To Halloween or not to Halloween that is the Question

With Halloween approaching next week I've been giving some thought to the practice of celebrating Halloween in preschool.  I can see many benefits including high student interest, many available materials, and bringing a part of the children's home life into school.  There are of course drawbacks including religious conflicts, time taken away from an already ongoing unit of study topic, and maintaining the depth of learning that I like to encourage in class.  I previously taught in a school that did not allow classes to celebrate holidays. I currently enjoy the flexibility that I have to follow what I feel my students will learn most from.

So what will I do this year?  Celebrate!!!  The four preschool classes in my school will have activity stations set up in the classrooms and the children will rotate between them.   It will be a fun day that will be largely focused on building our preschool community.  It won't be the most Montessori or Reggio guided day but the children will have a wonderful time and continue to develop a sense of their school as a place where they belong and love to be!

 

 

 

Setting up the classroom

Each year setting up the classroom is both hectic and fun all at the same time.  This year I wanted to challenge myself to include more natural elements, soft lighting, and plants.  I wanted to use more of the materials you would find in a home and fewer of the items you'd find in the teacher store.


I started by hanging baskets with spider plants in them from the ceiling.  This brought natural materials in and are easy to maintain.

Then I hung fabric from dowel rods in the pretend play/ kitchen center to make a roof-shaped canopy.

 

 

I initially hung store brought border on the bulletin boards but have chosen to have the children create a border in the art center.  Having their touches seems like such a great way to make the room their own.

 

 

 

Typically I decorate the classroom door before the children start school.  This year I wanted to include the children's art or work on the door so I found this idea on kickinitwithclass.blogspot.co.uk It's a little difficult to read in this picture, it says "We are each unique and beautiful, together we are a masterpiece".  I love how it turned out.  I had the kids make the handprints when they visited before school started. 

 

 

 

I'll continue to add elements to the classroom that are taken from Reggio and Montessori approaches and I'll let you take a peek along the way.  Please list ideas you've tried in your classroom in the comments section!