Imagine

And so a new school year has begun. This new beginning brings with it 14 capable and bright seniors, 10 sweet eager and playful three year olds and a new co-teacher that is truly thrilled and inspired every day to nurture, listen to and make art with this terrific group of preschoolers.  We started the school year off by talking about friendship. Some of us know each other well while others we are just getting to know.  The first art we made together was a painting that was done individually, side by side and then pressed together to make new paintings . The new creations were a little bit me and a little bit you. The paintings were done with  single primary colors for each child. The secondary color that emerged became the partners friendship color. While the art was being created the children were encouraged to ask each other a few basic questions to get to know one another better. The theme “Me alone, Me together” began to take shape.  Who am I? What thi...

“When I went to the beach I saw a turtle making circles around.” Leo “Turtles live in water and lakes.” Daniela   “Turtles sometimes live in oceans.” Dominic   “Mermaids live in the water.” Sadie   “Alligators live in water and sometimes they crawl out.” Leo “I’m making a rainbow turtle,” Penelope   “I’m making a megalodon  shark. They are the biggest sharks in the world!” Max “Who wants fish coffee!” Roy

Painting water.  “I’m painting the rain and the ocean”. Ada   “A rainbow mix of beautiful water”. Penelope   “Now it’s blue just like the ocean! Awesome!” Roy “I’m painting a waterfall. I’m painting with lighter blue to show splashing”. Lydia Where do we find water? “When it rains the puddle come and there’s water” Manu   “You find water in lakes”. Lucca “It comes from the sky”. Daniela   “There is water all over!” Lucca “Did you do red and yellow on top of each other?” Roy “Wow orange!” Dominic   “Does it look like mustard and ketchup?” Roy “It looks like hot lava”. Daniela   “Rivers have sand in them” Cece   “There is also plants on the bottom of the river.” Cece “The water is moving”. Daniela   “The water is flowing down”. Penelope  

The Reggio approach to education believes that the environment is the third teacher. In a recent staff enrichment meeting we discussed the topic of how children learn in depth. Where and how does learning happen? At Imagine we believe the environment should be rich with opportunities for children to discover and explore, with many possibilities for children to become inspired. The environment should be one that gives the children the freedom to form their own ideas about the world, and test their theories out. There should be plenty of time given for children to interact with each other, giving them many opportunities to share discovered knowledge with each other and the adults that share the space. The teacher, who is the second teacher (the parent being the first), is responsible for creating this environment. The environment reflects a classroom culture of kindness and respect. This space we  create places a strong emphasis on valuing the ideas, feelings, and creations of the ch...

We work  for weeks getting ready for graduation. There are invitations to make.... Caps and crowns to decorate.... There are many conversations to have......what does it mean to graduate?, who is graduating? Who will be seniors next year? Teachers have speeches to write and many details to consider and execute.... Congratulations to our amazing and beautiful seniors! Good luck on your next big adventure....