I am incredibly excited to share a peek into an incredible Reggio Inspired Classroom. This is Nammi's Classroom. She is a teacher at Educare.
Her classroom is for 3 to 4 year olds. It is the end of the year for her, so you will notice how the children, documentation, and exquisite details have truly been transformed.
I am a big believer in bringing nature indoors. It transforms spaces. As you look at Nammi's space – take note of the number of indoor plants, branches and other nature items you see. . .
Lighting
Lighting creates an environment of calmness and magic. Notice the four sources of light: the lamp, the projector, the light tables and overhead lighting.
Welcome area sets the tone for children, families, and visitors. Notice how the branch with twinkle lights becomes a gorgeous focal point of wonder.
A cozy corner with a lamp and strings of twinkle lights. The seating also provides space for child to lay down when not feeling well.
I love the Community Photo collage in black and white. It gives a softer and gentler background.
Light & Shadow
Notice how Nammi used two light tables with a small side table in-between to hold the overhead projector?
There are step stools available for children to sit upon or stand on as they create in this center.
Science Center
A small corner is transformed into a vibrant science corner with a little table and chairs and two simple shelves.
Assorted kitchen scales for children to weigh rocks, shells, and other found nature items.
So easy to find at yard sales and thrift stores.
The student's interest in bugs is so beautifully documented in the science center.
Construction Center
A wooden spool on a soft carpet sets the stage for building and constructions.
A peg board provides great vertical organization and display of construction center resources and materials.
Note the clip with photos of previous constructions for student inspiration!
A rich variety of loose parts for construction stored in baskets with photo labels. Photo labels help children return things to their original container. Notice the recycled materials on the left side of the shelving.
Dramatic Play Center
A child's size picnic table with an umbrella is used for the table. Note the picnic basket sitting next to the table ready with other utensils and materials.
Wooden bowls, copper mugs and wood cookies set the table.
Loose parts become food or whatever the children can imagine!
Old food cans and children's appliances become rich play materials. Note that these were opened with a special can opener that does not leave a sharp edge.
Art Center
Take notice the organization from baskets to tin cans to plastic cups and even a tape holder
Cheap drinking glasses provide color sorted storage for crayons and colored pencils.
An old wooden Coca Cola box serves as a painting station.
In our next blog post – we will take a deeper look at the details of Nammi's room!
In the meantime, click here to take a peek at Sidney's classroom!
Absolutely beautiful! I wish i was a child at her school.
Thank you so much for all that you do i am a commited follower.
I love your post . They are very helpful .Looking forward to see the loose parts getting started book
Thank you so much Paulette! I would love your feedback on the Loose Parts ebook. Big hugs!
I love the room! It’s beautiful! I want to work on getting my classroom looking similar to this. I also work with 3/4 yr. olds. I downloaded the free Loose Parts EBook. Thank you!
Awesome! I would love to hear your feedback on the Loose Parts ebook. My team and I are always working on the next free ebook! Ideas are welcomed!
Lots of great inspirations here! The room looks lovely!
Fabulous!!!
this is just so amazing and really inspiring, taking notes of how things are used and set up and will use to inspire my own room, thanks for sharing.
Love this!
But how has it been paid for? Did the school lay the money out? Did the teacher herself pay and collect all the resources? When she moves to a different job/school will she take the resources with her if she paid for them?
Many of us pay for it ourselves. We go to thrift stores, garage sales, and donations from friends and family.
I have a goofy question. Can you tell me what kind of cubby brand you use or is it custom built? I have been looking for something with storage above and the rest mats in each child’s locker. If you could please let me know. Thank you love the room design I will be using a ton of these pictures as inspiration!
I am not sure! This school has been around awhile. I will see what I can find out.
this is a beautifully set up room! thank you both for sharing.
i am curious to know if the children have mats or beds that get set up somewhere during a rest time?
if so, how does the room set affect the mat placement, or the children’s resting?
i ask because i wonder if the shelves placed around would work in my classroom, even though at rest time most of the floor is covered by the mats, and i would be grateful to hear how its managed here, if possible.
thanks again in any case!
