One of the nine broad goals in Directions: The Final Report, Saskatchewan Education, 1984 is spiritual development. Religion is one means of facilitating this inner development.
In separate and many private schools, religious objectives are often clear and well-defined. In public schools there is often representation from many religions and backgrounds. Although religious education is not part of the curriculum, many common activities have a connection to religious traditions. At times, allowances for different views may be requested. This may involve excusing children from certain activities such as Halloween festivities. Every effort should be made to respect and accommodate these requests.
The importance of spiritual development should not be underestimated because it affects the development of the child socio-emotionally, physically and intellectually.
The ideal Kindergarten classroom is a safe and comfortable place that is well lit and well ventilated. It has ample window space and direct access to a playground, water and toilet facilities. The room needs to be large enough to provide adequate storage space for materials and floor space for activity centres. Part of the floor should be carpeted and part, near the water supply, should be tiled so that visual art, cooking, and sand and water activities can take place without concern for spills.
Within the limits of what is possible in a given room, teachers must plan the space available to meet children's needs. These needs include: space for storing clothing and personal possessions, places where small groups of children can work together, spaces where children can be quiet and alone, space for messy activities and, if possible, space for gross motor activity such as climbing and jumping.
In rooms where space is limited, activity centres may have to be rotated or set up in nearby hallways. For example, the sand and water centre could be set up in September, traded for a carpentry centre in October, brought back for a winter village in December, used for a classroom garden in the spring, and so on.
The materials children use should be stored in places that are accessible to them. It is important to be attentive to such matters as traffic patterns and amount of space needed for particular activities. For instance, play with floor blocks requires sufficient floor space out of the way of traffic. Movable storage shelves and screens provide suitable furniture for defining areas for particular activities and ensure the materials needed are close at hand.
The location of centres in relation to each other is an important consideration. Centres can be placed to enhance the child's natural distractibility or to reduce it. For example, paint supplies can be placed near the woodworking area, but quiet areas should be separated from noisy areas as much as possible, (although in a small room this will not always make a noticeable difference). For safety's sake, the workbench needs to be separated from other activity areas as much as possible, with space for a limited number of workers.
At the beginning of the year, each activity area should be equipped with basic materials only. As children learn about routines and how to handle materials, more can be added. Materials should be rotated often to support classroom themes, student interest and capabilities. (Refer to the lists of resources and information on the classroom environment and materials and equipment.)
The playground should be considered to be an extension of the classroom. Socio-emotional, physical and intellectual development
can be accomplished on the playground or in natural environments near the school, as well as in the classroom.
Sample 1: A Well-planned Kindergarten Room
Sample 2: A Well-planned Small Kindergarten Room
