Our approach
Reggio-inspired, in plain words
Four ideas shape our rooms. We describe them as inspired by the schools of Reggio Emilia, because that is where we learned them.
The room is a teacher
Light, shelves of loose parts and low easels are set out on purpose. A child walks in and the room asks a question.
A project follows a question
A project starts with something children notice and lasts for several weeks, in a group, at the children's pace.
Teachers listen first
A teacher sits at the table, listens and writes down what children say, then decides together with the other teachers what to offer next.
The work is shown
Notes and photographs go on documentation panels, so families can see how a project grew.
A project
A project, week by week
Every project is different. This is the shape of most of them.
- 01
Step 1: Week 1: A question
Teachers notice what children keep returning to, such as shadows on the wall or the way water runs, and ask them about it.
- 02
Step 2: Week 2: Trying things
Children test their ideas with clay, paint, paper and light, and teachers photograph what they do.
- 03
Step 3: Week 3: Making and changing
The work gets bigger or smaller or starts over. Teachers write down the children's words next to each step.
- 04
Step 4: Week 4: Looking back
The group looks at the photographs and notes together, and a panel goes up on the wall.
On the wall
What a documentation panel is
A documentation panel is a board in the hallway with photographs and a few lines of a teacher's notes about one project.
We never put a child's name on a panel. A panel shows the materials, the questions and the steps, so families can follow the work and ask about it at pickup.
See it in the rooms
Standing in the atelier shows more than a description can.