Yes! Mats are set-up for rest time around the room. Things to consider. . .some children may not be able to handle laying next to a shelf full of loose parts – so they would be best placed where there is not as much distraction. I know in my own classroom, it took a bit of time to find the best spot for each child. Let me know if you have any other wonderings!
thank you for your reply! we have definitely noticed that each child has different needs at rest time!
Thank you for your e-book! I needed some inspiration for the coming year and your photos and suggestions are perfect! The difficulty I’ve had with loose parts in the past are deciding whether the loose part creations are glue-able so the child can take their creations home (thus, no longer loose) or whether they are truly loose parts and the creations are dismantled for future creations. So many of the children want to glue their creations and take home, yet if I allow that, I lose my collection of loose parts. And many loose parts are difficult to come by. I have offered to photograph their creation to give the child a sense of ownership with varying success. Any suggestions? Thanks again for your book!!!
This is a great question. I tended to provide small loose parts and recyclables for the atelier. What ended up in the atelier for art creations was what I had a nice stash to draw from. I do send home requests for loose parts with a list of possible donations. This helps replenish the supply!
Absolutely beautiful learning environments and a wonderful example of the environment as the third teacher, thankyou for sharing. I visited Reggio Emilia in April this year and it continues to inspire and motivate me. I feel it is important to mention the educators pedagodgy of listening and the emphasis on relationships whilst working alongside children in these beautiful spaces. Xx
Yes! Perhaps the most important of all is the pedagogy of listening. Thank you for this important reminder. Big hugs!
Looking forward to seeing the rooms and what I can take into our room environment’. Have downloaded the book, thanks
Fabulous classroom.
Thank you for sharing all of the ideas.
What an amazing and inspiring learning environment! Thanks so much for sharing.
That is what I would call a “magical learning environment.” I think a field trip is in order!
Absolutely stunning. My favorite part is the construction center and the use of the tools. I would love to see more centers use real items in their classrooms. I love the dramatic play center as well. Where do you find the wooden bowls and copper cups? Would love to add this to our model classroom.
For myself – I have found most of my wooden bowls and copper items at yard sales and thrift stores. Ask families as well. You never know what they may have sitting in the garage in a box!
I love your blog. I just started at a school that is Reggio ensured and big component of Loose Parts. I work in the toddler room,so I am looking at the infant/toddler Loose Parts book for inspiration. I have a very large collection of Loose Parts, I just need to get all my stuff moved from Redding to Sacramento.
Kelli, thank you for the kind words! With safety in mind, many loose parts can be used for toddlers. Make sure that they are non-toxic (we know how much toddlers love to put things in their mouths!) and are large enough not to be a choking hazard. Have a happy and safe move to Sacramento! Big hugs!
This classroom is so beautiful but functional. It also sets the tone for success in a relaxed environment. My students face so much negativity and violence in their neighborhood on a daily basis that coming into this type of space to learn would give them a safe and relaxing space to explore and to just be a child. Maybe helping them to forget for a brief moment that they don’t always have to be uptight or on guard all the time. These are pre k students that innocence has been taken away due to their community. I want to create a classroom that says come, explore, relax and have fun learning. Your classroom says that.
this is a very nice class. Can you tell me which school this class belongs to?
It is located in Oklahoma.
Hello! Inspirational and beautiful.
I’ve been looking to buy an overhead projector for my classroom, but I’m not sure what kind to buy so that it’s functional for the kind of use it will get in a pre-k classroom. I see mostly digital projectors on the market, but I think it needs to be a classic, mirror, light and bulb mechanism, is that correct? Any advice would be appreciated.
Yes! You are correct – you want the classic mirror and light model. I have always purchased mine on Ebay and they are usually old school models.
So nice! What is the big branch made of or is it real? How did you attach it to the wall?
I love this room! I am thinking how to make a 4th grade classroom and my mind is racing with ideas!