Glen Education McKinnon

The Environment as the Third Teacher

Bridget Di Stefano, Early Childhood Educator

The environment as the third teacher is the idea that every part of the kindergarten space has a part to play in influencing the child. Warm, inviting, and thought-out environments help children to feel safe, secure, and supported. This has been the focus as we welcomed many new children and families into our centre this year. As the year progresses the spaces are co-constructed along with the children as we as a kindergarten unit learn together. Here are just some of the ways our environment is created with the children in mind:

Equipment allows children to be independent.

A child sits on child sized chair at child sized table comfortably drawing.

I’m sure one of the first things you notice when you enter the kindergarten room is how small everything is, small tables, small chairs. This intentional choice allows the children to feel comfortable in seats where their feet touch the ground. Everything is within the child’s reach to encourage independence. The equipment says to the children ‘We are here for you to use’, and allows them to use the tools safely.

You may notice there is also a large dining table in each room. Don’t worry, we didn’t run out of furniture; this is an intentional choice. By doing this we are acknowledging that children don’t live in a child sized world outside the kindergarten gates, and they also need to become familiar with real sized objects. We also believe that our learning environments need to be places where adults can comfortably sit, and learn alongside children, so they too, need spaces that are comfortable for them to learn.

Children's reflection of their identity/ family at kindergarten.

A child stands in front of family tree display.

In our kindergarten, we have built a family tree display in each room. The children and the educators created the tree together with children painting the tree, cutting the photos, and drawing the leaves. Providing spaces around the room where children see themselves and their families tells the children that they, and their families are welcomed into the kindergarten community. Children love to show the educators and each other their families and the tree becomes a starting point of conversations. In addition to this, there are reflections of many different cultures embedded into the program. From the displays on the walls, the range of toys and books telling stories from many different cultures.

Opportunities for risky play

Children carefully balance on the beam, taking small slow steps.

At Glen McKinnon, we encourage risky play, but what does this mean? The environment is set up in a way where the children can SAFELY participate in risks, allowing them to build gross and fine motor skills, learn to trust their body and instincts and try new experiences in a safe way.

How is this done?

We observe the children and look for how we can scaffold their interests and development in a safe way. We also involve children in the discussion about 'what is safe?' and 'what is not safe?' so that they can learn how to assess and navigate risk themselves. Children love climbing trees, let’s allow them a space to do this by creating a jumping tree. Children want to help cut out, let’s give them appropriate scissors so they can safely cut. The children learn that the experiences created by the educators will be safe, building trust in the environment, and growing confidence to try new things.

Sustainability and recycling

Children work together to make a collage out of recycled, natural, and sustainable materials.

Sustainability and recycling are very important to us at Glen McKinnon! But how is our environment displaying this to the children? Firstly, we have many different colored bins, each with a different purpose such as recycling, green waste and landfill. The children are very keen to place their rubbish in the correct bin, and this allows many opportunities for discussions about being more sustainable.

Secondly, we use a range of sustainable and recycled materials in the kindergarten. We make ‘Teddy bear factories’ and ‘fast cars’ out of recycled cardboard boxes on the craft table. Providing recycled materials for the children tells them that with a little bit of imagination anything can have a second life, and that you don’t need fancy materials to be a creator.

Familiar and the New

Children playing with the familiar; Play dough, and the unfamiliar; Mud pit.

When you enter the kindergarten, you will notice there is a range of experiences available for the children. Some of these are timeless classics such as playdough, sandpit and craft, but also new experiences you may be unfamiliar with. This is an intentional choice made by the educators. It allows the children spaces of familiarity, so they feel comfortable in the room, but also gives them opportunities to try new things and to challenge their thinking. As the year goes on, there will be more and more new things for the children to try, to support learning and development.