Beautiful Environments

I put a lot of thought into my classroom environment and relish the opportunity to go to other teacher's classrooms or centres to have a sneaky peak at how they have set up their environment and steal a few ideas.

One centre I visited a while ago was Bear Park at Mount Eden in Auckland, New Zealand and their beautiful environment is one which continues to inspire me.  Here are some pics that will hopefully inspire you too...

The entrance way included philosophy statements, photos of the teachers and books containing current learning stories

The children's family photos

This is one idea that I incorporated into my classroom straight away and now, at the beginning of every year,  I ask each child to bring in a framed photo of their family.  Over the years I have witnessed children holding, kissing and talking to their family photos emphasising how important this little piece of home is to children who have just started school. 

Things I love about Bear Park's space:

• The environment welcomes you as soon as you walk in the door and is reflective of the children, their families and the teachers who spend their time there. 
• Children's work is beautifully displayed in a way that communicates that their work is important and valued.
• Materials and resources are presented to children in a way that provokes their curiosity and creativity.
• But most of all - the time and care that has gone into developing such a lovely space for children to play in!