It's usually about thirteen minutes into the first day of kindergarten when I here, "When can we paint? When can we use the trains? When can we play?" I'm showing them where their lunch box goes, but this is what they REALLY want to know! Here's what I tell them:
Each center is like a big, beautiful present waiting to be opened. Is opening presents the first thing you do when you get to a birthday party? NO! You usually have to wait a little bit, right? Do you open all of your presents at once or one at a time?" ONE AT A TIME! Well, it's the same with centers. We have to wait a bit before we begin opening them and we will open them one at a time.
Here are some more tips for opening centers:
Last year's science center - waiting for children to arrive!
Here are some more tips for opening centers:
- String crepe paper across the centers and cut the ribbon as you open each one.
- Open 1-2 centers each day. Use a similar routine for your "grand opening" to provide consistency and a predictable language around center use.
- Begin with centers in which you have the most materials since the whole class will be working at these 2 centers in the beginning. I start with construction and math because I have a lot of blocks and math manipulatives. Since they all won't fit in the center space, temporarily extend it to floor or table areas in other parts of your room.
- Dismiss children to centers by asking, “Who would like to work in the _______ center today? Invite children to raise hands or stand up to show their interest. If the whole class raises their hand for one center (oh no!), ask for volunteers to choose a different center.
Once the centers are all opened, it's your "gift" to stand back and observe the children happily engaged in exploring, experimenting, discovering, and creating.
Thanks for stopping by!
Jackie
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