In the Classroom: The Peanuts
Watch Us Grow!
There is no question that a whole lot of growth happens in and around PIC!
The obvious places to look for it are during transitions when children move from one classroom up to the next, when a PIC family adds a younger sibling to their clan and then to one of the infant rooms, or when there is a flurry of welcome and new friends being made as a brand new family joins our community.
It can be easy to take for granted that children are growing physically and emotionally, learning, and maturing all the time. One aspect of working with younger preschoolers that we find so rewarding as teachers in the Peanut Room is how visible this change is over the course of our time with each Peanut.
Though move-ups are staggered throughout the year, so we will always have a spread of ages between 36 and 48 months, each and every Peanut shows such profound changes during their time with us that we can really feel as though each experience they have really counts.
From not quite knowing what to do with a book, to holding it upright and explaining the story they now know lies inside.
From playing similar games in proximity to other children, to being able to enter a social group successfully and give input on what to play next.
From quick scribbles and marks on many sheets of paper, to deliberate shapes, and on to letters moving left to right across the page.
From being able to walk just around the block to being able to walk to Clark Park, Chicken Park, or the footbridge over 38th street.
All of these, and a great many more, are measures of children’s growth. At times it really does feel like cultivating sunflowers, watching seeds you plant sprout and grow enormous before your eyes in what really is a short time.
Remembering to slow down and take notice of just how much change happens during our children’s years at PIC is a valuable way to remind ourselves how important these early years are. Every experience matters, especially the everyday.
Classrooms