Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/getting-to-the-heart-of-the-matter/5011442/
"The purpose of teaching is to provide for your students an experience of their own greatness." - Eric JensenImagine entering a classroom for young children where you immediately sense you are in a special place. There is a sense of wonder and excitement as you move about. The possibilities seem endless for making new discoveries, inventing, and creating. It invites children to just be.
The art center is well stocked with clay, paint, chalk, glue, "found" collage items, and tools. The large easel made from donated vinyl floor tile and handmade "gutter" paint trays is mounted on the wall and allows children to move their bodies in different ways, as well as share a picture painting experience with a friend. The art area has an "OPEN" sign on it, and is always a choice.
The home center enclosed by four walls (one formed by what can become a puppet theater at another time, another a storefront) is equipped with a doorbell, mailbox, and plexiglass windows that go up and down. The small lamp on the dresser inside the house allows children to brighten or quiet the space. The pots, pans, utensils, cloth napkins and pot holders are real, "found" treasures from the secondhand ...