Dreams of Fairy Tales and Magic Carpet Rides Moving Beyond Playing House

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Dreams of Fairy Tales and Magic Carpet Rides
Moving Beyond Playing House
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Historical Perspective

• When Dr Suskind arrived at FSC in 1991 students
  pretended to be second graders when college
  students presented lessons. It didnt work.
  Students would say Id say this.. Fortunately
  the Education Department and the elementary
  school are housed in the same facility

• For subsequent years Diana created partnerships
  with the children and college students. It was
  often referred to as piggybacking used in
  Methodology in Math Science and Social Studies in
  Early Childhood Educaion. Soon she started to
  teach Fine Arts and Creative Arts.

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Dr. Suskind provided an opportunity for the
college students to create learning centers for
children to participate. Such themes were
Suskindville, Carnival, Summer Olympics, Winter
Olympics, Animals Down Under, County Fair,
Renaissance Fair and Magic.
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Why Have a Learning Center/ Dramatic Play Area?
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Learning centers and dramatic play areas

• allow the classroom to be child-centered
• rather than teacher center
• 2. help individualize learning
• allow for active participation by children
• encourage independence in learning
• humanize education
• reduce discipline problems
• are more suited to present world conditions
• help improve the quality of education

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A learning center is a designated area of a
classroom that contains a variety of
instructional materials and activities organized
around a topic, theme, concept or skill
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The purpose of the learning center

• introduce develop, explore or reinforce a concept
• facilitate development of skills

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Essential elements in a Learning -Centered
Approach

• Learning center teaching is more an attitude on
  the part of the teacher than a system of
  teaching.
• Creating learning centers is not just
  organizingactivities and space it is developing
  specific objectives based on pupil assessment.

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Essential elements in a Learning -Centered
Approach

• Learning centers require a great deal of
  structure.
• Learning centers permit children to work
  independently at activities tailored to their
  needs and interests, and to evaluate their own
  progress.

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Tasks

• Visual display( how the materials are to be set
  up)
• Backdrop(backing, whats behind the learning
  center area)
• Bulletin board(backdrop for this learning center)
• Title(Catchy title to draw attention to the
  learning center)
• Media Resources (adult resource books,
• childrens resource books, video, audio,
  childrens books, records, record player, slide
  projector,etc)

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Tasks, continued
Activity Cards(cards that assist child in
understanding the activity, game, task,
etc.) Rules( rules for the children to follow
regarding learning center activities, their
behavior, how to use materials, how to act, who
to go to for help,etc) Check Sheets (Sheet with
childrens names and listing of all activities,
method for children to let you know what they
have done, if they have used the learning center,
etc) Evaluation Forms( methods of evaluating if
they accomplished the objectives, games, tasks of
the learning center)
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Tasks, continued
Introduction (the actual introduction of the
learning center to the children)
Instructions/directions(the actual
explanation of the components of the
learning center and how to use the center
materials)
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Developing Learning Centers
1. identify an idea a. from your own classroom
experience or inspiration b. from someone else
and or from other books c. from sample centers
you have seen d. from professional books on
learning centers 2. Adapt it to the needs of
your children a. examine your diagnostic
data.(Is the ideas needed, is it of
interest?) b. How much previous exposure,
experience is necessary? c. Decide whether
its purpose is interest or skill. d. Define
your objective. e. Determine appropriate
levels. f. Decide whether it should be
compulsory or non. 3. Make the center and place
it in the room. 4. Explain it to the class.
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Learning Centers / Dramatic Play Areas

• Teddy Bear Olympics
• Suskindville,USA
• County Fair
• Winter Olympics Light My Fire
• Carnival
• Magic
• Fables/Wax Museum
• Famous Americans /Wax Museum

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Ideas for Creative Learning Centersand
Dramatic Play Areas

