The Friction Factor

There is excitement, nerves, butterflies in the stomach, wonder, curiosity, and anticipation. The enormous potential of what is to come with the group of children coming together in a learning community is an amazing opportunity. I always find myself asking the following questions: How far will these children come?  What gifts does each child bring to the classroom?  What can I offer as an educator to these families and children? The weight of facilitating a child’s development can be scary, but the power of the profession and what educators provide to children is incredible and one to be proud of! Setting the pace, the expectations, and the mood for the year ahead is an important first step to a successful start-up. First impressions to children matter. They need to feel safe, secure, and that they belong. Without these positive elements considered, behaviors, emotions, and uncertainty spiral in a classroom, making reaching a child’s full potential difficult. There are some ways beyond the classroom setup and prep that will help facilitate a positive experience and a great start to your year. Routines and Schedules Following the child’s lead in programming is an important element to quality early childhood experiences. However, there is a fine line between uncontrolled chaos and that of a well managed, productive program, that honors the child and their development. Letting children do whatever they please, whenever they want may in the short term appear to work as the children are happy and you are not fighting to gain their attention and direct them. However, given a few days and weeks, this method turns a classroom to chaos and the educator becomes the referee trying to manage behaviors and redirect children. While the children may appear happy in the short-term, the long-term impact of this structure does not allow for a positive learning experience.  Routines and schedules can exist in a program that honors the child and follows the lead of the child. Children thrive with developmentally appropriate structures, routines, and expectations. It takes the uncertainty out of what comes next and allows children to know the rhythm of their day. The important part of this is keeping in mind a developmentally appropriate structure. This does not mean a 20-minute whole group time for 3-year-olds for example. Instead, focus on the rhythm of the day. For example, the day may start with quiet centers or activity bags, proceed into a morning meeting for 5 minutes, lead into free exploration time and then into a whole group learning activity. The balance between child-led exploration and teacher-directed exploration is important. Small increments of teacher-led time balanced with longer child-led activity time or exploration allows for a rhythm to form in the classroom.  While the length of each portion of your schedule may change during the year as children grow and mature, the routine and rhythm of the day will stay consistent. At the start of the year, you may read a book at morning meeting. However, at the start of the year this may last for 2 pages of the book whereas later in the year you can get through a whole book with the children in one sitting. The importance is that the educator is tuned into the children’s development and attention span, while continuing in this structure and routine. The day becomes predictable, and the children know that they can sit on the carpet for 5 minutes because after that they get to play, explore, or be hands-on once again. This control and rhythm allow children to feel confident, secure, and comfortable within the classroom so that they are set up for success to learn.  Introducing Loose Parts If you are a program that utilizes loose parts in your space, this is an area that is worth considering as new children enter the space. Loose parts are not the typical toys and games that children are used to experiencing and interacting with at home. Therefore, this too is a new experience for them. While some children will take to the loose parts without a pause, others will wander the room pondering what to do with this “stuff” and where the toys are. This learning phase is one that is worth the short period of time it takes to adjust, as the benefits for the child’s creativity and critical thinking that comes from exploring loose parts is tenfold.  Consider starting small with the number of items you have offered on shelving. Too many loose parts can be overwhelming when starting out. A few well-placed baskets of loose parts on some shelving, a small variety of loose parts set next to a book the provokes the interest of children, and some items like a wind tunnel with scarves or ramps and balls are usually enough to get the children interested in something and give a good base. Items can then be introduced as the children feel more settled and comfortable in the room.  The limited quantity in the room also helps the all too common problem of the dump and runners. You know, the children that take a basket out, play with it for 10 seconds, dump the entire thing, and then are off to the next basket to do the same thing? With limited items out, this gives the educator the time to set boundaries and expectations for the children. Another way of encouraging children in this time to slow down and engage with an item rather than dumping and running is to ask them, “What is your plan?” Before releasing children to explore and play, ask them this question. By doing this, children slow down and consider what their plan is, which often results in them staying at a space for a longer length of time. If a child continues to buzz from one activity to the next, slow them down and coach them through making a plan and how to follow through with that plan before releasing them on their own to follow through with this deeper level of play. One hesitation that educators often have is to leave a few familiar toys in the mix like small cars, plastic people toys, and other familiar toys to children. I encourage you to take these out of the room right from the start. By