the room, sitting down and engaging the children in conversation. Sometimes by asking the right questions I can extend their thinking.
In a few weeks I will be asking the children to plan their free activity, actually do it and then at the end, at circle, review their plans. What were you trying to do? How did it work? Did you run into any problems? What would you do differently? The children discuss what they did and how they liked it and what they learned from it.
You want to come back to kindergarten?
I'm with you....I would be in the lego center too. Funny, for about 30 years we had legos under our Christmas tree. It was a sad day in December when legos no longer found a home at our house.
I think kindergarten is everybody's favorite year. I think I am so fortunate to do it over and over again.
Perfect, Roy....you described the situation perfectly.
That the thing...if you set up the environment with "real" things that have numerous possibilities, children will be focused and engaged.
I bow to you. That is probably the biggest compliment a teacher can receive. You honor me with your trust.
You are GOOD. It is a coconut tree!
Then you certainly would have chosen my house to babysit. Will had every Star Wars set as well as the "Community sets...firehouse, hospital, school. Aaron, too, had the space sets as well as the Monorail. By the time Zach came along, Pirates were the choice. Being 12 years younger then Will and 8 years young then "A", he had all theirs too.
We spent a fortune on legos...but really we didn't buy too many other toys. Legos are open-ended....unlike most of the commercial toys you see advertised on TV. Legos NEVER go out of style.
Legos for me too!
Another vote for the Legos. :)
I DO LIKE TO TALK TO THEM! LOL No, really, language... expressing themselves is so important in today's world. Today, unlike forty years ago when I first started teaching, children spend the greater part of their day "watching" (TV), playing (video games) or outside, etc. with little discourse with adults. As a result their language skills have really suffered.
When does your little guy go to kindergarten? Next year?
We need to encourage independent thinking and making choices. Some children, in the first days of kindergarten, come to me and say, "I don't know what to do. Will you build something for me". Some say, "There's nothing for me to do." And others just dive in. It's really interesting to watch. I had one child say he really wanted to play in the shaving cream but he thought his Mom might get mad if he got it on his clothes. By the third week, almost everyone is getting involved and making independent decisions as to what to do.
I'm so glad Alana loves kindergarten....that is how it should be.
I appreciated your comment about full day kindergarten being too much. In his case, it would definitely be too much. He was still taking 2-3 hr naps every morning, Mon thru Fri, all summer. He doesn't sleep well at night and needs the nap during the day to catch up. When we got custody of Caty 3 yrs ago, she initially attended an ECEAP preschool program. The second year, she went to an all day kindergarten. She greatly benefited from the extra classroom time and being around kids more as she came from an extremely isolated background the first 4 yrs of her life.
Bless your heart... your kids are all soo cute and eager to learn... wonderful beginnings...
A Wonderful Photo Essay.
Some of my children, like Liam, find the all-day program exhausting. I do think we should offer both half time and full day kindergarten in our town. All three of my boys demanded a nap in the afternoon...Will especially.
Bridget: They are EXTREMELY BUSY!
Many options...just dive in.
I used to work in a preschool setting for school and it was always interesting to see where the children went.
Kids are amazing, Leah. I smiled when you said: "Isn't it wonderful to watch how each child can be given the exact same set of toys (or tools), but each will use them in a different way to express their own individuality and unique talents." Truer words were never spoken. The other day all the children were "exploring" a new math manipulative, cusinaire rods, and it was unbelievable to see all the different creations that were thought up.
Thanks for featuring this in the group, "Building With Blocks".
enjoyed this very much..
nice to see old fashioned blocks mixed in with cutting edge technology!