As a Kindergarten teacher I am challenged with the task of creating a developmentally appropriate environment for five and six year olds while also helping them achieve the high academic standards for Kindergarten students in our school district.
My students are learning how to practice kindness, eager readers, joy seekers, and they do it all the the boundless energy of 5 year olds.
When asked what they thought the letters in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) meant their response was: silly, teamwork, excitement, and movement. Those four works describe this lively group perfectly!
My Project
My students love our dramatic play area. While they are there they can become police officers and puppy dogs, moms and teenagers, astronauts and doctors, the possibilities are positively endless. I hear everything from fire engine noises to babies crying to cats meowing to lawn mowers mowing from the students as they play.
My students need to see themselves reflected in the toys in our dramatic play area.
When I inherited my classroom there were a handful of toys for this area including some mostly broken plastic plates and some raggedy baby dolls. My students cook up all sorts of food to serve on these plates and love on these babies. The problem is all of the babies are Caucasian but not all of my students are Caucasian. I would love for them to be able to play with baby dolls of different races and genders. This helps all students to be able to see themselves in the toys they are playing with and also exposes children to races and ethnicities that are not their own. As they are tenderly caring for these babies they are learning to care for others, regardless of skin color.
I am also asking for a play cash register so my students can have some experience with money. Many of them have not been exposed to actual paper money and coins and think everything is purchased with a credit card or online. When asked how their parents buy things they respond, "On Amazon!" or "With a credit card." They have been eagerly using magnifying glasses to search for Abraham Lincoln's statue on the back of the penny and are excited whenever we talk about money. I would love for them to be able to explore money with a cash register as they play AND learn!
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