CJP Green Room: Seven Incredible Minds

If you ask me, I think a preschooler’s brain is the most exciting place on earth. It is a daily blessing to have this environment as my “work.” Coming from a large school in Chicago, where I had 34 children on my roster, and 20 in my classroom each day, I have savored the opportunity to focus on “just” seven incredible minds. In just a couple weeks I have had the opportunity to witness, and be a part of, incredible growth.

While we all learn and grow at different paces, the age of 3 is typically when we start to see coloring changing from scribbling to more recognizable shapes. There is a small time in between where, to us, it looks like a child’s drawing is scribbling, but the child can tell you what their picture represents in their mind. This is exactly where our friend Mason is RIGHT NOW, and it’s incredible!!!

Our outdoor space is shaping up to be an amazing play space for us to explore! Ava spent 3 consecutive days working her way to the top of the tire structure AND back down again with NO help! This is another example of why I love a preschooler’s brain SO MUCH. As adults, how often do we spend more than a few moments trying to master a skill? It is such a beautiful reminder that we need to work diligently on the things we want to do well. Thank you Ava for this reminder.

As a person who has always struggled with math, I love to observe children who are great with mathematics. Gavi has incredible math skills, and it is a challenge for ME to challenge HIM! As we do our calendar each morning, we count how many days we have had in our month so far, and decide what must come next. On days that Gavi is here, I give him multiple choices, asking him to choose the correct number, which he always does. It is encouraging to our other friends! Another beautiful thing about the age of 3 is that they are not discouraged by others knowing more about something than they do. It’s motivating! Subconsciously, they even turn to one another for guidance!

Unfortunately, last week Levi needed to miss a few days because he wasn’t feeling well. It was hard for our friends to have him out, because he is such an amazing part of our Green Room community! Starting off a little shy, Levi often wouldn’t tell us when he needed something. After his return, all of a sudden, he started expressing his thoughts, ideas, and needs! Our friends are growing so fast that even after a few days apart, we notice them hitting new milestones. We also got to celebrate Levi’s birthday this week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

In the beginning of my career as a preschool teacher I was an assistant in a 2s classroom for 11 months, before the school promoted me to a lead position in a 3s and 4s room. I found that one of the most striking differences between working with a 2 year old and a 3 year old was their ability to conceptualize their own cause and effect relationships. By now, we’ve all heard the incredible story about Sarah helping Alice down the stumps to our new play area last Friday. Come Monday, Alice was just as nervous to walk down, which was a sobering reminder that the fear for Alice was just as real to her because, in her eyes, the challenge hadn’t been “fixed.” I made myself step back and reassess the situation. Calmly, before we went outside on Tuesday, I sat with Alice and we chatted about what she was thinking and fearing. Alice was able to tell me what it was that she feared, and together we came up with ways that I could help her with each thing she was nervous about. I’m proud of Alice’s maturity and ability to express herself. I hope she never loses the knowledge that what she feels matters.

Sarah’s compassion for others is obvious to anyone fortunate enough to spend time with her. I love to see how she incorporates her desire to help people in her Dramatic Play. The other day, I thought I heard a baby crying. I look up, and Sarah was holding one of our baby dolls and doing a soft pretend cry for the baby. I watched as Sarah rocked the doll until she made the “crying” stop. Emily is one lucky baby to have Sarah as a sister!

A great thing about toys, especially the ones that we have in the Green Room, is that there is no specific way that they are “supposed” to be played with. We have a bucket of what look like plastic straws, and then smaller pieces to connect the straws together with. One morning, Morgan set up a whole game of “fishing.” Soon, all the friends were on the rug together, standing with their “fishing poles,” and talking about what kinds of fish they were going to catch.