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Reference List

Thursday 26 March 2020

Here are some blogs I love following:

1.https://misskindergarten.com/ - I love this blog for it's easy centre ideas. I do not use the worksheets, but some of the games that are offered.

2.https://thecuriouskindergarten.blog/- this blog hasn't been updated recently but still lots of great ideas.

3.https://adunsiger.com/- Aviva is a teacher in my school board who whole heartedly believes in play based learning and is passionate about pedagogy.

4.http://passionatelycuriousinkindergarten.blogspot.com/- most of us probably follow this blog already but it's a staple for learning about the Reggio play based classroom.

Future Goals

My future goals are to keep learning. Here is a short list:
1. When our new school is ready I would love to offer a more natural minimalistic environment.
2. I can't wait to minimize the amount of transitions, as right now we have no washroom or cubbies in our classroom.
3. I would like to get my Kindergarten specialist to complete my additional qualifications.
4. I will be working hard on e.learning, given the current circumstances this is a paramount goal.

Parent Engagement

We try to offer multiple ways that parents can be engaged in our program. The first way we offer parent engagement is through REMIND, a texting app we use to communicate information. We often send out photos of learning,  screenshot important information to go home, and we will update on a specific child's status as needed (bathroom accidents, or minor injuries). We are able to use REMIND to have a specific conversation with a parent, or put information out in a whole class announcement. It is a great way for us to be in contact with parents.
We also like to offer stay and play times on certain days in the school year. This is when parents can come and observe their child playing with peers and see what learning is taking place in an active environment.

Finally, we offer many special opportunities for parents to come into the school. Our favourite events are our Mother's Day Tea, and Father's Games Day. We love allowing parents to become part of their child's learning.

Outdoor Learning

Each day we spend a portion of our day outside. We do encourage the children to dress appropriately. Our outdoor space is presently a work in progress. We do have many items for the student to play with, as well as, a built in outdoor planter box that we use to do some planting with in the springtime. We would love to make our outdoor space more natural, through the use of natural materials, and loose parts that allow students to extend their learning. We often bring out some of our indoor materials to help extend our learning. We would love to add an outdoor kitchen, a small fort, and some low climbing materials to assist with gross motor skills. Here are some photos.







Inquiry

Inquiry is an integral part of the Kindergarten program. Learning what our students are interested in is the jumping off point for inquiry to begin. We as educators ask probing questions to discover what our students are interested in. Some times we have most of the class interested in the same topic, and other times only a few students are interested in the same topic so we can have a few different topics of interest being investigated at one time. Our latest inquiry was about space! We transformed our dramatic play centre into a rocket ship with planets and dramatic dress up opportunities. We learned about the solar system, more specifically the earth. Here are some photos!


Classroom Environment

My classroom environment is quite small, and at times it is hard to offer an immense play based learning program. We do our best to make the classroom as Reggio inspired as we can. We try to incorporate natural finishings and items that make the classroom feel like home.  Here are a couple pictures of what I would LOVE our classroom to look like.


Professional Practice

I am always moving forward with my professional practice. Working with an amazing ECE partner has taught me so much. I value the ideas of my partner, and we work together to make sure our program is meeting all the expectations. I am currently taking Kindergarten Part 2 which is an additional qualification course, and this has increased my professional learning and I can't wait to incorporate many of the ideas learned.