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Aesthetics of Your Space
May 6, 2013
The goal of compassion is not to care because someone is like us, but to care because they are themselves.
-Mary Lou Randour
-Mary Lou Randour
In Caring Spaces, Learning Places, Jim Greenman paints this picture of the aesthetics of a center...
"Imagine a room where there are bright splashes of color, often attached to moving bodies, and warm muted hues on carpet and walls — the colorscape.... There is a lightscape that changes, marking the passage of the day. Sunshine catches the light of a prism in one corner, and there is a small patch of sunlight so bright you have to squint. There are soft indirect lights, shadows, and cool dark corners...
"There are hanging baskets of trailing green plants, flowers, pussy willows and cat tails, angel hair and dried grasses.... There are smells of fresh dirt, lilacs and eucalyptus, garlic and baking bread: an aromacape, not dominated by disinfectant and bodily waste.
"One hears laughter and singing, animated conversation, perhaps soft classical music or the faint sound of the infectious backbeat of reggae from somewhere down the corridor. Added to the soundscape is the ticking of clocks, chirping of birds, and the squeaking and rustling of a pig.
"As one walks around feeling heavy, dark wood and silky fabric; hard, cold metal and warm fur; complex textures; and watery, slippery, gooey things, there is a breeze from an open window here, and a sunny, hot spot there, creating a number of microclimates.
"Everything somehow seems to fit together in a comprehensible way — a rich normality."
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Comments (2)
Displaying All 2 CommentsArvada, CO, United States
This sounds like a description of a family child care program to me.
ece consultant
Dallas, TX, United States
Yes, every classroom could probably use some Feng Shui. I use to help new teachers set up their rooms. Truly, tho', it's the children and their families that are your community for that year, so set up the classroom based on solid developmentally appropriate practices, and then ask for pictures of your children with their families, to display liw enough for all to see, and ask parents to contribute objects from home that could add color and texture to the room. Always asking parents weekly or monthly, to share with the class an activity, cook a dish from their culture, a song or dance. The environment becomes rich and multi-layered, with families, children and staff.
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