We’ve probably all been in a setting similar to this one. It was a cold spring afternoon and a few children had woken from their naps. To keep the room relatively calm and quiet while the others slept, the teacher set out some table top manipulatives. When she sat down to be near the two […]
While having a snack with my young friends at Wildflower Preschool we had a conversation about helping one another. Some children were excited to tell me that they helped their teacher, Amy, get some things from her car. They were so happy to report that the back door opens down and gestured downward using their […]
Not too long ago we took this photo while on a hike with a class of pre-k children. At first I prodded the children onward, intending that we stick together in our large group. Soon I overheard the rumblings of discontent and the dreaded words, “I don’t want to do this anymore, can we go […]
Time to start thinking about spring and revitalizing our outdoor preschool classroom. No matter your climate, changes in the seasons always seem to stir up the desire to clean, paint and build. I happened to be doing a little research on using unconventional and re-purposed building materials in children’s spaces and came across these images. How […]
Educators and parents often refer to schools as “learning environments”. Indeed they are! But we all know that learning doesn’t stop just because children exit the building. One of our own Kodo kiddos created this structure at home, happily announcing to her family that it was a “road”. At first glance it may appear to […]
This photo was taken about eighteen months ago. It captures several toddlers who were offered something new to use with balls- tubes! We all know that the first time a new material or toy is given to a toddler several things may occur. The child chooses to interact with it or leave it be. Some […]
There is a common misconception among early childhood teachers that Engineering is too complicated for inclusion for the young child; however, the reality is that children are natural engineers. Structural engineering, which is part of the primary school science curriculum, primarily focuses on the solutions humans create to solve problems they encounter in nature. For […]
One warm day last fall, we captured this moment on a preschool playground. The three year old children in this photo wondered if using a rope would give them extra strength. One of the boys came to school talking about the fact that mountain climbers use ropes to help them “get up and down”. His […]
Oh the virtues of an ordinary box, some space and a group of energetic children! On first glance we all might wonder about the educational benefits playing with a large box might garner. So let’s focus on one child, the boy inside the box. This pre-kindergarten child was intrigued by the sounds he heard both […]
There’s something appealing about watching water trickle down a stream bed or rocks tumble down a hillside. This action is often replicated in the classroom. At Kodo, our designers pay a great deal of attention to the ways in which materials move and are transformed in the natural and man made world. Children are fascinated […]
