How to create an attractive Reading Corner in a preschool classroom

I got the chance to complete a reading corner in a preschool classroom as part of the Australia Award Alumni Innovation Challenge 2017. While doing this, I thought it would be a great idea to tell others about my project by writing about it. In this section, I will try to explain how I have created the reading corner for this project.
The following things were considered when the reading corner was created
1.       The  theme and the size
At first, I decided on a particular theme for the reading corner. I have chosen a garden theme and designed how it would be made. For this, I drew a sketch of how it will look like after completion. I even decided what will be where by considering the size of the area I have got. I decided how many cushions will be used and also considered the size of the chairs that need to be bought.
2.       The materials and the books
Next, I finalized all the materials that need to be bought for the reading corner. As some items are more expensive in Maldives, I opted for Ebay and ordered for few items online. All the cushion covers are bought online and I have cut a sponge in the size of the covers as a filling.  All the other materials were bought after checking the items personally. I have selected all the books by considering the age of the preschool kids. Books from different areas of interest were chosen. Few big books were also selected and a bookshelf was made out of clothes just for the BIG books.
Here is a list of the materials I used for this reading corner. You can choose whatever materials you like or make most of these items by recycling. I did not go for recycling this time as I got the funding and haven’t got the time to make materials using recycled items. However, a few of these are recycled.
Rug
Cushions
Bean bag chair
Mini sofa
Sofa seat (made using a baby cot mattress)
Soft toys
Books
A DIY book shelf made of cloth

Cloth Bookshelf (we did it reusing a fabric)
Tyre chair (made using a tire and covered with fabric)
Play Tent

3.       Making it Child-friendly
A lot of effort was done to make it child-friendly and attractive for kids. The items were chosen with great care and by considering their interests. The colors were not too bright and not too dull. Almost all the materials are soft and relaxing for kids and there were no sharp edges that might harm them in any way. Even the edges on the fence were curved and the only sharp edge was covered using a pool noodle.

4.       Making it attractive
As I was following a garden theme, wanted to make the bookshelf also using the same theme. So, instead of buying a normal shelf, I got the wall painted just like a tree and used the tree trunk to make the shelf. I also got the fence decorated using paint with some grass and flowers. Additionally, I made the cloth bookshelf look like a tree house using few drawings around it.










  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Creating a relaxation area in a preschool classroom

Image
A place to relax and chill out is fundamental in every preschool classroom as there are students with different needs. All children need a place to calm down in stressful situations and a corner made just for that would be one of the best options. Here, I would suggest some ways in which we can create a relaxation area or a comfort area in a preschool classroom. Keep it simple:  Do not keep too many stuff as it will not be a conducive environment if it is cluttered with different and unnecessary materials. Try to make it as simple as possible and keep different toys and materials on different days. Make it cozy : Have a relaxing chair, most probably a rocking one or a bean bag chair where kids can go and sit. Else, a rug also would do if you add few pillows/ cushions and stuffed toys. Have appropriate toys : Having appropriate toys like yoga balls, balance boards, stress balls, sensory bottles, fiddle toys, glow lights, fidget toys etc will be very helpful when it come...
Read more

Creating a DIY Sensory Board

Image
I would rather call mine a ‘learn as you play’ board because I have included a bit of this and that which mainly focused on developing fine motor skills. Of course, it is related to sensory, but I just like the name ‘play as you learn’ more than calling it sensory board. It makes it more ‘neutral’ as many people think that sensory boards are just for kids with special needs.   Sensory boards can be used with any child to teach different skills and to expose to different kind of textiles/visuals. It can be created based on the likes/ dislikes and developmental needs of your child. We can keep a sensory board in a classroom as well as at home. It can be personalized very easily if it is at home depending on what the child needs most. I’m going to explain how I created a no-cost sensory board recently. It is no-cost because I used 99 % recycled materials to make this board and I got help from family to make it the way I wanted. Without their technical support and hel...
Read more

To begin with

I'm Sauna, a mother of a 7-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl. I have been working in the education field since 2005 and have completed Master of Education in Special Education in 2015. I thought I would share what I have learned with others and that's the main reason why I have created this blog.  This blog aims to create awareness among teachers, parents and the general public about special education, inclusive education and early childhood education related topics. I want to inspire parents to play with children and I advocate for child-friendly and play-based preschools. Please feel free to comment and give suggestions. 
Read more