Back to School, Keep it cool

The 2015 school year is upon us! What does that mean? Anything can happen this year, and we are here to help you see your vision come to life in your classroom.

There are new designs being made at Wood Designs to suit your every need (or every whim). We love to see happy customers, happy parents, happy students and teachers using our products that are made with you in mind.

When The Rain Won't Go Away, Play!

With these April showers extending their stay into May, indoor play can quickly become the only option. Wood Designs’ offers a variety of quality products that turn the classroom into a place where imaginations can run even when our little ones can't. 

Wood Designs knows the importance of defining specific areas in the classroom. (Additional details on this topic here). Students should feel comfortable and inspired in their classroom; it is vital in assisting young minds in growing and exploring. When play and learning time are forced to occur in the same shared space, teachers can quickly find themselves scrambling for activities to keep students busy and entertained. When the classroom is equipped with innovative, educational furniture, the stress of a rainy day is washed away. Leave no room for boredom with some fun interactive products!

Dramatic play offers boundless opportunities for students to play. Their imaginations will take them to a land far, far away from the classroom.

The All-In-One Kitchen Center will fit into even the coziest of classrooms. With a complete stove, oven, microwave, sink, dishwasher, shelf space, and marker board, this attractive play island will allow students to have hands-on experience, writing up their own menu as they prepare a creative feast for their classmates. Featuring Pinch-Me-Not(TM) hinges, pinched fingers and tears will be history!

Why just have dinner when you can have dinner and a show?!

A classroom can be transformed into a theater with the opening of the red curtain. The Deluxe Puppet Theater allows a place for those truly dramatic students to take center stage and put on an entertaining show for their friends. A marquis on top and message board on the lower panel is a true invitation for audience participation-an opportunity to make the show about the audience and the puppeteers. The backstage area is equipped with two shelves of storage to keep the students organized and the show running smoothly.

Every classroom has those students who don’t feel satisfied with playtime until they've gotten their hands dirty, literally!

With the sand and water table, children are offered the joy of getting elbows deep into a project while also learning important elements of movement and play such as cause and effect, motor control. They’ll also exercise social skills as they share their findings with others at the table. Accommodating up to four students at once, eager minds will join together to make quite a splash.

Art stations are great tools for students to work, not just for the creative outlet they establish but also for the trust that is developed between the teacher and student. As the student takes ownership of their project. they gain a sense of independence being trusted in a typically messy situation.

We offer art centers that are as personally individualized as the child’s artwork itself. Whether you want an easel that accommodates 1, 2, or 4 students, finished with chalkboard, acrylic board, marker board, or plywood, the options are diverse; and they don’t stop there. Choose between assorted colors, translucent, or brown trays to store all of your art supply goods.

Block sets are a wonderful opportunity to create classroom unity. As one idea, assign a group of students a building task and watch as they work together to reach a common goal. Wood Designs’ offers block sets from toddlers to elementary-age students.

With Wood Designs products as a part of a classroom, rainy days will no longer be a point of stress for teachers or create boredom for students, they'll be days filled with exciting activities for all. 

Defining Areas in Your Classroom

Research has confirmed what most teachers already know-the physical environment greatly influences behavior and learning in children.  This is important information to understand when designing your space.  Not only the utility, but also the appearance of a classroom can dictate the mood and activity in the room.  Students in an attractive and purposeful environment have been found to experience more feelings of comfort, energy, and enjoyment.  When questioned, they requested to remain in the room and continue their activities.  The study also demonstrated that students in an unattractive/disorganized room experienced a sense of monotony, irritability, and low energy.  They had no desire to stay in the room or to stick with their assignments. 

Designing specific areas is a great way to direct the type of activity and focus of students.  Areas should be created with barriers, furniture, or partitions.  It is important to note that in early childhood classrooms, special attention should be paid to ensure furniture cannot fall on or injure a child.  

