The Third Teacher - Exploring and Sharing Classroom Spaces

A new school year is upon us and with it comes, at least for me, a revamping of my current classroom environment. The Reggio Emilia philosophy places so much emphasis on the importance of the physical classroom environment that it is often referred to as the "third teacher." In the spirit of inspiration and excitement for the new year, and in the knowledge that there is always room for growth and change, here is a virtual tour of our sacred space - our classroom, our third teacher.

Our Book Nook - an area for gathering, reading, resting, connecting and discussing:

 

Our Job Board - children choose a classroom job each Monday morning and place their picture over the job they want for the duration of the week

Found object alphabet

Our Writing Area:

Mini Studio - An area for creating and exploring:

 Lots of seating and natural light!

 We try to maintain the area by keeping things simple, accessible, and inviting.

 We find and rotate interesting materials to encourage all children to feel comfortable creating representations of their world.

Our Construction Area:

 We incorporate as many real-life building materials as possible, including bricks and roof shingles.

Our Dramatic Play Area:

 

Our Dramatic Play area changes frequently based on the interests of the children, but we like to start the year with a space that is homey and comfortable, without an overwhelming amount of materials.

Our Science Areas:

  Our "Wonder Window": The children are invited to sit and contemplate the world outside of our classroom window. Writing materials are made available for children to draw or write about their observations.

Our Loose Parts Shelf:

So many gorgeous and exciting materials to explore!

 

Around the Classroom - We try to add personal touches around the room to make it a space that is beautiful, comfortable, and inviting.

 

 

  One of the most interesting and exciting aspects of our environment is the fact that it is constantly evolving - both in response to the needs of the community, and in response to the interests and ideas of the children. It is rather a lovely place to spend our days, living and learning from one another.