Your Thoughts On Centers

[melskids]

I have centers, although the children are allowed to take the materials wherever they choose. The "centers" are basically for storage and clean up.

Sometimes a child wants to read a book to her babies, and sometimes they want to cook with the blocks.

They are allowed to dress up and play in other "centers" as well. I mean, who gets dressed up for dinner and then sits in their walk in closet to eat?! LOL

There are books, paper, and writing utensils in every center.

A lot of times they'll use play dough as food. How can you cook with hard plastic broccoli or eggs you cant crack?! LOL

[WImom]

Thanks! I used to not let them take them out of the centers so I wondered if that was the norm. Once my two rambunctious boys left I started this summer letting them and it's been wonderful seeing them use items as other things.

I still have the rule that books stay in the reading center (unless it's a transisition time - nap or circle time where they read on mats) and table toys stay at the table as well as art supplies.

[Nebula]

We are very small, but we do have centers though am not strict on them keeping the toys in the centers... I take ages 18 months to 4 years. Here is an overview of our centers:

Blocks:


Dramatic Play


Puzzles, Books, & Art


Music & Puppets

[Willow]

I have a set up similar to what many described and pictured here but I don't call a designated space for a particular toy or grouping of toys, a center. Jmho but I don't think having a kitchen in the corner of a room, or blocks in a particular place can be described as "centers."

Centers to me are a way to describe a designated structure to the flow of learning. You go here you learn about colors. Next you will go here and learn about science. After that you'll switch with Billy and go learn about math. It's an extreme description I know, but it's also an extreme method/theory imo.

Not judging, but that is not what I do or offer. I don't believe it facilitates the idea that kids learn in a multitude of ways, not just the ways set before them by adults. I'd venture to say centers can actually be pretty self limiting for younger children in particular.

[daycarediva]

I have a set up similar to what many described and pictured here but I don't call a designated space for a particular toy or grouping of toys, a center. Jmho but I don't think having a kitchen in the corner of a room, or blocks in a particular place can be described as "centers."

Centers to me are a way to describe a designated structure to the flow of learning. You go here you learn about colors. Next you will go here and learn about science. After that you'll switch with Billy and go learn about math. It's an extreme description I know, but it's also an extreme method/theory imo.

Not judging, but that is not what I do or offer. I don't believe it facilitates the idea that kids learn in a multitude of ways, not just the ways set before them by adults. I'd venture to say centers can actually be pretty self limiting for younger children in particular.

I agree, and although my space is neat and organized by type of activity, I allow free range choice/play. Yesterday a child was counting the manipulative counters I have in the block 'center', and another child was counting out pieces of pizza in the kitchen 'center' and another child was counting out hats in the dress up 'center'. So those things happen quite spontaneously in early childhood.

My son's prek has centers(he is now in K and went to prek 2 mornings/week to get him used to being away from me).The teacher would set up 6 areas of toys, and set a timer, when the timer went off, the children would rotate to the next center. No moving toys, no continuing to play. It helped (imo) to prep him for school because of the constant teacher led 'do this/do that', but that's not for me.

[Willow]

I agree, and although my space is neat and organized by type of activity, I allow free range choice/play. Yesterday a child was counting the manipulative counters I have in the block 'center', and another child was counting out pieces of pizza in the kitchen 'center' and another child was counting out hats in the dress up 'center'. So those things happen quite spontaneously in early childhood.

My son's prek has centers(he is now in K and went to prek 2 mornings/week to get him used to being away from me).The teacher would set up 6 areas of toys, and set a timer, when the timer went off, the children would rotate to the next center. No moving toys, no continuing to play. It helped (imo) to prep him for school because of the constant teacher led 'do this/do that', but that's not for me.

Exactly, you just said it better than I managed

If I "labeled" by specific toy areas I'd have to make a list at least a page long to define what all a child *could* learn in that space as opposed to the one expected thing they are being set up to experience.

For example, my kitchen corner would have to labeled:
Home center
Occupational center
Imaginative Play center
Free Play center
Teamwork center
Shapes center
Colors center
Counting center
Manipulatives center
Gross Motor Skills center
Fine Motor Skills center
Social Skill Building center
Sensory center
Etc. Etc. Etc. Etc

I expect the kids in my care to get any/all of those things out of that one space depending on who they are as individuals. For one child the colors of all the food might click, for another the texture of the corn on the cob over the peas might, while another might work the heck out of their GMS by opening and closing all the doors, or another work their FMS by twisting the small knobs and carefully placing pot lids and using utensils.

As an adult I don't want to put them in that space labeled one specific way and limit their abilities to experience it in other ways.

If parents asked why there were no defining labels I would explain with the above.