leaving these items in, they are the items that children will be drawn to immediately as they are predictable, known, and safe; they act as a crutch to the child. By taking these items away, children are guided towards playing and engaging with the loose parts, which allows the process of interacting with these items to happen much faster and more naturally. Focus on Social-Emotional While you may be eager to teach and expose the children to every learning opportunity possible, as quickly as possible in the year, I caution you to slow down. Especially this year when we are trying to find our footing during this pandemic, children need to feel safe and secure outside of their home before you can push the academics. This method of going slow to go fast can cause educators to become antsy because they feel as though nothing is being accomplished and the children are not learning anything. By slowing down, spending time getting to know them, giving them time to learn about the people around them, and learning how to navigate this new space, you will be able to teach the academic skills that much faster. The academic knowledge ends up being comparable in the end, but with the slower approach, you have honored the children in your program.  There is always the push-down effect that educators feel from where the child is going next. What if they are not ready for First Grade? What if they don’t know all of their letters and sounds by the time they go to Kindergarten? The questions and doubts are endless. What you must remember is that the school year is 10 months long. 10 months is a long period of time for development and growth. Year-end goals are not meant to be accomplished in the first month of programming, and that child even at the end of the year, is not meant to be able to complete and accomplish the next years goals of development. Slow down and honor the time that these children are in. I always ask educators to think about a First Grade class. As the teacher of that classroom, would you rather receive a class full of children that are social-emotionally competent and know how to critically think and work collectively; or would you rather receive a class full of children that have a sprinkle of base-level academic skills but constantly fight and behavior management takes up all of your time? Almost 100% of the time, a teacher will answer that they would rather have a class full of children that are well-adjusted and can critically think because they can teach the academic skills so much faster with that group. So take the time to go slow with these children and honor who they are in that moment, not who they will be next month or next year.

Welcoming families, whether new or returning to a childcare or school environment, is an important first step any year. However, as we embark on this year following uncertainty with the global pandemic, making a safe, welcoming, and trusting environment for children and their families is more important than ever before. While some children continued to attend childcare throughout the pandemic, others have lived most of their life within the confines of their own home with their own families, not being exposed to others. Entering an early childhood environment may seem overwhelming for them and their parents, however we as educators can help ease this transition without compromising the quality of education and experiences.    Creating Familiar Spaces When setting up a space I always encourage educators to take a step back and get to a child’s level. The space you are creating is big to these little people. Seeing it from an adult level is vastly different from a child’s perspective. Get on your knees and take a true look around your room while asking the following questions: Does it seem welcoming?  Can I tell what I am supposed to do in each area of the room?  Is there a safe space for me to go?  Do I feel like I belong here?  If your answer to any of these is no, or if any cause you to hesitate, I encourage you to rework the area. When children feel safe, like they belong, and that they have purpose in the space, their ability to learn and engage increases vastly while negative behaviors dramatically decrease. The initial work to change the space will repay itself tenfold in the long run.  One way to create an environment that feels safe and secure to children, is to make it feel like home. Home offers a sense of comfort and familiarity to children and offering this little piece of security to children gives them a place to settle into the new space. Bold colors with an overwhelming amount of choices, materials, and stimulation put a child’s sensory input into overdrive before they even begin to learn. Keeping the environment neutral and being intentional with room design and materials is an important first step in a successful program. While the spaces highlighted below are not exhaustive, they are some key areas to focus and begin with in transforming your space.     Dramatic Play The area when setting up a classroom I always start with is the Dramatic Play center. This is the hub of a classroom space and offers a familiar space to children. When you think of a home, where do most people gather? The answer is usually the kitchen. Take this thought as guidance when setting up your classroom. Rather than putting the center in a corner, I encourage you to place it in the middle of your room, if your room allows. This placement allows the kitchen in dramatic play to be the hub of your classroom and usually allows for more children to access the area.  Ensure that there are familiar items such as plates, cups, bowls, utensils, pots, and food, but limit the number of items so that it does not become overwhelming. Limiting the quantity also encourages sharing, language development between peers, and reduces the famous dump and run phenomenon that always occurs at the start of the year. Other items you may want to consider in this space are items such as baby dolls with clothes, a table to sit and eat, and a clipboard with a pencil to take orders or make a shopping list.      