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Return to the Helpful Hints Homepage
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Helpful Hints: Creating Interest Areas
Setting up interest areas with in the classroom is important for
the making of a classroom that promotes the growth and development for a child.
Here are areas that are typically in an early childhood classroom:
• Blocks (unit blocks, people and transportation)
• Dramatic Play (kitchen set, dress-up clothes & dolls)
• Fine Motor or Manipulative (tables, puzzles, pegs & beads)
• Art (easels, paint, crayons & paper)
• Sand & Water (sand and water table, funnels, measuring cups & sponges)
• Library (book display, books & soft cushions)
• Music and Movement (dance/prop storage, musical instruments/players)
• Storage for Personal Belongings (lockers, storage bins, etc.)
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Helpful Hints: Working with Toddlers
Children between 1 and 2 1/2 years of age are an extremely active group to work with.
These children are developing at a rapid speed. Each day brings a new activity, skill or interest.
Ways To Encourage Toddler Development
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• Choose activities that match the skill level of the toddlers.
• Provide appropriate furnishings and materials that make the room inviting and functional.
• Separate the quiet areas from the active areas.
• Cover outlets, close doors and put safety locks on low cabinets.
Avoid toy boxes or other storage with heavy lids.
• Provide plenty of open shelving.
• Label the shelves with both words and pictures.
• Providing appropriate indoor and outdoor equipment for physical activity
such as Wood Designs' WD19900 Balance Beam or the WD12000 Rock A Boat.
• Place proper cushioning under large activity equipment.
• Apply words for every toddler activity.
• Provide simple, basic routines so toddlers can enhance their sense of security.
• Use equipment such as Wood Designs' WD21200 Step-Up-N-Wash
for bathroom fixtures that are not child-sized.
• Provide variety and quantity of materials to keep toddlers from being bored.
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Helpful Hint of the Month...
The Infant Pull Up Storage (WD40400)
is a great product to use in the infant room
to protect the non-mobile infants from the mobile infants.
Just place two Infant Pull Up Storage shelves
in an "L" shape and place the needed material
for the non-mobile infants within the sectioned off area.
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Shown above:
WD40400 Infant Pull Up Storage
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Check us out in this article on the web...
The Ultimate Early Ed Blueprint
Creating an ideal early childhood education space in your school district is a no-brainer,
once you understand how to see and think like a tot.
By Julie Sturgeon, DistrictAdministration.com, May 2004
http://www.districtadministration.com/page.cfm?p=734
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Teacher Resources: Helpful Hints Archive
Our past Helpful Hints articles, organized & archived
for your convenience in setting-up your own classroom.
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Enhance interest areas by providing enough shelving & storage bins
for the amount of materials provided in the classroom.
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