Page 18 - School Planning & Management, April 2017

“Young students need to move to develop their senses,” says Dr. Thomas Mueller, man- aging partner of VS America and an expert on early childhood education. “Never design an early childhood classroom to be filled with stuff. Give students space to move. Fifty percent of the room should be furnished and fifty percent should be open.”
Designing for movement takes on very different forms, depending on the curriculum and budget. At British International School
of Houston in Katy, Texas, the Early Years Center classrooms are open spaces defined by a variety of learning stations and experiences. Students flow seamlessly between space for art, music, dancing, building, gathering and outdoor exploration. The flexibility of the open environment allows British School fac- ulty to change the space to reflect the evolving educational needs of young learners.
More traditional early childhood schools include smaller classrooms with fixed walls. In these environments, movement is still possible. Rather than creating a pod with four identical classrooms, consider designing each classroom to serve a different purpose: a space to get messy, a space for life skills, and so on. Then allow students to move from space to space during the day.
Dr. Mueller stresses that movement should occur even in smaller spaces. “Children love to work on the floor,” he says. “Don’t just give students access to different learning experi- ences. Let them have the same experience
in different ways, whether they are sitting, standing or lying on the floor.”
During planning and design, the need for movement must be balanced with curricu- lum requirements. Public schools are increas- ingly directed to focus on pre-reading and technology skills, even at the youngest ages. When addressing these mandates, create a mix of spaces. Designing for exploration and academic achievement go hand-in-hand, as long as students have space to move!
3 IMAGINATION — No one questions
that imagination is an important part of a child’s early education. But too often, the physical environment is a barrier to imagi- nation, rather than a catalyst for it.
Outside In. Corridors can become places to explore Nature on days when students aren’t able to venture outside.
Room to Move. Open areas with a variety of learning experiences allow young students to be active and to follow their imagination.
Student-Centered. Playful elements encourage students to explore the world around them.
Inspired Design. Dramatically-shaped spaces encourage the imagination and promote physical activity.
Dr. Mueller warns against designing early childhood spaces with a lavish theme. “Chil- dren don’t want a world that is given to them,” he says. “They want to build their own world. It is more interesting for them to construct and create their own environment.”
Rowe agrees wholeheartedly with this sentiment. “Young children learn through process, not product,” she says. “Instead of providing toy castles, we want them to build their own castles. If you give a child something prefabricated, there is no pro- cess and there is no learning.”
To allow children to shape their environ- ment, show restraint during design. The tele- vision version of a preschool room, decorated in bright primary colors and featuring lavish graphic themes, will actually limit imagina- tion. Instead, be strategic with where color is placed, and leave plenty of blank space. Many early childhood schools opt for a neutral color scheme throughout the building. Some edu- cators even so far as to make sure the rugs are monochromatic. The goal of design restraint is to create a canvas for student artwork. In this type of environment, the child’s work is on display, not the designer’s.
While restraint during design is a
good quality, playful elements still have their place. At the new Pike Early Learn- ing Center in Indianapolis, Ind., animal- themed wall graphics in the corridors assist with wayfinding. The graphics support
the school’s emphasis on connectedness and ground children in a sense of place.
A memorable animal image by the main entrance lets a child know, “This is where mom or dad picks me up each day.”
At the same time, the design for Pike Early Learning Center places a strong emphasis on student work. The walls in the school’s main corridor are purposefully left blank, except for a large tackable surface for displaying student artwork. The art will greet students each morning as they arrive at school and journey to their classrooms.
4 NATURE — Connections between indoor and outdoor spaces are critical components of early childhood education. Through creative design, young children are able to learn from nature,
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