Why create defined areas?  Areas that are not well-defined can cause chaos or disruptions when more than one child floods an area of activity.  Lack of clear boundaries can also cause confusion.  A child may not understand what toys and materials go with a specific activity.  Creating an area devoted to that activity instructs the child on what behavior is expected and what supplies/materials to use in that area. 

The corners of rooms make excellent reading nooks or areas for focused activities.  This is due to the fact that the corners of rooms are typically found to be away from the running traffic of children, and it is easier to block out noises and distractions.  Activities such as reading, math manipulatives, science lessons and block play require focused attention and less noise.  These types of activities should be separated into spaces that are away from high traffic areas and noisy/messy activities.  Areas used for crafts, noisy cars, make-believe time, etc. should be defined as well.  This will instill excitement and fun because the student knows what is expected of him/her. 

Visit www.WoodDesigns.com to get your layout today!

If you are still unsure on how to design the perfect classroom, Wood Designs is here to help!  Our talented design staff will take your classroom specs and turn them into beautiful and realistic 3-D renderings that demonstrate the best way to utilize your space.

Tis the Season to Be Artsy

“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” -Pablo Picasso.  

This famous quote reflects not only the importance of art in the adult world, but also of its place in a child’s learning environment.  Creativity is an essential part of growth and learning that helps children to gain confidence while exploring the world around them.  Painting in early childhood is a wonderful outlet for this purpose.  It allows children to test their imaginations and improve problem-solving, all while having fun.  Painting builds self-confidence in children because you are trusting them with a messy project and allowing them to make their own decisions in the process.  This type of trust given is helpful later in life not only for them to have the courage to express themselves, but also because they are encouraged to stand firm on their own which is helpful into adulthood.  Painting puts the child in control.  They are deciding where the paint goes, what color to use and what the finished product will look like. This teaches ownership and problem-solving skills that are beneficial in many different subjects.

As we find ourselves in the midst of the Holiday season, it is a great opportunity to incorporate this festive time into creative lessons.  This allows children to explore their creativity and teaches them about different cultures.  There are many art projects that can incorporate the subject of holidays.  Painting Christmas trees and Hanukkah Menorahs, coloring paper Kwanzaa Kinaras, and drawing New Year’s fireworks are great ways of having creative fun while introducing children to other cultures.  A sensory experience can also be encouraged by having children paint with pine cones or Christmas tree branches instead of paint brushes.  This is a great way for kids to experiment with different textures and opens them up to endless possibilities. 

Wood Designs offers every type of art easel to accommodate these projects.  We have art easels for 1-4 students with chalkboards, acrylic boards, marker boards, and plywood boards for all of your art needs.  Need bins or baskets to organize those art supplies or a drying rack to dry those priceless works of art?  Visit WoodDesigns!

Technology in the Classroom-Finding the Right Balance

With the arrival of modern technology, our lives are filled with computers, smart phones, iPads, and other high-tech gadgets.  When and how are these items appropriate for use in the classroom?

Technology in the classroom is a delicate balance-too much can be a hindrance, yet avoiding it all together can be a missed opportunity.  After careful examination and research, the Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Media found interactive media to be an effective tool to support learning and development in early learning years.  “When used appropriately, technology and interactive media have tremendous potential to nurture early learning and development,” said Rita Catalano, executive director of the Fred Rogers Center.  The effectiveness of this use depends on the context in which it is applied.  Technology should be relevant to the material and add a new element for engaging children.  When deciding to use technology with young children, some items to look at to determine this are: the interests of the children in question, their developmental stage, cultural background, and individual abilities.  In early childhood, the use of technology should be hands-on and engaging to the children, helping them progress in skill development at their individual rates.  It should be one part of a daily classroom routine that provides many options to support learning. 

