The classroom environment is an essential component for maximizing learning experiences for young children. By infusing elements of key design principles, you can create a classroom that intrigues, invites, and stimulates many senses.  The design principles, when layered together, heighten the overall feel of the room. Sparking the interest of a child cannot be done by simply placing furniture in an empty room. The space must be formed with all seven principles to be seen in full bloom.  When they are implemented, these design principles will motivate all who enter your space, stimulate those that occupy your space, and enliven those whose interest in the space is beginning to fade.

principle 1: nature inspires beauty

Just as you are immersed in a natural world of sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures, classrooms should reflect the wonders of nature that surround you. As children interact with nature, they deepen their understanding and appreciation of their places and roles as caretakers of the planet.

principle 2: color generates interest

Color can be a powerful design principle both in positive and negative ways. Proper use of color can create a mood, define a space, and reflect children's homes and communities. used negatively, color can be overpowering, confusing, and over-stimulating.  A neutral background for your classroom with a few well-chosen accent colors will create interest that is focused on the children and adults who inhabit the space.

principle 3: furnishings define space

Furnishings are used to identify classroom areas such as dramatic play, blocks, art, music, and science. When these furnishings are authentic and sized and placed properly, children's play will increase in quality and depth.

principle 4: texture adds depth

Texture in the environment offers visual interest and depth and provides children with unique tactile experiences. As children interact with sensory elements, they sharpen their observational skills and fine motor abilities through the languages of weaving, sculptures, and textiles.

principle 5: displays enhance environment

By eliminating clutter, arranging storage materials, and highlighting children's work, the classroom becomes a backdrop to honor all who occupy the space.

principle 6: elements heighten ambiance

Multiple sources of light create an ambiance of relaxation and contemplation. By using light in supportive ways, children are able to interact creatively with others and the environment.

principle 7: focal points attract attention

When entering the classroom, a distinct focal point can highlight interactive learning centers, children's work, an architectural element, or a beautiful artifact.  Focal points invite children to actively engage and participate in the environment.

With easy-to-implement ideas that incorporate the effective use of color, natural elements, lighting, and everyday classroom materials, the photographs and ideas in Inspiring Spaces for Young Children encourage educators to create beautiful and authentic learning spaces. Its companion book, The Rating Observation Scale for Inspiring Environments helps teachers assess their level of growth in creating beautiful classroom environments.

Learning every day is triple the fun with three new teacher resource books published by Gryphon House. Each of the books in the Learn Every Day series offers teachers 100 classroom-tested activities that make learning fun and engaging for young children. The activities in these books are written by teachers and professionals from the field of early childhood education – educators and principals who use these activities in their classrooms every day.

Global awareness is everyone’s responsibility. The activities in Learn Every Day About Our Green Earth (ISBN 978-0-87659-127-7) promote responsible behaviors and help teachers pass along this important knowledge to the next generation. Activities like “Recycling Adds Up” and “Block Compost” teach children the importance of reusing and recycling, while “Thank a Tree” and “Worms are Good Guys” teach children to respect and love nature.

Bugs and spiders are fascinating to adults and children alike. Now teachers can take children on an expedition into the mysterious world of some of nature’s smallest inhabitants, with Learn Every Day About Bugs and Spiders (ISBN 978-0-87659-128-4). These easy-to-do activities give children a peek into the lives of our creepy-crawler friends, with activities like “Colorful Caterpillars” and games like “Ants in Your Pants!” Children will love exploring the world of these mysterious and interesting creatures and teachers will find the activities adaptable, expansive, and most of all, fun.

Even the youngest children love animals. They want to pet puppies, visit lions at the zoo, and imitate animal sounds. Learn Every Day about Animals (ISBN 978-0-87659-126-0) is an activity book inspired by children’s fascination with all animals, large and small. With this resource, teachers can easily incorporate leaning about animals into any curriculum. Games like “Whose Feet Are These?” teach recognition, while “Playdough Porcupine” allows children to explore different art mediums, and “Scratch Like a Monkey” gets children active and moving.

Gryphon House is an award-winning publisher of resource books for parents and teachers of children from birth through age eight. Developmentally appropriate and easy-to-use, Gryphon House books provide parents and teachers with the tools they need to bring the joy of learning to young children.

Tips for Providing a Safe Environment for Young Children

The most important developmental need of young children is security - the confidence that the adults in their lives will protect them and relieve their fears and anxieties.  Teaches have a profound responsibility to support children's sense of safety.  This becomes even more important after a disaster.

