In the block/train area of our carpet I think there are a lot of very intentional, thoughtful questions I could ask that would help to spark some big thinking! I love the idea of asking them why something didn't work if a tower falls, or a train gets derailed. That is a great jumping off point for asking how they will do things differently the next time they build. In a similar way, I love engaging with the kids as to why they built something a certain way or what purpose their building has. What is going on in your castle, or what is your train transporting? This could bring in more imaginative play to their building and get them feeling really creative!

Our school is operating in summer camp mode for one more week, and the last few weeks we have focused on themes of storytelling. So, in our dramatic play area today I have very intentionally been engaging and extending in longer, more in depth conversations! Asking the kids about the characters and roles they are inhabiting is not only exciting and fun for me but seems to help them build confidence in their decisions and makes sure they are seen and heard on more than a surface level. In addition, it is an area that is full of plenty of vocabulary building opportunities when commenting on what their jobs are or the tools they are using. I am a big proponent of addressing and conversing with children on a similar level as one would any other person, and they are capable of so much when they feel that level of respect and engagement.

The block area of our room is one of the first areas that I thought of when watching this week’s video, as it seems that it gets constant play and consistently draws the same kids in. However, I do think it could be updated to better engage students that don’t usually frequent this section of the class. It is very easily accessible to kids and contains multiple different kinds of blocks, making it great for self-reliance and independence. I will say that some types of blocks don’t seem to get played with as much as others, so I wonder if those are a victim of having too many options and would benefit from being rotated in or out after a period of time. Finally, I think a great way to spark even more creativity is adding a new kind of material to the area, specifically cars or figures. This would be a great way to expand the types of structures the kids build! I look forward to examining the different sections of the classroom with more of this purposeful engagement in mind.

One plan that my other teacher and I have about redesigning our room is making the activities that we put out on some of the tables more geared towards building self-reliance and independence. This week's video was helpful in realizing that intentionality is super important when constructing our space, and we have already been revamping the locations of dramatic play and the library so that they are more separated and encourage different modes of learning. It was easy for the high energy of some of the spaces to carry over into zones that required a little more focus or had a calmer energy, and we are actively finding new ways to channel all the excitement that the kids have into activities that support and challenge their development!

I often find that halfway through our morning circle time the kids are losing focus and getting the wiggles. We have started incorporating a movement break in the middle of that time so that the kids are staying engaged! I want to incorporate some more meaningful chants or songs into that time too, ones that are relevant to what we are learning or activities we are doing that day. I’m very musically inclined so I already use that to ask the kids what they are eating for snack/lunch at mealtimes and to help with line-up time as well!