On the contrary, technology used without guidance and education can interfere with learning and development.  Simply placing a small child in front of a TV for hours will not successfully teach them lessons.  Television shows and videos offer a more passive use of technology that does not provide the appropriate encouragement to facilitate beneficial learning.  The teacher or caregiver’s role is important in delivering the technology-assisted lesson.  Researchers have determined that technology is best avoided in children under the age of 2 and usage should be limited for ages 2-5 to obtain healthy results. Positively, technology can also assist in building relationships between teachers and students.  Examples of proper use of technology are Skype chatting with relatives who might live far away, learning to use interactive maps, listening devices, digital microscopes and cameras.  Wood Designs provides a computer desk that is perfect for housing your classroom’s computer and monitor.  Visit WoodDesigns.com to view this desk and our variety of listening storage centers to keep all of your audio equipment organized and ready for interactive learning.

The Sensory Way

It has been determined that the first three years of a child’s life are critical in the development of language, attention span, problem-solving capabilities, and social skills.  Because of this sensitive time period, it is important to promote verbal learning and social development. 

The sensorial learning approach focuses on making learning an inviting and independent experience.  This is done through the use of the senses to acquire information from the environment for the purpose of understanding.  These exercises are completed through the use of visual (sight), tactile (touch), baric (pressure/weight), thermic (temperature), auditory (sounds), and olfactory (smelling) senses.  Because sensorial learning focuses on the child completing learning tasks independently, these materials should be aesthetically pleasing.  Sensorial learning creates an inviting environment with the use of open shelves and fun manipulatives to encourage new experiences.  Open shelving is defined as a shelving unit with no back present (or if there is a back, it is transparent).  This creates an open and enticing area that allows children to see all of the materials available and encourages them to want to explore it.  This “openness” also allows students to see through the shelves, allowing them to make use of their visual senses while learning and provides them with the ability to access the materials at all times.  As they are better able to USE their senses, they are then better able to LEARN through these senses.  This interest in learning is important because studies have shown that children who do not come to school with a readiness to learn are likely to struggle throughout current and future educations.  

Sensory and science tables are excellent ways to encourage sensorial learning.  Sensory tables encourage the use of tactile and baric senses while science tables provide space and tools for young students to examine and observe objects in order to categorize and learn from them.  It is pretty clear that a successful classroom is accomplished through the use of appropriate sensorial furniture and materials.  Visit WoodDesigns.com to view our Natural Environments™ line of furniture to see how we can accommodate your sensorial needs.

Cooking up some fun!

If your preschool years were similar to mine, you spent a lot of your play time spent in the toy kitchen area.  I recall hours of fun pretending with classmates and creating imaginary mud pies.  I always thought these kitchens were just for fun, but it turns out they serve educational purposes as well.  Kitchen areas are beneficial in preschool and early childhood classrooms because they encourage improvements in motor and social skills, while providing time for role-playing. 

Kitchen sets are most often being used by multiple children at the same time.  This helps to foster a sharing environment and improves a child’s social capabilities.  Interacting with other children is a much needed skill that improves cognitive development and will assist them in future school years and life.  Research has shown that children who are able to successfully interact with their peers during preschool are more likely to have stronger friendships and feelings of acceptance later in life.  It has also been determined that poor social skills in early childhood can lead to behavioral problems later on. Cognitive and motor development and wonderful social skills sounds like a win-win!

It is important to include plastic plates, utensils, and pretend food in your kitchen area.  This allows children to practice using items they encounter in daily life, improving their motor skills.  It also initiates make-believe play in which children will pretend to cook imaginary meals and reenact household chores such as setting the table and cleaning dishes.  This role-playing is a necessary component to sparking the imaginations of children while teaching the value of responsibility by completing chores.

Wood Designs offers many options for all sizes of classrooms.  We have various kitchen sets that have individual pieces such as a ranges, sinks, cupboards, and refrigerators.  These are available in different sizes and shapes for various age levels. 

All of our items have rounded edges and corners for safety and our Tip-Me-Not™ kitchen appliances are bottom weighted and the center of gravity is lowered to greatly decrease the possibility of tipping by children.  If your classroom is small, we have various all-in-one kitchen sets that incorporate numerous appliances into one compact piece of furniture.  Visit Wood Designs to pick out the kitchen set that suits your classroom needs and let the cooking begin!