Learning Centers

 As mentioned in the "Curriculum" post, learning centers are an essential part of our classroom. Centers allow children to investigate relationships among people, objects, and the environment. During center time, children play together in the center of their choice. Through play, children learn language, vocabulary, and problem solving skills. They develop imagination and practice cooperation and impulse control. By giving children choices over centers and making them responsible for clean up, we help them develop independence, responsibility, and self-esteem. 

In our classroom, centers are reflective of curriculum and monthly focus areas and are responsive to children's developing needs and interests. Therefore, our centers evolve and change throughout the year. Most frequently our center choices include dramatic play, engineering, art, light table, carpet toys, sand/sensory table, and the book nook. 

DRAMATIC PLAY CENTER

The dramatic play center is most popular and most versatile center in our room. Usually starting the year as a kitchen or "home living" center, this center undergoes many vast changes throughout the year  becoming things such as an ice cream shop, an airport, an animal hospital, an ice-skating arena, the Amazon rainforest, the African savannah, and even outer space.

Benefits of the dramatic play center include:

- playing cooperatively

- practicing vocabulary and communication skills

-trying on different roles

-exploring real life situation

-practicing important social skills such as empathy, turn taking, and impulse control

ENGINEERING CENTER

While playing in the engineering center, students are:

-developing spatial skills

- engaging in cooperative play

-experimenting with balance

- discovering laws of physics

-developing planning skills

- being creative

-working on problem solving skills

ART CENTER

Through art, children:

-practice creativity

-express themselves

-develop fine motor skills

-improve hand eye coordination

-experiment with colors, shapes, & ideas

LIGHT TABLE

At the light table children are:

-experimenting with properties of light & shadows

-exploring basic physics & geometry

-improving hand eye coordination

-building fine motor skills

-building mathematical thinking and problem-solving skills

CARPET TOYS

The carpet toys center consists of puzzles, writing toys, and other small manipulatives which children can manipulate and explore comfortably on the carpet. In this center, children:

-coordinate small muscles & build fine motor skills

-build dexterity and hand-eye coordination

-develop spatial concepts

-improve problem solving skills

-build self esteem

SAND TABLE

By playing in the sand table children are:

-experimenting

-building tactile awareness

-observing & measuring

-gaining sensory input

BOOK NOOK

By spending time in the book nook, children:

-develop print awareness

-gain interest in books

-practice storytelling

-build communication & sequencing skills