Our “new” toddlers’ classroom

February 3, 2016February 3, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Coming back from christmas holidays, we decided we need some changes. Everything changes in toddlers class, we become older and our needs change, too.

So, we decided to accordingly adjust our surrounding, thus our classroom. At first we added more loose parts. Loose parts like wooden blocks, ribbons and clothes, items that can be used to create anything children may imagine.

Everyone got excited with this decision. Children immediately became interested in new material.

Elvira used two wooden blocks to ski and then put them together to form a skateboard! I was so excited by the way she adjusted her movement, depending on the sport she was supposed to perform!

Eleni turned ribbons into the big tongue of a whale.

Moreover, Bill turned to be a superhero with magic glasses made out of ribbons, too.

I think loose parts’ play introduced toddlers into a new way of thinking and playing, and I observed that from the very first day, in our “New classroom”!

(by Evangelia Nteka, teacher in toddlers’ class in Athens)

“Well done for choosing the book by yourself!”

January 31, 2016February 1, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

One day in toddlers’ class, Cynthia decided to read a story for her friends.

She chose two books and asked Helen: «Helen, which one do you want to read?” Helen chose one of them and Cynthia said: «Well done Helen for choosing the book by yourself!»

Then, children sat in a circle and Cynthia started “reading” the book. All were listening carefully and of course at the end had questions. But Cynthia, had all the answers!

(by Jenny Diamantopoulou, teacher in toddlers’ class in Athens)

Children are always right, even when we think they are wrong…

January 27, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Sometimes we, educators, make mistakes…

One day, in our beloved yard, Chrysi got a cart, turned it upside down and tried to climb on it.

I hastily said “Chrysi, that’s not right“. She, however, stepped on it and proudly started playing by turning cart into a slide. The game started and Christos came to claim his turn.

All I had to say then was “next please!“. Chrysi’s “wrong” use of the cart turned out to be the right game!

(by Maria Gryllaki, teacher in babies’ class in Athens)

Like a good rock band

January 19, 2016January 19, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Babies discovered plenty of empty tomato cans in our yard and decided to create noise!

Used various toys and a paint brush as drum sticks….

They even composed a song. And after finishing their show, like a good rock band, packed instruments into the car and drove away….

(by Anastasia Kouroubali, teacher in babies’ class in Athens)

How does it rain? Let’s experiment!

January 6, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

In school bus kids started a discussion about how does water gets included into the clouds and where does it come from?

First, we noted on paper our thoughts and thought about the continuous circular movement of water. We talked about the global water cycle and wrote down the phrase, in Greek.

Afterwards, we experimented over the phenomenon of condensation and found out that our breath is hot air. Blurring the windows of the school bus with our breaths, helped us realize how air changes into liquid.

Then we played by creating patterns on the windows. Some children recognized the same happens in their bathroom.

The experimentation thrilled children and their interest continued at home. So, Despina brought us a photo she took out of the experiment she made in home with a glass and ice cubes.

We also studied the opposite phenomenon, evaporation, in which water is converted into air. We all remembered, from our daily life, when mom spreads out wet clothes to dry. At the same time we threw water on our trousers to see what happens and how quickly it dries.

Back in class, school bus children continued to experiment on evaporation during cleaning the blackboard with a wet sponge. They wrote something on the board using the wet sponge and shortly after it was lost! Rest children of the class liked the experiment and asked to write with a wet sponge, too. As you can imagine, we ended having the cleanest blackboard in school!!

(by Eleni Triantafyllopoulou, bus school teacher in Athens)

Ophthalmology class in school bus (II)

January 3, 2016 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

After the experience children had in school bus with Spyridoula’s eye glasses, they asked me if I can see clearly while not wearing mine.

I replied that when not in glasses, I use eye-lenses. Next day, I gave them a pair of lenses to come in contact with. They touched them, smell them and realized that after a while they got dry.

So, I told them to place them into their own case with the special liquid and lenses became wet and resilient again.

Since then, every time that I don’t wear glasses, children look into my eyes and try to “locate” my lenses.

(by Chrysa Vaitsi, cross-class projects’ coordinator in Athens school)

Creating a loose parts’ springboard!

December 28, 2015 / dorothysnot / Leave a comment

Andreas, a kindergarten kid, had the brilliant idea to create a springboard using loose parts, particularly old tires arranged in a pile and a pallet, serving as a ladder).

First step was to collect all the items needed for his idea. Second one was setting up his construction and testing, while the final step was…. the actual game!

In a few minutes, all pre-K and kindergarten class formed a long queue in order to jump off this makeshift springboard!

Its one more time I see waste material (items with no practical use from an adult’s point of view) to become the center of children’s outdoor play. Kids only add imagination and ingenuity- so easy for them!