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Teddy Bear Olympics
Early Childhood
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Suskindville, USA
Early Childhood
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The show
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Watching the show
Lets Review!
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Bakers
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Baker and Doctor
Baker and Doctor
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Cake Decorators
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hospital
Emergency Clinic
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Doctor Kyle
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Emergency transport
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usmail
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firestation
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Policewatch
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Vets
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Tending to sick
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teachers
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School
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Postal workers
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Postal worker doing his route
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Front view
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Suskindville Savings Bank
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Patterning lollipops
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Money
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Drive in window
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County Fair
Early Childhood
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President Rivard of FSC
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Gentle Touch
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Animal Bingo
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Measuring
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Matching
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Magic wane
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Bean Toss
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Making a pie
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Weaving the felt dough
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Ending to our class song
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Winter Olympics Learning CenterLight My Fire
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Carnival
Created by the FSC Education Students
enrolled in Creative Arts October 9, 2002 In
Attendance The 4th graders of McKay
Campus School Fitchburg, Massachusetts
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Mayor of Fitchburg
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Our Magical Learning Center I Believe in
Magic created by the Fitchburg State College
Education Students enrolled in Fine Arts March
10, 2003In attendance the Child Development
Center at the McKay Campus School Fitchburg,
Massachusetts
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The Enchanted Forest
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The Enchanted Forest
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Introducing The Abracadabra Lab staff, Kelly
Ballum and Beth Pacheco
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Abracadabra Learning Center
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Bubbles in the Abracadabra Learning Center
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Midnight Wonder
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The story continues

• Dr. Suskind is proud to announce for the first
  time ever this semester on Oct 27, Oct 29 and Nov
  3rd and 5th, Mrs. Fyfes second
  grade,Mrs.Chapmans and Mrs. Turners fourth
  grade classes with their college partners worked
  together to create The Wax Museum Learning
  Center. They met once a week for six weeks.

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And..

• The Fables Wax Museum Learning Center shared
  their expertise with three other second grades
  and their parents the first week and all the
  Child Development Center, the Integrated
  Pre-Schools, and first grades the second week.

• The Famous American Wax Museum Learning Center
  Group shared their expertise with the other 4th
  grade and the second week with all the third
  graders and their parents. Many risks were taken
  through out the years to demonstrate the power of
  working together.

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Fitchburg State CollegeFine Arts in Early
Childhood EducationandMrs. Fyfes Second Grade
Class at McKay Campus School

• Proudly Present
• World of Fables

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Our Fables Learning Center Began
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ALL Here we are

• We all have style,
• Marching in a single file
• We just want to make you smile

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Our World of Fables
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Let the Fables begin!
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In their Wax position
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Matching
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Acting out the Red Hen
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Acting out the Red Hen( second version)
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Goldilocks and the Three Bears
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The Little Kittens
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KittensFrozen in Wax position
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Wolf game. Who is afraid?
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Baking
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Fitchburg State College Creative Arts Class in
Elementary Education and Mrs.. Chapmans and Mrs.
Turners 4th Grade class at McKay Campus
SchoolOur Famous Americans

• Proudly present

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Our Famous Americans
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Listening to Kelly Morgan, Theater professor for
technical directions to our song and dance
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• In conclusion the following dispositions for
  learning has occurred
• Belonging (finding an area of interest)
• Celebrating being heard
• Exploration (engaging with challenge and
  persisting when difficulties arise.
• Communication (expressing a point of view)
• Contribution (taking responsibility)
• From Whariki Early Childhood Curriculum

• Through the years this approach created ways
• Where the childs voice can be heard,
• When the college student and the child have a
  sense of belonging,
• Where the relationships are responsive,
  reciprocal and respectful
• When they appreciate and understand each other
  under this magical umbrella of creativity.

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Special thanks to all the boys and girls, and
adults who have participated in our learning
centers

We hope all your dreams of fairy tales and
magic carpet rides continue to come true!
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I always wanted to be a mermaid!
By Diana Suskind,Ed.D and the FSC college
students enrolled in Fine Arts and Creative Arts
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On behalf of all the boys and girls from the
McKay Campus School and the college students from
Fine Arts and Creative Arts classes at Fitchburg
State College may your own cloud wish come true!