Just another day...

After playing outside in the morning at a nearby playspace with a ship climbing frame in it - and several of the children using their winter hats to cover one eye to transform themselves into pirates, the afternoon was filled with creative activities in the atelier...

using beads and googly eyes to create art...

and tidying up can invlove a spot of role-play...

beads and wire. The interesting part had been in the morning I had been question about the suitablity of this material for young children... and here is a two year old busy concentrating. As yet all of the children who have worked with wire have shown great respect for the material... BUT the are not left to their own devices - I do let them know that they need to be careful because the ends can feel sharp - and they explore the feel of the ends with respect - there are four places set at the table - and they respect that four children at a time can work with wire...

the afternoon produced enough wire sculptures to start a wire exhibition. The key word for the wire session was "problem solver" - one child was struggling and wanted me to fix it... I said she had a problem and needed to be a problem solver... she looked at the wire again, and she tried something and it worked - "Look", I said, "you have fixed the problem". there was pride and the rest of the session was "I have a problem, how am I going to solve it... hmm, let me try this... no...hmmm... oh this works... I am a problem solver"

happiness is when the atelier is used the way I hoped it would be. The children took down materials from various shelves and started to create...

a theatre no less - the children involved - all from one to four children at various times (all 3 yr olds). There was lots of singing as the theatre "performed".

 It was definitely wonderful to see the atelier being used in the way I had hoped - it means that the third teacher and I are speaking the same language to the children. The adjacent room (the orange room) was a hive of activity too, with role-play, building, small-world play - all completely freely - as it is not ALL in plain view, BUT I can hear what is going on in the room (and to hear the wonderful positive play). This does allow the children a freedom in their play - they know where I am, they know they are safe - and they can immerse themselves in their play. It was the 3-4 year olds in this room - the age the room is designed for...