topic 7 managing a kindergarten - space and equipment

The University of Choice

Chapter 5.1: Managing

Small Business

Managing A Kindergarten


Setting Up A Kindergarten

• You Will Need:ClassroomSturdy bookshelves (no taller than 36 inches high)

Area rug

Age appropriate activities such as puzzles, large wooden blocks, large scale clock, play-dough and tools, lacing cards (just to name a few)

Various toys such as an electronic cash register, plastic food, small table and chairs (not included with your class table and chairs), cars and trucks, collection of plastic animals, cloth puppets (just to name a few)

Easy access containers

Tables and chairs


Set Up Learning Centers

Learning centers are very important to the classroom set up. Think of them as little rooms inside of the classroom. Having a specific area for a child to go to for a specific activity keeps them focused and helps you with organization and clean-up. When a child is in a learning center, they should be exploring, imagining and engaging in play with other students.

Standard learning centers in kindergarten should be limited to block center, housekeeping center, science and discovery center, book center and art center. Items in the centers should promote creativity and imagination.

Block Center:

The Block Center should include various sizes of wooden blocks, train track and train, cars and trucks. If you have enough room, it would be a great addition to the block center if you would have a

wood working bench incorporated into the area.

The University of ChoiceMaterial/Equipment

Selection CriteriaMeet the developmental needs of the children

Developmental level and capabilities

Usefulness in meeting the developmental needs.

Versatility - open-ended material / equipments.

Safety.

Suitability – developmental level.

Stereotype – used equally for all children. (gender factor)

Special needs – universal design, tactile, child-sized, etc.

Ease of maintenance.

Aesthetics – attractive and enhance creativity.

10. user preference – children not teacher.


Housekeeping Center:

In the Housekeeping Area, a small table and at least two chairs should be available for the children who would like to "play house". The Housekeeping Center is also where dramatic play dress up outfits will be kept. Store the dress up clothes on a clothes rack or in a trunk. Here is also where you'll keep plastic food and dolls to be played with.

Science Center:

The contents of the Science and Discovery Center should be ever-changing according to the theme of your lesson. If you are studying autumn leaves, provide the children with a basket full of leaves, pine cones and acorns. The Science and Discovery Center is a great place to store sand and water boxes. Simply fill a plastic storage container with sand and another with water. Provide water toys for the children to play in the water.


Book Center:

The Book Center should be stocked with a wide assortment of books for the children's enjoyment. Purchase books on tape or cd and provide a headset for the children to listen to. In order to create a calm and cozy atmosphere for reading, you can also add a few oversize pillows and stuffed animals.

Art Center:

In the Art Center, drawing paper should be made accessible to your students. Provide community crayons and markers as well as scrap paper to glue and cut. While coloring books should not be the focused activity in the art center, one or two should be made available for the children to color in.


Set Up Circle Time

The circle time area is equivalent to the family room or dining room of the home; it is where the whole class comes together and where all the action takes place. Decorate the area with a calendar, birthday chart, color, letter and number charts and theme information according to the lesson plan. The circle time area should be an open area that will have room enough

for the children to sit on the area rug and not be crowded when listening to a story or moving to music.

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Set Up Seating Arrangements

Kindergarteners should sit in an area of the room where they can see the teacher or the board at all times. Kindergarten children should sit at tables as opposed to desks only because

it is easier for the teacher to work with a group of students when they are not confined to a single row of desks.

Decorations

Kindergarten classrooms should be decorated with updated and colorful pictures. Make the room bright and friendly. Children love to see their names, so incorporate the names of the children when planning bulletin boards.


Criteria In planning the infrastructure of a preschool centre

1. Movement

Children’s need for movement is supported and encouraged. Creating spaces where children are challenged to use their

large muscles reduces the likelihood that they will seek such opportunities elsewhere in the classroom, injuring themselves or disturbing other children’s play in the process. To help convey the possibilities within a given space, we have to consider texture, sound and light.



2. Comfort

Many early classroom are visually chaotic whereby the walls are full with decorations and the classes are noisy. These conditions make children unable to focus on any one aspect of the environment. To let the children take the information and

learn effectively, the teacher should provide some blank space on the walls, use soft background music. Children must feel secure if they are to function fully and attain their potential. Teacher should give personal space for lunch time, personal locker and provide adequate lighting and easy access to play yard, lunch room library so as to reduce anxiety.



3. Competence

The feelings of security and competence come from knowing where things are. It is important to introduce new materials or

rearranging a space in order to promote the feeling of competence. Older children can participate in the decisions about the changes and learn a great deal in the process.



4. Control

In order to control the use of materials, the child is taught where to use the material and to return it to its rightful place on the shelf when finished. Additionally, the materials are arranged on the shelves in a sequential order of difficulty.



5. Aesthetic Quality of Space

Care is needed to ensure that all of the color harmonize and create an aesthetically pleasing environment. The impact of the environment’s aesthetic quality on human interactions and perceptions is supported by Maslow’s study. The findings showed people working in ‘ugly room’ had more negative feeling toward their work.


OUTDOOR EQUIPMENTS

THANK YOU

topic 7 managing a kindergarten - space and equipment

Documents

science center

block center

discovery center

art center

university of choice

children developmental

housekeeping area

developmental needs