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My InspirationAs many of you already know, design is a passion of mine, pair it with my love for learning and I get pretty excited about what is yet to come. Many of you have been asking me how I might be designing baby's room, as I already have many ideas flowing through my brain, I keep thinking how can my baby's room transform easily from a soft and calming nursery space to a child centred-constructed atelier? Without giving too much away, I will say ... I always tend to gear toward decor that is French inspired (you all know that). I enjoy the fine details, textures, and mix of hues which allow me to think about the beauty of people and culture. As we select furniture, I am thinking about furniture with soft lines, fine details, and something baby can grow into- especially pieces suitable for extending play and art spaces. Our furniture is from a selection of stores around the city. Many of our pieces include connections to the environment. I found just the company! Little Seed: Build a gardenLittle Seeds is a furniture brand providing families with high quality children's products with great style. Little Seeds is committed to protecting and preserving the environment for our children's future. And it just starts with a little seed. Little Seeds partners with environmental organizations like National Wildlife Federation on key environmental initiatives including habitat loss for monarch butterflies. This is a special part of my passion as an early years environmental educator to include in my child's nursery. From seeds to furry Maggie friends- this company is fabulous and actively eco-friendly! Check out their toys, furniture, and storage products here: http://www.littleseedsfurniture.com/eng/about-uswww.littleseedsfurniture.com/eng/about-us For Little Seeds activities about building gardens, school initiatives, and monarch butteries check here: http://www.littleseedsfurniture.com/eng/activity-sheetwww.littleseedsfurniture.com/eng/activity-sheet Creating a soft, calm, and comforting environmentAs I begin to prep the baby nursery, I am thinking safety, clean lines, and the beauty of simplicity. Just like the classroom, baby's space begins as a blank canvas and grows along with their personality and needs. Things to consider:
Transforming spaces from newborn to toddlerThe baby furniture selected is indeed French inspired - that's just me... I find that investing in quality furniture is a smart investment and makes a space transform into many possibilities (and photo opportunities). PSST Daddy is our personal photographer! Allowing baby to create & construct their own spaceAs much as it is so much fun to fill the walls with wall art, my intention is to create a blank canvas meant to inspire our child. As baby creates masterpieces, these pieces will grace the walls and slowly- become a fully transformed toddler atelier. Purposeful materials, toys, & aCCESSOIRIES TO CAPTURE BAbY'S GROWTH & LEARNING JOURNEYAs baby grows, the materials which become available will be made available through a collection of linen baskets. Materials are currently stored by age and provocation type- including light exploring. Many of our newborn items and toys are from HODGE PODGE (located at The Shops at Don Mills), Pottery Barn, and Cradle and Co. a grand selection of children's literature
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Robotics, Coding, & STEM oh my... The Bee Bot: Early Years Programmable Coding Device As an early years educator, kindergarten qualification instructor, and M. Ed student, I am always eager to to implement new and innovative ways to get children involved, thinking, and playing in the most authentic ways (and get my own research underway). Our class often has the opportunity to try out products and I am always keen on having children speak their minds - which they very easily do! I am always looking for opportunities to implement purposeful materials into the learning environment and infuse our learning environment with innovative play to get all levels and ages thinking. The Bee-bot is a programmable robot that helps early learners explore the first stages of programming. For those of you just entering the world of "coding" and kindergarten, it is truly the "thing" every educator is talking about. For those expert coders out there- good for you! I am sure you already know how wonderful these little critters can be in the classroom! These coding devices allow children to explore mathematics through the lens of the modern learner. In Ontario, educators are always keen to remember that mathematics and literacy are best friends and take part in one of the four domains/frames of learning "demonstrating mathematical and literacy skills". This means, that one is not assessed and/or explored naturally without the other, and children explore both subjects simultaneously. Using mathematics and language to learn how direction /position and trials truly allows the young learner the opportunity to access prior knowledge, critical thinking, and the opportunity to problem solve independently or collectively in an inclusive manner. In the age of computer everything, as educators and parents, it is beneficial to allow our children to explore and learn such technological and modern skills. When considering the finalized Ontario Kindergarten Program and the emphasis of the many benefits of play-based learning- including inquiry-based learning models, these robotics and coding devices fit right in with our ready to use flow of the day kinder programs. How it works (from a kindergarten perspective) follow our class @justletmeplay on Instagram & @carmdigrigoli on Twitter
The Features of the Bee-Bot (according to the kindergartens themselves)
Learning the Language Every morning students run to our computer sign-up sheet to have a turn playing a variety of computer games. One morning, I introduced the topic of computer programming and how games were made. The students already having their options new a little about how computers were used to make things move- "robots" they said. During our morning community circle (10 minutes in time approx) we shared how we thought a robot might speak and the language a robot might use. These Robot words (our coding words) were used to introduce how we might problem solve and think about how our Bee-Bot might move along a surface. Planning & Resources Although the students were very eager to explore the Bee-Bot on their own, educators can find PDF inspiration ready lessons and ideas. We did not get the change to explore these lessons in detail, however, they were very useful for understanding what opportunities they might present to learners- I especially enjoyed the hands-on approach to these lessons. As a Reggio Emilia inspired educator, I appreciated the open-ended nature of the Bee-Bot and the opportunity to engage all entry levels of learning to participate in the game/activity. In the new year, our EL-K team plans to create coding groups to facilitate small group lessons and assess learning. The games included collaborative learning opportunities "a sense of belonging and contributing and innovative thinking and problem solving" and a variety of ways to explore movement and direction. Here is the link with PDF ready resources. https://www.canadianclassroom.com/teachingmaterial/cardsbeebotfamily.pdf Where to get the Bee-Bot & AccessoriesOur students used one Bee-Bot in small group formats during play. The plugged in the Bee-Bot during morning attendance and it was ready to go ready after our morning community circle. Although we don't have multiple robots or the docking station (it gets very pricey), I can see the rechargeable option and opportunity for multiple robots to be very beneficial in a kindergarten classroom, especially when numbers fall between 18-32! Perhaps this might be a division purchase sign out option?! The School & Parent Community ... ,The school community was eager to get right on board creating a STEM MakerSpace for students. As a kindergarten educator , I find that these innovative spaces and resources usually for order for grades 1 and up. The school community and parents were eager to learn and experience for themselves the endless opportunities and benefits these coding devices were not only for grade learners, however, the inspiration they reflection upon kindergartens! The EL-K team was eager to share our coding lessons and explorations and provocations with parents via our blog and encourage parents to take part in this learning at home, either using such devices or creating manual games such as taps, jumps, or blinks! Parents were happy to learn how such a concept- program and coding could be a stepping zone into the future for their little ones! follow them on Social Media |
Photos used under Creative Commons from pstenzel71, Rod Waddington