Just helping a friend

I often get the opportunity to observe children at play and learning to cooperate with each other. Today, one of our girls was playing in dollhouse and some of the boys in block center wanted to use the family vehicle from the dollhouse. A small disagreement began. I hesitated to step in, I just watched for a moment letting the group sort it out themselves. They managed to come to some sort of bargain, so I wandered away.

When I came back to see how they were doing,  the boys had all the dollhouse furniture loaded on all the trucks and big cars they could find. They also managed to have most of the dolls from the dollhouse.  Grace  was busily gathering extra furniture that had been missed and generally giving direction to the boys.

"We're helping Grace move. She wants to move closer to her grandma, so we're using all our cars to move all her stuff!"

"You have to have a big truck to move the kitchen."

"I'm being really careful. You have to be really careful when you move stuff so stuff doesn't get broken."

This was such a great moment to watch.

Creating a Literacy Rich Environment in Pre-K Learning Centers

We have a big variety of writing and reading materials in our language/literacy center and our writing center. But I also provide a literacy rich environment in all our other learning centers, as well.  All around our room are chart stories and language experience charts that we've made, like this for our apple week.

In every center, you will find a small plastic pencil case with a few notepads, scratch paper and pencils/pens, as well as notebooks or logs. The children may use these however they wish, to record thoughts and ideas.

 

In our Math center, there are books about math....

a small wall calendar and a large dry erase calendar.

 

We also have a dry erase writing chart available.

In our Science Center, in addition to books, we have animal fact cards/notebook pages, chalkboards and leaf rubbing materials and life cycle growth cards.

We also have log notebooks for science experiments and observation forms that we use for various experiments. Here's a few available in our centers right now for sensory bottles, sink or float and doctor's exam, including a sheet from Laura at The SEEDS Network

In our art center, a variety of books and magazines are available, along with all the varieties of papers and drawing/writing implements (many of the same materials are pictured below in "Writing Center").

In our dramatic play and home living center, you'll find print rich real and found items,

a food pyramid display on the fridge,

hotel registration cards,

guest check restaurant order pads/ dry erase cards and medical forms (pictured in "Science Center"),

 

menus and cookbooks, phonebooks, 

and magazines and books, in a variety of languages. 

Our writing center has the usual writing accessories such as a large variety of pencils, pens, markers, gel pens, chalk stencils and stamps. 

 

There are picture dictionaries available and books about writing.

 

There are notepads, stationary and envelopes, journals There are also a variety of papers: notebook paper,  story paper, as well as whiteboards, chalkboards and MagnaDoodles. 

 

There is even a "Make Your Own Book" box filled with ready to use materials.

And a mailbox to mail important letters.

We have name cards and letter games to make our names and practice literacy skills.

 

Our block center has a writing box, notepads and pencils, and a large variety of picture books, informational books, car brochures and even notebooks filled with pictures.

There are maps and blueprints

And storybook character blocks to re-enact familiar stories.

We even provide materials for use during our outdoor play time. 

Last month, in the post, "Our Pre-K Community" I wrote in more detail about our outdoor sidewalk cafe.  Creating outdoor centers has been a really fun addition to our playground time.

My kids love to read, write, paint  and create outdoors.

 

There are so many ways for teachers to promote and support literacy throughout the classroom. Please note that my language and literacy center and writing center have much, much more than I have included here. This is just an overview of what I do to incorporate literacy in other learning centers. I'm always on the look out for freebies and new materials to add to centers. Often, community stores and businesses are willing to share if you ask and tell them you are a teacher. 

If you have other ways of promoting literacy in your centers, I'd love for you to share it in the comments!