Lessons from the Frog Room
Written By Emily B. Todd
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To create a play space that really engages kids, this mom went back to preschool.
I remember feeling a kind of awe when I watched my son Tommy, then 2, begin his day at preschool in the Frog Room. He played independently and creatively, and knew just where to find the things he needed. When I came to pick him up, order prevailed. Everything had been put away.
It was not this way at home.
So recently when we decided to make a playroom for Tommy, now 5, and his brother Jamie, 2, I couldn't help but think of the Frog Room. Tommy's teachers take their inspiration from the Reggio Emilia educational approach: Kids learn the most from firsthand experiences, and the environment is another teacher, pushing play and learning in new directions.
"It means a lot more for kids to discover something on their own than for them to hear it from us," says Frog Room teacher Michelle Sullivan.
The only lesson being taught at our house was How to (Barely) Stave Off Pandemonium. But the Frog Room gave me hope that I could control the chaos without putting a lid on creativity.
I started by dividing our room, preschool-style, into separate spaces for reading, construction, dress-up, and kitchen play. Having an area for each activity makes it easier for the kids to focus, and to keep track of their things. After we put our "Frog Room" in place, I noticed Tommy coming up with his own organizational ideas: "Let's put all the Hot Wheels here."
Next pages:
Creating a Reading Area
Building a Construction Zone
Playing Dress-Up
Cooking in the Kiddie Kitchen
Filling a Sensory Table
Adding Personal Touches
