play

We do not cook to learn, but we learn so much while cooking in toddlers’ class!

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Cooking is one of kids most favorable activities in school. Apart from being a great life-derived play, cooking assists toddlers to get acquainted with a good number of skills.

Getting in touch with math, for example, in the age of 2.5 y.o is greatly achieved through cooking. Children start to understand what does it mean “two spoonful of sugar” or “4 eggs”.

Their fine motor skills also are greatly enhanced, as well as their decision making skills. “Which goes first, the oil or the cheese?” The purpose is not to give them answers, but encourage them to think for themselves.

As it always goes on play: we do not cook to learn, but we learn so much while cooking!

“What is in a TV?”

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Everyday, children bring in school questions and ideas arising from their own life. For example, they all have in home displays and other IT equipment but hardly ever have the chance to find out how do those things look, from inside.

So, whenever this question comes in school, and the truth is it comes quite often, we just give them old pieces of HW and screwdrivers, to find out on their own. It’s always so much fun!

International Fairy Tea Party Day 2017

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On International Fairy Tea Party Day we went on a hunt for fairies and found all the evidence we need to prove that fairies do exist!

After reading a story about a naughty fairy, we looked for fairy signs.

Flowers where fairies like to sleep.

Acorns they like to eat

Fairy rings

And wands they use to turn anyone in anything they want.

After spending the whole day tracking them we decided to dance in a circle to call for them.

They didn’t appear but they left a surprise for us instead. They filled the place with colors!

And sprinkled fairy dust all around

They even gave us wings to fly

They also left a book for us to read.

After reading it we act out the story and threw a fairy tea party in their honor.

What better way to celebrate the wonderful world of nature all around us?

While sparking their imagination, children exercised their tracking skills and learned how to spot the tell-tale signs of fairies.

(by Claire Hadjinikolaou, our English language teacher)

Playworker Meynell Walter on “When Should Adults Intervene in Children Play?”

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In May 2017, Meynell visited Dorothy Snot school in Athens to participate in the opening event of our new, bigger school.

Given the chance, we organized a public discussion on “What is Play?” in our old school’s garden.

Meynell gladly shared his experience and wisdom with us! Get a taste of what happened by watching the following video:

Let it snow in Athens!

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Living in a hot Mediterranean city like Athens, snow is a rare  thing to see, downtown. But today, it was one of these days!

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Being unfamiliar with snowy weather, the Municipality of Athens advised all schools to remain closed. However, a brave play-based school like Dorothy Snot is not afraid of some snow flakes!

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The sure thing is our kids loved it. Being able to play with snow in the heart of the city is such an unusual experience down here. Not to mention that most of our 4 and 5 y.o. had not ever seen Athens in white!

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Play in life-derived conditions is always the most exciting thing for children. And we are dedicated to keep providing this kind of play!

Risky Play

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Toddlers class (2-3 y.o.) is usually the point in time for children to start experimenting physically. They feel strong now and ready to take risks.

Here, risky play gets into the picture. Of course, we do not encourage children in school to jump out of the windows! But, on the other hand, we do not either overprotect them when  seem ready and confident to take the extra mile…

Watch Dimitris in the following video, to consciously explore how it feels to fell!

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

Pop up basketball play in kindergarten

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“Let’s play basketball” someone said… And so, kindergarten kids just constructed a pop up basket from used tires!

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They arranged by themselves a shooting order and patiently waited for their turn. They were little puzzled about how to get the ball out of this basket and needed to come up with some original solutions.

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Through this spontaneous yard play, kindergarten children accomplished a bunch of educational milestones by themselves, just being based on pleasure and joy! Priceless….

(by Ioanna Eleftheriou & Stavroula Gaoutsi, teachers in our Athens kindergarten)