“There are three teachers of children: adults, other children, and their physical environment.” – Loris Malaguzzi
Loris Malaguzzi is the founder of the Reggio Emilia approach to early education and his work highlights the importance of the environment in learning. The organization and design of school space matters!
At Wee Friends we are very aware of the impact of the environment on learning. Here are just a few examples of the ways in which the WF environment enhances learning as a “third teacher.”
This afternoon, friends got out the readily available cake material and worked together to build it. This led to counting the numbers on the cake out loud; there was lots of excitement upon reaching 10! Friends had ample space to work and build and know where materials are located.
A library full of easily accessible books at children’s level, along with comfortable and well-lit reading spaces encourages lots of reading.
Ample “loose parts” such as logs, buckets and tubes entices friends to work their gross motor skills and experiment with the movement of both their bodies and objects.
The environment is important! WF teachers are always observing and looking for ways to improve and enhance our physical spaces. For an interesting take on the concept of the “third teacher” check out this book, The Third Teacher, filled with practical ideas to improve the environments in which children learn.
Kindergarten: Today the kindergarteners worked with a game similar to “chomp” but with shapes. After pulling a shape from the jar, we discussed its attributes (number of sides, vertices, etc.) But watch out, if you get the chomp/oops shape, you have to put all the shapes back! This was such an engaging activity we brought it down to the art table so other friends could join too.
Have a wonderful day! –Jessica
Wee Sprouts: Tomatoes. Breakfast: Kashi’s Blueberry Clusters and fresh strawberries. Lunch: Whole wheat tortillas with cream cheese and lunch meat, cucumbers/tomatoes and fresh pears. Snack: Homemade granola with cheddar cheese.
