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Rethinking Environments
April 19, 2012
If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.
-Winnie the Pooh
-Winnie the Pooh
"The new trend in aesthetic codes focuses on beautifully designed environments that are harmonious with children’s beauty. In such environments, neutral colors are used on the walls and floors, the furniture is made of natural materials, and the beauty of nature is infused into the room. Instead of bold and bright colors generating from the furnishings or wall decorations, the new code brings color into the space through the simple beauty of children’s paintings, weavings, drawings, or sculptures.
"Also, this new code embraces simplicity and values children’s work, especially regarding how their masterpieces are displayed. [In "Aesthetic Codes in Early Childhood Classrooms", Patricia] Tarr challenges early childhood educators to think beyond the idea of decorating the classroom walls with scalloped borders and alphabet posters. She says, “Work that follows formulaic schemas, such as prescriptive worksheets or the St. Patrick’s Day mobiles hanging from the ceiling, stifles the true capabilities of young children and consequently silences imagination and creativity." Still, many educators continue to cover the walls with materials that not only have little educational value but also perpetuate the wrong aesthetic code.
"Breaking the traditional aesthetic code requires de-cluttering the walls, removing commercially-produced materials, and placing children’s framed creative expressions, as well as thoughtfully chosen masterpieces, such as Monet or Rembrandt throughout the classroom. By doing so, teachers can break down the walls of the antiquated aesthetic code and begin to create new codes that honor children’s work and create beautiful spaces."
The classroom environment is an essential component for maximizing learning experiences for young children. These books invite teachers to enhance children's educational environment in a beautiful way by emphasizing aesthetic environmental qualities that are often overlooked in early childhood classrooms, such as nature, color, furnishings, textures, displays, lighting, and focal points. If you buy both books, you can enjoy a 15% discount.- Inspiring Spaces for Young Children
- Rating Observation Scale for Inspiring Environments (ROSIE)
- Or, Purchase Both and Save 15%!
Sale ends Friday. (07/13/2012).
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Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsUnited States
Thank you for the thought provoking article on children's environment. I agree with the need to 'de-culture' children's spaces, and that neutral colors work well as background for highlighting the art and work of the children. My only thought is that every culture has much to offer in how they perceive an environment. For some groups bright colors are a way of life and bold prints express how a culture may interact with their environment. I would not like to see every classroom, home or child space become a cookie cutter approach. There are many artists from many cultures who should share the walls with the children's art. And many of those artist use bold and dramatic colors, shapes and forms. I would hope that when taking down all of the borders, hearts, eggs, etc. there be some thought given to who is in the space and what they value.
Rochester, NY, United States
Cluttered classrooms where children have been bombarded with commercialized learning tools seem to coincide with the rise in diagnosis of ADD. We wonder why so many children and adults have difficulty focusing on a task or listening when we systematically overload their consciousness
and stimulate them to a frenzy, shut down or breaking point. The KISS principle bodes well for environments also. Learning from and incorporating principles that sustain nature and it's bounty
makes perfect sense. Most creatures find a way to blend into and simplify their environment to adapt and flourish rather than create chaos.
Bravo to Sandra and her creative yet common sense applications.
Consultant
Youngsville, NC, United States
Hallelujah someone is finally paying attention to children's inherent needs to the world of nature. "Plastic rooms" as I like to call them with all their colors, scallops, commercial pictures, etc. tend to clutter little minds.
In 2002 in the July/August Exchange Bonnie Neugebauer did an article on our child care. Part of our success in working with challenging children was the fact that we brought the outside into the inside.
Animals, plants, sand dirt, rocks and nature bring a softness into the inside rooms. Being outside in that natural world can bring a calmness to children. So why not bring more nature to the inside?
All of our walls were soft white and wood furniture was used - albeit some of it was many years old.
When we knew there was a challenging behavior child about to enter our facility all the color came off the walls. This included children's art work. The walls were left bare, stark and plain. As the child acclimated to our world and us to them, then art work slowly began to reappear.
Cluttered environments exasperate cluttered thoughts. Calm the environment and you calm the children.
I applaud Sandra Duncan and wish this resource had been available many years ago. Thank you Sandra!
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