To provide a safe environment for young children who have experienced a disaster:

• Give physical comfort.
• Listen and respond with statements like:

I understand that remembering the flood is scary for you.  Do you want to talk more about it right now?

I can tell you miss your brother very much. Could we draw a picture of him or look at some pictures of him?

When children describe their experiences in the disaster or ask questions about the disaster, help them handle fear and anxiety by responding simply and honesty. 

Yes, the storm was very scary for all of us. I'm glad it's over now.

I was worried that my house was gone. The roof, which is the top of the house, did blow away but the walls were still there.

I am so sorry that your grandmother died. I know you must miss her very much. Does it help to think about happy times you had with her?

• Restore or create a familiar, predictable classroom routine.
• Give extra attention to children's needs during transitions.
• Provide quiet areas.
• Provide times for outdoor play.
• Avoid punitive time-outs.

For additional information, read Preparing for Disaster: What Every Early Childhood Director Needs to Know and After the Crisis: Using Storybooks to Help Children Cope.

We know that children learn more by doing than by listening.  We also know that children come to school with widely varying backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge.

1. Provide an environment that supports active discovery.
2. Promote the development of fundamental problem-solving skills.
3. Promote the dispositions of good scientific problem solvers.
4. Promote children's awareness of careers in science, mathematics, and technology.
5. Raise children's comfort and confidence levels with science through conscious efforts to counter bias against science.
6. Promote development of a knowledge base of basic scientific principles and laws, providing the foundation upon which a clear and accurate understanding of the world can develop.  A solid foundation reduces the risk of children acquiring misconceptions that may hinder their understanding of more complex science concepts later on.

The Preschool Scientist helps teachers by providing purposeful activities that are exicting and intellectually challenging for young children in all kinds of settings.

Planning ahead and preparing a work space will help make art experience a worry-free fun time.  Here are some basic suggestions:

• Cover the art table or floor to prevent stains. Consider covering walls and floors if needed. Coverings that work well: inexpensive plastic party tablecloths, old shower curtains, vinyl tablecloths, wide craft paper, or white butcher paper. Newpaper is a reliable old standby.Some people use a painters' drop cloth or roll out an old area rug for extra protection. A plastic tarp is another option.
• The artists can wear a smock or apron, an old T-shirt, or a plastic garbage bac with head and arm holes cut to fit. Some artists dress in "art clothes" (clothing used only for art) for special projects.
• Keep a damp sponge on the talbe near the artist for quick wipes of fingers and hands.
• Require artists to help clean up after each art project.
• Work outdoors if possible when especially messy projects are planned.
• Artists should learn basic safety and clean-up skills such as:
  • Always ask for help if you need it.
  • Clean up spills immediately.
  • Clean your work space, hands, and supplies when you are finished.
  • Wipe hads before touching other people or property.
  • Do not point scissors at anyone; do not walk around with scissors.
  • Place artwork that needs to dry well out of traffic areas.
  • Remember: "Use a little to begin, then add more."
• Artists should help gather supplies, set up, and clean up - all part of the reality of creative art.

From Art with Anything: 52 Weeks of Fun Using Everyday Stuff by MaryAnn F. Kohl.

Young children "do" art for the experience, the exploration, the experimentation. In the "process" they discover mystery, creativity, joy, frustration.  The resulting masterpiece, whether it be a sticky glob or meritorious gallery piece, is only a result to the young child, not the reason for doing art in the first place. Art allows children to explore and discover their world. Sometimes the process is merely feeling slippery paint on the fingers, other times it is the mystery of colors blending or the surprise of seeing a realistic picture evolve when blobs were randomly placed. Art can be a great way to "get the wiggles out" or to smash a ball of clay instead of another child.

Sometimes adults unknowingly communicate to a child that the result is the most important aspect of art. Encourage discovery and process by talking with a child about his or her artwork.

• Tell me about your painting.
• What part did you like best?
• You've used many colors.
• Did you enjoy making this?
• How did the paint feel?
• The yellow looks so bright next to the purple!
• How did you make such a big design?
• I see the painting is brown. What colors did you use?

Providing interesting materials and watching what a child can do on his or her own is better than saying, "Paint a green fish in blue water." It can be far more exciting to paint on a piece of frozen paper or to paint with a feather instead of a brush, with no idea of what will happen, than to follow an adult's idea of what to paint.

Process art is a wonder to behold. Watch the children discover their capabilities and the joy of creativity.

About the Author

MaryAnn Kohl is an experienced educator and publisher who interest in creative art comes from years of teaching young children. She is the author of many award-winning books, including Preschool Art, which offers over 200 process-oriented art experiences for children ages 3-6 using materials commonly found in the home, childcare or preschool program.

