Here at Little Chickens I engage the Reggio philosophy which views children as: “Rich in resources, strong and competent, unique individuals.”
Welcome!
Little Chickens is a Family Childcare Home in Fort Collins, Colorado. As the care provider and educator, I am passionate about the Reggio Emilia philosophy, originating in Italy. I have done research and a variety of investigations of the Reggio Emilia approach, and use it as a foundation for our program, which evolves with the age of your child.
I also incorporate the Learning Stories process, created in early childhood programs in New Zealand, which uses assessment and feedback journals to encourage each child’s individual learner identity.
At Little Chickens, your child would be one of a small group of children (4-5) in a similar age range. Curriculum, projects, and provocations are designed to follow and enhance your child’s learning journey. Observation and documentation encourage children to be the protagonists in their own learning stories.
Children need a safe space to freely inquire and create.
Their earliest explorations ignite and nurture the creative imagination — a foundation for resilient, life-long learning and adaptation.
The Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education has a deep history as well as connection to human development psychologists such as Jean Piaget and Lev Vigotsky. It originated in the town of Reggio Emilia in Italy during post-WWII reconstruction. A group of dedicated and passionate professionals shared both the philosophy and working practice with local municipalities. Together educators and community leaders created a richly supported environment for early childhood learning. Over time, it has spread throughout the world. If you’d like to learn more about the Reggio Emilia approach at Little Chickens, you can watch this video.
Below you will find just a few of the ways I interpret Reggio Emilia for the children I work with in the 12-24 month age range.
Projects…The foundation of the Reggio Emilia approach
A project is an ongoing exploration inspired by children’t curiosity, then enriched and expanded by teacher research, observation and guidance.
This project, for 12-18 month olds, took place over three moths and included age-appropriate activities for exploring the sticky character in a variety of tapes, along with the color, texture and slippery nature of cellophane. This project addressed the heightened sensory exploration children experience at that age.
Provocations and Loose Parts
Provocations engage the child’s curiosity as a springboard for exploration and learning. Provocations are supported by collections of what’s known in Reggio practice as “Loose Parts”. Rather than offering prescribed outcomes for the child’s engagements, loose parts encourage their innate drive to be curious, explore, and create.
Using Loose Parts can be challenging in the 12-18 month age as all materials need to be large enough to avoid choking hazards. Each provocation pictured here is designed to enhance age appropriate developmental skills such as stacking, eye-hand coordination, imagination and spacial awareness.
As our children move into pre-school age, increasingly sophisticated provocations and projects offer new challenges at each developmental level.
Engaging With Process
One growing edge we are working on is engaging with process. I introduce the children to multi-step instructions when they interact with toys. For example, in the photos here, taking buttons off the frame and returning them to different spots; opening the blue box to take the toy out and then returning the toy and closing the lid; removing rocks from the bowl, setting them on the tray, spraying and wiping them, and returning them to the bowl.
Process is a foundational skill children use and expand in Projects and Loose Parts activities.
“To babies, no theory is as important as the theory of love. From the time they are very small, babies are figuring out these theories of love, based on what they see the caregivers around them do and say.” ~Alison Gopnik in The Philosophical Baby
Parent Testimonial ~ Our daughter has attended Little Chickens since its inception. The thought and care that Christine puts into crafting a safe and stimulating environment is bar none. I wasn’t familiar with Reggio Emilio at first but seeing our daughter learn in this manner has been wonderful and she’s blossomed. Christine takes the time to give quarterly reports and assessments so the parents can follow along with the children’s progression through major projects. We cannot thank Little Chickens enough for a fantastic first child care experience. We hope to find a program in FL as excellent! ~ Parent Kirra Mesches