Many students missed the opportunity to learn at preschools prior to kindergarten. This affects their fine and gross motor development and their imaginative and dramatic play.
We focus on Waldorf-inspired, play-based learning to reach curriculum goals. Our classroom would greatly benefit from the materials we would order to help with social studies, language arts, and math goals. For example, we can use puppets, dress up, and dolls during our communities unit. Students can dress up during our lesson as we discuss jobs and tools used for those jobs in our community. Those items will then be available during free playtime. The dolls from the dollhouse can similarly be used during a communities lesson, showing how multiple families create our communities. We also use them for storytelling on the rug. The students act out stories and scenarios using dolls. Finally, after we’ve had a few lessons on helpers and jobs in our community, students in groups can make a puppet show for the class about what they’ve learned.
We can use sensory bins filled with items for counting, by filling a tens frame with objects when they find them in the sand and finding the numeral that represents that amount. Patterning and grouping can also be done with sensory bin finds, either by student choice or by teacher direction for a specific pattern or set.
As you can see, I have many cube-shaped shelves. I can use storage items for the shelves I use during lessons (before they are made available to the kids), to store the items. It’s easier to keep the kids from using them out of turn if they are stored in bins. Then I move them to the cart to do my lesson, and lastly, to an open shelf for free play.
About my class
Many students missed the opportunity to learn at preschools prior to kindergarten. This affects their fine and gross motor development and their imaginative and dramatic play.
We focus on Waldorf-inspired, play-based learning to reach curriculum goals. Our classroom would greatly benefit from the materials we would order to help with social studies, language arts, and math goals. For example, we can use puppets, dress up, and dolls during our communities unit. Students can dress up during our lesson as we discuss jobs and tools used for those jobs in our community. Those items will then be available during free playtime. The dolls from the dollhouse can similarly be used during a communities lesson, showing how multiple families create our communities. We also use them for storytelling on the rug. The students act out stories and scenarios using dolls. Finally, after we’ve had a few lessons on helpers and jobs in our community, students in groups can make a puppet show for the class about what they’ve learned.
We can use sensory bins filled with items for counting, by filling a tens frame with objects when they find them in the sand and finding the numeral that represents that amount. Patterning and grouping can also be done with sensory bin finds, either by student choice or by teacher direction for a specific pattern or set.
As you can see, I have many cube-shaped shelves. I can use storage items for the shelves I use during lessons (before they are made available to the kids), to store the items. It’s easier to keep the kids from using them out of turn if they are stored in bins. Then I move them to the cart to do my lesson, and lastly, to an open shelf for free play.
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