Environment as
the Third Teacher
The classroom environment sets the stage for the children's learning. It is a crucial and integral part of daily life in an early learning environment. The space should be inviting, open, colorful, orderly, and aesthetically pleasing. At OECC, we believe that the children should be comfortable in the classroom.
We fill the rooms with real furniture, natural light, rugs and lamps so that our classrooms feel more intimate and less institutionalized. Everything should have its place and the children should be able to access all materials freely.
The classroom should act as a blank slate for the children to fill with their ideas and stories and work areas should be open-ended rather than have a predetermined function. The space should reflect the needs and interests of the children and should evolve over time.
Our toddler and preschool classrooms have some elements in common.
All classrooms contain:
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a group meeting area for stories and group discussions
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a construction area large enough for ample building and storage of works in progress
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an art area full of paper, crayons, markers, stamps, paint, glue and scraps of other materials
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a dress-up or dramatic play area (which may fluctuate depending on the interests of the children in the classroom)
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a sensory table/water table of which the contents change frequently
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a reading area with books that are rotated often and support the current inquiry
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a quiet area for when a child prefers to be alone
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tables for puzzles, manipulatives, group work and provocations
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a designated area with playdough, flubber, cloud dough and other tactile materials that rotate frequently and tools that build fine motor control such as rollers, scissors, mallets, tongs, etc.
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a science area for where children can explore plants, animals, magnets and other science interests
The outdoor space is also included in this conversation. After all, the outdoors is merely an extension of the classroom. The interests of the classroom should be visible in the outdoor space as well. Often times materials from inside make their way outside and back.
Children may be inspired by the same materials in a different setting. For instance, taking a small kitchen out to the sand yard may inspire children to create mud pies and cakes from wet sand.
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Perhaps, most importantly, the environment should support the work of the children without constant adult guidance and intervention. The environment should offer enough provocation and interest to fuel the children's learning without the direct help from the teachers.
It should invite wonder, curiosity and investigation and as a result breed learning.