Reflections on Reggio... Environment

It's funny how after you've worked with someone for almost 3 years how like-minded you become.  I asked my partner Becky this morning how she felt the environment was working in our room and she immediately responded, "it's not!".  She took the words right out of my mouth.  I feel that we have been focused so much on reflecting on inquiry and documentation in the last few months that we have forgotten some of the fundamental elements of the Reggio philosophy.  

How was our "3rd Teacher" working?  

Is our environment filled with natural light, order and beauty?

Does our environment have open spaces and is it free from clutter?

Does everything have a purpose?

Do the spaces encourage collaboration, communication and exploration?

Are there authentic materials and tools ready to encourage discovery and exploration?

After talking to Becky and answering these questions, we answered yes to some but no to more.  Things are beginning to look a bit cluttered in some areas.  There is not enough natural light and some items are getting lost in the chaos.  Some of the materials we have are not authentic or child-created.  I feel that we are not doing enough to "bring the outdoors in".  

This is something that we are going to focus on in the coming weeks.  We will keep you posted on our progress...