The gift of thrift: Collecting and creating priceless play and learning materials

Learning Environment
1 1/2-hour session — limit 4 presenters

Preschoolers
11/16/2017 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Room A312 Georgia World Congress Center

Shelley Nicholson, Director/Owner, Nicholson Early Childhood Education Center; Jessica Martinez, Center Director, The Goddard School of Austin

Early childhood teachers often struggle with creating enticing and engaging play-based environments on limited budgets. In this session we will explore inexpensive ways to collect and create classroom learning materials. We will start with what the early childhood research literature tells us about desirable attributes for developmentally appropriate learning materials such as the incorporation of real objects, environmental print, teacher writing, anti-bias images, items from nature, and open-ended or divergent materials. Our slideshow will display a multitude of examples of teacher-made materials that are relatively simple to construct as well as lists of everyday materials that teachers can collect to create enticing environments. Categories of materials will include blocks, construction, sensory, science, dramatic play, literacy, manipulatives, art, and music. Teachers do not have to be artistic to be creative. Join us to see what amazing things can be done with a little hot glue, duct tape and cardboard.