September 12, 2017

Welcome Rainey Room Families! We will post here on Tuesday through Friday to share highlights from our morning with the children. Feel free to ask us any questions and to engage us in a dialogue; our goal is to create a partnership with you to support and scaffold the children's learning. 

Getting to Know our Environment 

Today was our first full day of school with a half-group of children. The morning began with an open exploration of the environment and materials followed by our morning meeting and a more in-depth tour of the classroom. As we navigated through the room together, noticing the various materials and spaces, the children were immediately drawn to the multitude of open-ended possibilities that the environment offers.
The restaurant/shop inspired Lily to cook up some creative "dusty pancakes," while Max and Will worked together on building a complex structure with blocks in the construction area. Tegan used the small wooden tiles and bricks to create a simple, yet intricate design and Cate discovered our scale and began to weigh the little paper bags she had so carefully filled with bricks. Elena and Abby were eager to explore every nook and cranny of the classroom and got to choose their very own symbols that will be used in the message center throughout their time at St. John's.        

​After our community snack and before heading outside, we went to visit the children’s mailboxes located in the hall by the entrance to the school. Max had made everyone a special message over the summer and was excited to share them with his friends. We will be having conversations with the children to brainstorm a good name for the school-wide mailbox location as well as to develop a ritual or routine for checking and delivering our messages. 

​​It was a beautiful day to spend some time outdoors and once we reached the outdoor classroom the children were off and running! We are definitely looking forward to spending more time outdoors and we will begin our Monday and Wednesday backwards days next week.

This morning was truly delightful; we laughed together, shared some stories and memories, and just generally enjoyed one another's company. As we begin to settle into the Rainey Room, we are excited to make our mark on the space and to see where the children's natural curiosities take us!