Reading Corner Once the Dramatic Play area is set up, it becomes easier to begin to think through the other areas of your room. Naturally, the Dramatic Play space is going to have a constant hum of noise and hustle and bustle to it, this is important to consider when thinking through what should be set up surrounding it. Setting up a Reading Corner off to the side of Dramatic Play, preferably by natural light, allows for the flow of the home environment to continue, as this area acts like the living room for the home. Placing these two centers within close proximity allows for children to flow from one space to the next allowing for more creativity, collaboration, and inspiration.  When setting up your Reading Corner it is important to consider comfortable seating, and home like touches such as lamps, pillows, or throws, if health regulations allow. These are all touches that add to the home type feeling of the space. While books are fantastic, limit their number so that they are displayed neatly and are easy to access. Too many books make this space cluttered, and the choices seem overwhelming and almost daunting to children. In addition, consider having a shelf in this area that has loose parts, puzzles, or small manipulatives that encourage quiet play and engagement. Not all children know how to read or enjoy reading, so providing these types of materials in this space welcomes all children and gives them a purpose for being in the space. These small manipulatives and loose parts also allow children to re-enact scenes from a story providing you and your colleagues a means to get a better sense of their level of understanding.     Whole Group One important area in a room that takes up considerable space is the Whole Group area. While this is not used as a space where whole group teaching occurs for long periods of time in younger classrooms, it is an important area as it allows for gathering as a community. Consider placing your Whole Group area in a corner or where shelving can help to partition the area off. This allows the space to have a begin and end point so that the big space does not seem as vast to children. This area should have a carpet or softer flooring to allow for blocks, ramps, and other building materials to be located and engaged with. The carpeting or soft flooring allows for crashing blocks to fall without quite as much noise and disruption. This softer flooring or carpeting also increases the comfort for children. I always encourage adults to sit on the floor with the children as when their bum begins to go numb or they are uncomfortable, it means the children are uncomfortable too. They have been held too long at carpet time, and it’s time to get them moving again.  Adding in a few pictures of buildings as a provocation, measuring tapes, or clipboards in this area add to the educational value of this area. In addition, consider how loose parts such as wooden balls, wooden rings, gems, or items such as cork or cardboard can add to the creations. These items are all easy to introduce to the area and take a child’s building with blocks to the next level.     Hide Away As much fun as an early childhood classroom can be, children need safe spaces to retreat to. Providing a cozy cube, tent, or space that is designed to be quiet and comforting is important. This acts much like a child’s bedroom at home. They know that it is there, it is safe, and they can retreat to it when they need to. This space should be located away from noisy areas so that it allows for an opportunity of escape. Placing this in a space that is next to a table, an easel, or in a corner, usually provides some protection for this area. While it is a space to retreat to, providing quiet items such as loose fabric pieces, small wooden log pieces, or other open-ended loose parts allow for the child to tinker in various ways while they are in this quiet space and encourage the re-entry into play when they are ready. Offering these types of materials also makes it a welcoming space rather than a cold and isolated space that feels more like a space of punishment.    Overall Special Touches Small touches in a classroom are just as important as the bigger details. These small details are what takes a classroom from a sterile environment to a welcoming one.  Start with lighting in your room. Consider how much natural light you have. Florescent lighting is harsh and overwhelming for most adults, let alone children. If you have the option to use natural light, lamps, or dimmable lighting, consider turning off the fluorescent lights. This lighting change can take a room that is operating in a heightened state, immediately into a state that is calmer and ready to engage and learn. If you do not have any option other than fluorescent lighting, try turning off half or sections of the lighting. Adding inexpensive picture frames to your classroom with pictures of the child and their family gives an instant sense that they belong. Try and ask parents to send you a picture of their child or family before the first day of school and have this in a frame within the classroom. There are no words to express the joy on the child’s face when they discover their family in the room. They instantly feel they belong in this space and that this space is theirs. Greenery is another addition, whether artificial or real, that adds to the visual appeal of the room. While you want to be careful not to overwhelm the room so that it becomes a jungle, a few small plants intentionally placed can make a big impact.   Conclusion Overall, setting up a classroom space is one of the key pieces to starting your program off on the right foot. It is one that takes time but is worth it. I encourage you to be intentional with all the things that you place in your room, little or big. If it does not serve a purpose, do not have it in your room. If you keep the child’s perspective in mind while creating your space and build the space from their viewpoint, you will be left with a child-friendly space that is welcoming, warm, and inviting.