1. Sing the song you want to teach to the children. Let them listen to it at least three times. Sing the song again and leave out a key word; let the children fill in the blank. For example: "Twinkle, twinkle, little ____________."

2. Call and response works well with very repetitive songs. For example, the leader may sing "The bear went over the mountain"; then, the children sing the phrase back. In this case, the first three lines are the same.

For a variation on the call-and response method, use puppets as the leaders. For example, teach "Mary Had a Little Lamb" using a puppet that looks like a lamb to help the children remember the words.

3. Try speaking the words first and ask the children to say them back. When the class has learned the words, then add the melody.

4. Use the rhythm of the song to teach it to the children. Clap out the rhythm first and ask the children to clap with you. Then, say the words with the rhythm. Example:
Twin-kle Twin-kle Lit-tle Star


5. Talk about the words of the song. What does the song mean? For instance, in the song "Yankee Doodle", focus on the action. What is happening? Where did Yankee Doodle go? How did he get there? What did he do once he arrived? Encourage the children to think about the words; this will help them to remember the song.

6. Use pictures to reinforce the words. For instance, the song "The Lollipop Tree" talks about lollipops, ice cream cones, and trees. Find pictures of all of these and hold them up while you sing the song.

7. Sing the song in a loud or soft voice, depending on which is appropriate to the song. Or, try using a different voice to reinforce the meaning of the song. For example, you could teach a Halloween song in a low, spooky voice. Teach the song "The Eensy Weensy Spider" in a high, soft voice.

8. If you play a musical instrument, use it to accompany yourself as you sing the song with the children.

Above all, teach songs that you enjoy and the children will like them, too!

This post was contributed by Jackie Silberg, who has an M.S. in child development.  An early childhood advocate and popular keynote speaker, Jackie received the Distinguished Alumna Award from Emporia State University, recognizing her current achievements as well as her long and prolific career. Jackie has worked as a consultant with the Discovery Channel, setting up their music streaming website. She has given workshops, keynote addresses, seminars, and family concerts throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore. Jackie has served as an adjunct instructor at both Emporia State University and the University of Missouri at Kansas City and lectures at Johnson County Community College. Jackie is the owner of Miss Jackie Music Company.

Reading books aloud is the foundation of early literacy.  Reseachers have concluded that reading aloud may be the most important thing we can do to prepare toddlers and preschoolers for learning how to read and write. How you read, and what you talk about before and after reading, are just as important as what you read. Consider the following when reading books to young children:

• Read the book several times to yourself before sharing it with children. Mark the places at which you would like to pause and ask questions or explain unfamiliar words.
• Talk about the book cover. Point out the title, author, and illustrator and talk about what they do. Look at and talk about the art.
• Create a context. Share a related personal experience, look at the pictures together, or ask children to predict what might happen in the story.
• Read slowly so children can understand and enjoy the rhythm of the words and eplore the pictures. Hold the book so everyone can see it.
• Add drama to your reading by using different voices and simple props.  Don't be afraid to be silly or dramatic!
• Invite children to join in on repeating lines and phrases such as, I'll huff and I'll puff, and I'll blow your house in!
• Point to the illustrations to clarify the meaning of unfamiliar words.
• Use facial expressions, movements, and gestures to demonstrate the meaning of action words.
• Ask open-ended questions after reading to help children think about, remember, and discuss the story. Encourage them to connect the story to their lives. Remember to pause for at least 10 seconds after asking a question to give children time to think about their answer.

From Wild About Group Time: Simple Literacy Plans for Preschool.

Rhyming and singing are great fun. They are also wonderful ways for children to hear the rhythms and patterns of language and to play with words and practice their sounds -- important steps to learning to read. Rhythm, rhyme, and repetition make words memorable. The songs and poems children learn by heart today will help them learn to read the words in books tomorrow.

• Sing a song or recite a poem a few times before inviting children to join in.
• Add movements and gestures to demonstrate the actions in a song or poem. Invite children to clap or sway to the rhythm.
• Identify rhyming words. As you sing a song or recite a poem, emphasize the rhyming words by chanting or singing them in a softer voice or louder voice.
• Print the words to the song or poem on a chart. You may want to add pictures for key words: Twinkle, twinkle, little  .
• Invite children to find familiar words and letters on the song or poem chart.
• Sing favorite songs over and over again.

With learning centers and story ideas, as well as tips for creating a classroom that promotes literacy learning, Wild About Literacy  is sure to enrich any preschool curriculum.