Rosa Parks Early Childhood Center is filled with such wonder and awe. From the teaching staff, to the children, to the thoughtfully planned rooms, to documentation filled walls, and much more.
I wanted to share just a glimpse into the overall rooms and share some of the defining details that truly stand out in this building.
Rosa Parks Early Childhood Center serves children ages 3-4 and is partnered with CAP and Union Public Schools.
Construction Areas
Notice the variety of Loose Parts all around the construction area. The use of mirrors hanging brings a whole new view to children. The addition of a light and shadow area into construction provides opportunities to combine light and building. So many intricate details planned with the child in mind!
Atelier
The ateliers are filled with wonderful materials that are accessible to children to create! They spend much time at the beginning of the year and throughout to introduce and set up invitations for them to EXPLORE! The addition of Loose Parts and natural materials for collage is evident throughout the rooms. Displayed in such a way to calls children to come create.
Dramatic Play
One of the most important areas in an early childhood classroom! The great space they dedicate to this area shows what an emphasis is put on make-believe play! Notice more Loose Parts arranged for the children to come utilize. Lots of fabric is displayed so children have the opportunity to create their own costumes!
Light and Shadow
Playing with lights, colors, and shadows is something these children experiment with on a daily basis. Notice how they use a light projector and light table! Loose Parts again displayed in these areas for building, patterning, and so much more.
Chandelier
LOVE the spools used as a storage space for beads that they can string onto wires.
Messaging
Messaging areas are found in several places throughout the rooms as they integrate them into construction and dramatic play as well as on their own. A large variety of sketching and drawing materials provided to activate that creativity and love for writing!
Thank you Rosa Parks ECEC for sharing your spaces again!
BONUS! Click here to download our newest FREE Ebook that has an in-depth look at the environments from years past at Rosa Parks ECEC.
Beautiful and inspiring!
Thank you Kerry!
Truly inspiring! My question has to do with all the parts…how do you handle the clean up of these areas and how do the children keep from dumping everything or whipping some things around the rooms? Boys are notorious for dumping and I would think the clean up would take hours to resort everything!
I’m not teaching any more but am just curious! My 16 month old grandson still just throws stuff so I limit the amounts,and maybe that’s the answer. Limit the amounts and choices in the beginning of the year!
Beautiful classroom. Our teachers are beginning to change their environments, wish it could be more but were taking one step at time. Our site in Culver, has a beautiful environment and still going at it.
Thank you Maria. We’d love to hear more about your site in Culver! Feel free to share pictures with us in our Facebook Group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/reggioinsrpiredearlychildhoodeducators/
This will be a perfect site for the undergraduate/graduate students in my Creative Expressions course to visit and it isn’t far away. Thank you Rosa Park teachers and Sally
Thank you so much Denise!
Where is this school located ?
Hi Ruth,
Thanks for stopping by our blog and for your question. Rosa Parks is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma!
So very beautiful and inviting.
Thank you!
Beautiful !!!!!
Wonderful and inspiring
It inspired me to redecorate! So beautiful.
lovely inspirational rooms which we are trying to recreate in our setting, thank you for the informative posts.
Thank you Hazel!
The space is so beautiful and thoughtfully set up! Thank you for sharing these inspired spaces.
Thank you Kristy! So happy you like it!
Awesome job Rosa Parks. Each nook is inspiring. The pics certainly got me thinking about my room. Now I need to develop a plan. Thanks for sharing.
I used to teach at CAP, but have since moved to NYC! Reading your blog posts has reminded me how much I miss working for a center that truly values play-based learning and trusts that children are very capable of creating their own understandings under the gentle guidance of loving teachers. I especially love the suspended mirror in the construction area! That’s such an interesting idea that I definitely haven’t thought of before. I would also love to incorporate a light and shadow learning area. What are the materials that the teacher uses here? Do you have any suggestions on how to start small?
I also love the windows and hanging fabrics in so many of the classrooms you feature. Unfortunately these things are against fire code in our state as the interfere with the sprinkler system in the ceiling should it go off. I would check that in your area if you are considering … as you might be taking it down after a random inspection 🙁
great!
Wonderful!
Very pretty, nature is present in this classroom.
Nature is pure wonder!!!