watching the children...

Over the summer I made several posts while I was setting up the classroom. There was one area of the classroom that was rather an experiment -- this one:

note: you can click on any picture to make it bigger


You'll see our library area and a table over to the left. The table was very close to our meeting area (which we use for everything) and I wasn't sure if it would end up being a good spot for the table.

It wasn't.

With about six more bodies than the meeting area is used to, and with the needs of these students as they are, the kids needed more space and needed some other spaces to be more defined.

So, in October I moved the table and closed in our library area a bit more. It's worked out really well and the kids love it. The library is one of their favorite areas of the classroom (notice the two funky chairs there. That also helps.)

So, now the area looks like this: (pardon the blurriness)



Here is a better picture of the library:
The space is more defined with the small bookshelf jutting out, the chart stand with poems we've read, and the two funky chairs. Behind the waterfall bookcase we keep carpet squares, and will eventually be a Conflict area for the children to go and resolve problems together. I also keep the projector there out of the way, but it's easily retrieved for when we need it.


And a view from far away where you can see the easel and the (messy!) tools underneath that we use for almost everything. (We sit by the easel a lot!)(random: If you see the white tape on the floor where the funky chairs are, it's actually a guide for the kids so they know where to put the chairs so they don't get in the way.)

One thing I miss is the pretty curtains over the area, because it looked so lovely, but it just doesn't seem to make sense to keep the curtains and cover up the books...

Heh.

So, all in all, it was a good experiment to learn from. Having a table there might work for a different class, or for this class at a different time. Just not now. I like watching and learning from the children.