"I am beautiful"

I was looking for these two photos for my  "Mirror That!" post from a few days ago.
I discovered them and had to share...

This student had been one to love to dress up and create scenarios for herself. At the beginning of the school year, she didn't play much yet with other students, preferring to play her own games on her own time.
She did, however, use a lot of private speech - sometimes an actual conversation with herself, sometimes just commentary on her own actions.

Here she is admiring herself in the MIRROR after having put on a pink flowy dress, a purple star-studded cape (handmade by my mother, by the way!) and a sparkly necklace.

"I wonder IF I am beautiful..."

"Oh, yes, I AM beautiful...!"

Private Speech in the classroom is not always as 'private' as the word implies - it is a different kind of speech for an independent child and a different kind of listening by the teacher.
So lovely to overhear such an amazing sense of self.

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

mirror that!

math area with wall of MIRRORS, pillows and low work table.

 The idea of MIRRORS in the early childhood classroom is wondrous on a number of levels:

Light.

Reflection.

New thinking.

Looking closer.

Mimicking.

Game playing.

Color.

Movement.

geo boards, sorting bears, and dominoes in the "MIRROR cubby"

Mirrors 

can be used in small cubby spaces to open up the area.

In one of my classrooms, I had an inset area about 4 feet high under some attached upper cabiinets - I mirrored the whole space, added pillows and a low "toddler" table for kneeling use by preschool age children.

We used the space as part of our math and science center, game invention space and large puzzle building space.

We actually called the space "the mirror cubby".

this boy put together 6 large scenic puzzles BY HIMSELF in the "MIRROR cubby'!

self portrait with a TRI-fold MIRROR.

using a leaning MIRROR as a reference for his completed self portrait.

large inside MIRRORED play space for gross motor and movement

MIRRORS above a light table  - Wow!

MIRRORS as table mats for flowers and science explorations.

MIRRORS as part of drama spaces.

Here's the thing, though.

Actual MIRRORS are not the only thing to consider when using the term "MIRROR".

We can think of mimicking, matching, and reflecting back with peers and objects:

this boy's attempt at MIRRORING his watercolor art with his paper towel.

these two friends MIRROR each others' hats and cameras (and smiles that you cannot see!).

this pencil drawing is a MIRROR of the child's Geo Board design

a group of children MIRROR their hands in this sensory tablet.

both girls are trying to MIRROR the other - walking with hula-hoops!

this student is trying to MIRROR the phrase "ONCE UPON A TIME"

AND, perhaps my favorite kind of MIRROR:

this student always came to school in clothes that were seemingly NOT play clothes, yet her PLAY never was interrupted.
The most important MIRRORING that occurred was clearly her family's support of her PLAY PLAY PLAY. 


Got MIRRORS? 
They will dramatically change your environment, the materials, the relationships.
Think about mirroring part of a wall, or adding leaning small mirrors in a display area, or including hand held mirrors as props. 
Think outside the box to add light and reflection to your daily life with young children.