i’ve heard the question several times: when do you have time to take all those photos?
well, there are two of us and the camera is easy to use, so it’s not just me.
but i have been thinking about how it is that there is time.
let me ask this: when there is a group of children on the playground, they are usually busy, yes?
they are engaged and active. engrossed in building or bug observing. flitting from slide to slide. with one friend the whole time or on her own. new groupings of children emerge because they all ended up on the tire swing at once.
there is seldom need for a teacher to create experiences for them. the space is predictable yet open ended. and there is time for taking photos.
this is how i like my indoor classroom to be as well.
in the wise words of maria montessori:
“The first aim of the prepared environment is, as far as it is possible, to render the growing child independent of the adult.”
The Secret of Childhood
on a day when i have done my job, there is time.
newcreationpreschool.com 
me again. looking for things to recreate New Creation with Luna and keep her exploring and occupied. saw pictures of Elsie and Eliza. oh heart ache…
I stumbled across your site while searching for ideas for my home preschool…WOW!!
Thanks for all you do, and thank you for being willing to share with others!
I’ve already started using some of your ideas! BTW, I’m in NC
Oh, I so agree! And thank you for writing about this. I take pictures throughout the morning as I am watching my engaged children. This allows me to observe, document, and then send an e-mail home to parents showing what their children have been doing. Thank you for such a wonderful blog. I love it!
Your blog is awesome! You are such an inspiration. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your blog! I love this post. I live in Canada, where I teach Playschool…for 3-5 year olds…..Learning through Play. I love your ideas, and use lots of them!
I love your blog! I dream of a world full of teachers like you. :)
that’s was helpufull, you help somebody today…
oh my godnessssss!! hahaha!
so true! there is time when you have done your job
love it! and your site! Gives me great ideas for my home daycare thank you :)
I love teachable momments but also love when I can just observe them!
Well said!! What a Great Job you do too!!
You are wonderful! Riley says the clean-up song has a lot of words!
Lovely. I get so happy when I look in my Google Reader and see you have a new post. Wish my daughter was able to attend your preschool. (The commute would be atrocious since we live in North Carolina.)
Could you tell me about the learning toy/manipulative seen in the pics with the little boy. One shows them in a clear container and the other on a tabletop. The rubbery, brightly colored, many-holed objects. Very interesting.
Thank you- abc
You are my new favorite Web site. Love the photos and the commitment to letting children explore!
Kristin, you simply rock. : )
Uh huh. Seems often that the degrees of intervention and tension are correlated.
beautifully put.
You said this perfectly. The same is true at home as well. I am going to share this with some of my ECE friends.
Exactly. Let the children experience and explore; you step in when necessary; but let them play and look and try. And take photos of it.
This is a lovely post!