The PreK conference in Alabama was fabulous. It was well organized, interesting, and filled with amazing early childhood professionals. The folks who attend my preconference session were so involved and a pleasure to talk with.
One of the questions that came up during the training was, “How can new learning centers be included in my classroom when it is so small?” As I travel and present on environments that include learning centers, I frequently hear this concern. One of the best ways to add a new learning center in a “filled” classroom is to transform a traditional learning center.
A Home Living Center can become a Restaurant for a short period of time, two to three weeks. When the children lose interest in the Restaurant, you can return the space to the traditional center of Home Living. The Block Center, a traditional and long-term center in many classrooms, can become a Garage Sale/Flea Market temporarily. The block area has many props that can be used to display the new items that are added for sale.
Making these transitions and adding new interest centers will stimulate young children’s thinking, their socio-dramatic play, and their skills for cooperative work.
Tell us about a transition that has worked in your classroom. What area did you add and what props were included in your new learning center?
