The learning environment

'what does this say?' a child asked while studying a plaque made to commemorate
an ex teacher who passed away. I read out the words and she happily walked off. Another child pointed at the alphabets she was able to recognize and read them out. Interestingly, the plaque is providing opportunities for literacy learning. As a teacher of young children, I am always aware of the significance of print in the environment. We put labels everywhere at kindergarten, such as the kitchen, toilet, puzzle corner and so on. We positioned posters at the child's level to enable them to read/look at them or just ask questions.

a well planned environment definitely promote learning. Think about putting some flowers on the drawing tables to prompt children to observe and draw them. If you are frustrated by the stereotype five-petals flower drawn by children, try to look closely at the flowers and talk about the colors and shapes of the petal, stem and leaves. At the block corner, photographs of towers, bridges, and other architecture will certainly help. These photographs give children some reference and extra ideas, enriching their repertoire. I have seen a child who is used to build roads tried out a bridge.

Really think about the environment, use your imagination and plan ahead.