“Art is the queen of all sciences communicating knowledge to all the generations of the world. ”- Leonardo DaVinci Walking into my kitchen early one morning, all I see is a mass (and mess) of curly brown leaning over a small table. Upon closer inspection, my 3-year-old daughter is feverishly drawing something magical. My daughter looks up at me, smiles and tells me this is her “new invention-art-masterpiece-blueprint.”  She is wearing a shirt that reads “Forget princess, I want to be an astrophysicist.” My daughter is now 7-years-old and still wears that shirt. At first glance, it is supposed to make people smile and cheer, “Yes! You go girl!” When my daughter gets asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She replies: artist, singer, dancer, scientist, inventor. Some people respond to her by saying, “You can’t be all of those things, they are nothing alike." We respond to the naysayers  “those professionals are intimately related and as a scientist and inventor my daughter is also an artist.” The skills need to thrive in both the STEM and Arts fields are very similar. These include being a risk-taker, brave, curious, filled with a sense of wonder, having a passion for discovering the unknown, and creating something new.  In early childhood education educators support children in growing their skills and confidence to become independent problem solvers. We encourage them to ask meaningful questions about the world around them, all while taking appropriate risks. These are skills used in the STEM fields as well as the arts. There is a significant intersection between art and STEM, and educators can create spaces in which they are not seen as separate endeavors. Consider the role of engineers. They are tasked with discovering and creating solutions for real world problems. At the heart of the solution, the engineer must also consider the human element, including the aesthetic component. No one wants to live in a city where all the buildings and structures are ugly. Think of the Rialto Bridge in Venice. It solves a problem, connecting two pieces of land across a waterway, and yet is beautiful and visually stunning. A great example of art and engineering working together in harmony. Using ramps with cars and paint can be a way to visually support young children in learning about physics. I wrote a blog post about this example on my website.   Taking a closer look at nature can highlight the intersectionality of STEM and art. Butterflies are a perfect illustration of concepts used both in art and math: symmetry, patterns, and shapes. Educators can reframe and shift their thinking about STEM and art to create environments that hold space for both to work together seamlessly. Here are a few strategies to get you started on your journey: Scientific Inquiry Questions Scientific inquiry questions are a great way to encourage children to “think further”. Challenge yourself in all types of situations (art and STEM) to ask children questions such as:  I wonder what will happen if/when we do...?  What do you think will happen when…?  How do you think…?  These types of questions can be used when experimenting with art, “What do you think will happen when we mix the yellow and blue paint together? Do you have a hypothesis?” Exposing children to scientific inquiry questions from an early age will not only encourage them to ask those questions, but will also increase their comfort level with a scientific process way of thinking.   Vocabulary Make a point of using technical terms relating to STEM and art in the classroom everyday. Try using one new term every week or every other week. Put the word and the definition on the wall to remind yourself to use it.  Examples velocity, incline, speed, compare, contrast, estimate, gravity, perspective, shade (related to colors), sort, classify, visualization, medium (types of materials being used), rapid, vigorous, parallel, symmetry, symmetrical, pattern Using technical vocabulary with scientific inquiry questions: I see you are using vigorous, rapid brush strokes to paint your picture, I wonder what would happen if you used soft slow brush strokes? Keep in mind not to interrupt a child’s thinking or learning. Wait for an appropriate time to question, observe and have a conversation with children. Changing our mindset of looking at art and STEM as an “and” instead of “or” can help support children in early childhood education to develop the 21st century skills needed to succeed.  Join Natalie and Kodo Kids this Fall to explore intersectionality of STEM and Art.