Teaching Beyond the Square

What is in your bookbag for the summer? Check out some books your friends at Teaching Beyond the Square will be reading! Put your favorites in the comments so we can share great books together. Happy Reading!

As many of you welcome summer break and reflect on a year of learning, we are weaving together next year’s virtual workshops. Our threads of learning series have been curated for you to follow a thread or to jump in and thread your own. Based on your reflections from this year, let us know in the comments what your intentions for next year are.

𝐒𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐔𝐏 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐀 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐑𝐘
These sessions will kick-start the year with a fresh perspective from setting up your environment to unpacking systems for documentation.

𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐓𝐎𝐃𝐃𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐒
Be inspired by experts in the field who share their days and learning with toddlers.

𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐈𝐎
Experience a series of tours led by inspiring atelieristas who will share their spaces and expertise on working with materials.

𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒
How do we build classroom community, curiosity, and culture? Come explore these wonderful examples from the field.

𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐔𝐋𝐔𝐌
Each year presents a unique story, a new inquiry and an opportunity to explore alongside children. Join us for the story behind the stories as these educators share the how and why of their emergent curriculum.

𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐔-𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒
Our well-loved in-person docu-series will be offered virtually this year. This is a two-part cohort where you will have the opportunity to be in dialogue alongside educators and master documenter Andrew Hauner.

Two Pre-K teachers from PS 188Q/ANNEX reflected with us on their three Materialized Classroom experiences this spring. A key idea about the value of loose parts in the classroom organically emerged from our discussion – loose parts play is an opportunity to let the children’s thinking/experimenting take the lead and shine.

“I am stepping back more, and just allowing the play. I’m trying to do more observation without putting my opinions in. I try to hold back on modeling, not just in the loose parts center, but now in all the centers.”

“I was really able to observe the students [when they interacted with loose parts.] I feel like they were able to show more of their thinking processes. They showed persistence and didn't give up. It’s OK to “mess up.” They usually ask for our help but when working with loose parts, they didn’t need to ask for help and were really tackling things on their own.”

The Materials Center lives above a nursery school, and, as the school year nears its end, the teachers bring up projects they can no longer display. This one is begging to be shared. Three-year-olds were building a rocket ship to “get to the moon.” They wanted a “control panel” that they could operate. The studio teacher collected different items from us so the children could choose which things would be best to turn or move to make their rocket ship go. With an adult present, the children hammered and screwed their pieces into the wood. These children have been with these specific teachers for two years now, and over that time, they continue to ask for the control panel to be taken down so that they can play with it even though it is long after they visited the moon!

Invite children to explore the forms, materials, sounds, colors of the season. Bring spring into your classroom by being present and noticing the changes and growth in the world around us (and in ourselves).

Teaching Beyond the Square is excited to share an exciting gallery experience for children and adults until Friday, June 5th. Be sure not to miss it to check out Haley McCulloch’s vision for an immersive experience that includes materials on loan from TBS’s Materials Center!

The freedom of drawing and words of children remind us at Teaching Beyond the Square of an amazing quote from Henri Matisse, “Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love for play.”

𝗗𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗕𝗦 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟯𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: https://www.teachingbeyondthesquare.org/creativity-day

Creativity comes from many sources, like teachers who look at materials differently and children who bring their unique ideas to life. Teachers from Beth El Nursery School in New Rochelle, NY literally thought outside the box and turned pizza boxes into table-top easels. This encouraged the children to think creatively with paint and brushes which brought about a variety of results and expressions like the images shared here. From a separate easel experience, this Beth El NS 4s teacher wrote, “Two Artists, Same Paint Colors. The Result? Artwork as unique as the painter himself.”

Help us celebrate National Creativity Day on May 30th by making a donation to Teaching Beyond the Square where we aim to inspire children and teachers alike to embrace creativity in their learning and teaching. We rely on gifts like yours to bring our mission to life, and EVERY gift, no matter the SIZE, has a great impact on what we can accomplish for children and their future. Use thus link to make a donation: https://www.teachingbeyondthesquare.org/creativity-day

Thank you so much from all of us at Teaching Beyond the Square!

It’s so important for teachers to experience the power and creativity involved in working with loose parts BEFORE they introduce them to their classroom. Recent reflections on a loose parts workshop by the preschool teachers at the Long Island City YMCA revealed the importance of iteration, the social construction of creative acts, and the emotional connection these materials can elicit.

In support of National Creativity Day on May 30th, consider donating to Teaching Beyond the Square so we can continue to offer workshops to teachers that support their creative processes. Use this link to donate:

https://www.teachingbeyondthesquare.org/creativity-day

..and thank you!