PROVOCATIONS
Entering our space, these are some of the things you might see children engaged in:
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sitting in our sensory bin with a friend, enjoying the feeling of oats between their toes
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filling baskets with blocks, and dumping them out again
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pushing over a stack of milk crates outside
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playing with light and shadows on the wall
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reading a pile of books
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dropping rocks into a mud puddle
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stretching to reach the top rung of our climbing structure
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tucking "babies" in for a nap
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covering plastic animals in an mixture of cornstarch and water
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crawling over a log
At Sandbox, young children are respected as full participants in their own lives. We build deep relationships as we joyfully explore our community and world through play, and express our ideas through many media. Our curriculum is emergent and intentional, based on reflection and observation of the children’s work and experiences. We often work with Loose Parts - open-ended materials that can be used and manipulated in unlimited ways.
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We set up invitations to play (provocations) for the children. These are intentional changes to our environment or arrangements of materials that are open-ended, which means that we do not have a specific goal in mind for the children’s learning. Instead, we observe and document how the children interact with the materials, the environment, and each other. Later, we can reflect on the children’s experiences to inform us as we plan for future play and exploration.
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We view young children as competent explorers, capable of communicating their needs and expressing themselves in many ways. We believe children have the right to an engaging and beautiful environment full of materials and experiences that inspire wonder and exploration.
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We see families as our partners, and the most important relationships in each child’s life.
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As educators, we act as facilitators and lifelong learners, engaging with and observing children to document their learning, and reflect on our work together.
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Our program is child-centered, and our curriculum is play-based and emerges from the children’s current explorations and interests. We are inspired by RIE practices and the Infant-Toddler Centers of Reggio Emilia.