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A Day In The Life At NSW
“We can sew all the small pieces together.” -Lily
As the children noticed that the fabric they used for the roof of the Fire Truck in the East Wing continued to go inside the truck, they decided to reflect about their problem with the class. Rio: Well, we have a problem. The fabric we used for the roof keeps going inside. Eloise:…
“You draw with a partner. You have to think about it first.” -Sammy
Partner Drawing is a process through which the children first share their individual ideas and then brainstorm ways to connect and illustrate a new idea in partnership. Sammy: You draw with a partner. You have to think about it first though. Naia: You draw and you tell a story with someone. Rio: Partner drawing…
“I can support you with the numbers.” -Cooper
While working with dowels, armature wire, pliers and wire cutters, Aiden noticed that one of the coils he formed looked like the number nine. Aiden: This way it is a six but then if you turn it, it looks like a nine. I think it looks more like a nine. This inspired the idea…
“Look, we have three wheels on the master plan.” -Austen
It’s part of our culture to use drawing as a way to communicate and collaborate. The children use master plans as a way to convey their ideas and exchange information with one another. This first plan was an important beginning to their ongoing fire truck project. As the children approached adding wheels, there was a…
“…a truly inspiring and fresh perspective.” visiting educator
Professional Development in the preschool arena includes inspiration from other sites. The New School-West tours our sister schools: Growing Place, Branches, Bright Start, and more. We study the environment and how the teachers and children interact and are often filled with validation, curiosity, and drive to deepen our own work. So whenever we are asked…
“The tape could save our favorite spots.” -Aiden
In the West Wing, we focus on introducing a wide variety of tools, techniques, and materials for the children to use. Tape as a resist is one we are experimenting with now. …
“I want to check the carrots.” -Theo
The children were introduced to learning how to take care of worms to help the whole school garden. Both the West and East Wingers participated in feeding them kitchen scraps, cleaning the bins, and taking care of the bedding with recycled paper. We have seen the children’s innate love of nature come through in practical…
“Kai is my friend.” -Gus
Before the Winter Break, we informed the children that a new child named Kai would be joining the West Wing when they returned. When we showed the children Kai’s family photo, these were the children’s questions: Ozzie: I want to know if he likes trains. Isla: Does he like to collect flowers? Miro: Does he…
“We can us these for the water bubbles!” -Jai
We have introduced collage to the Partner Drawing that continues to be a focus in the Communication Center. Teddy and Jai worked together as partners on a drawing. After some discussion, they agreed they would work on representing the sea. The boys first worked on a drawing and then added different elements: fish, divers,…