A preschool teacher leaves her mark on Macfeat before retiring after 35 years
Walking into Mary Chamberlain’s classroom transports one to a world full of oversized letters to learn and chairs that almost seemed like they belonged in a doll house.
Just outside the door leading to the playground was what seemed to be an odd array of household objects, from a long black tube that lined the metal fence to the pots and pans that hung from the building.
To an outsider, this could appear to be a money-saving way to play but to Chamberlain, this represented an idea that had finally come to life. This odd formation of pots and pans represented the Sound Garden.
The Sound Garden is a combination of different common, everyday objects used in such a way as to enhance a child’s learning.
Chamberlain, the headteacher, said, “When I was planning this music curriculum unit, I thought ‘okay,’ so the vision, the inspiration really came from this idea of using loose parts, everyday materials to inspire playing in children.”
Chamberlain was inspired through the book “Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children” that aims to use “alluring, beautiful found objects and materials that children can move, manipulate, control, and change while they play.”
Chamberlain decided to make the Sound Garden a reality after attending a conference and seeing exhibits where loose parts were used. However, she could not have done it without the help of the parents.
“With me being a full day program, I am serving primarily working parents so there’s not a whole lot of parents coming and going and volunteering during the course of the day,” she said. “But the whole music unit and the sound garden was just a good way to bring parents together and let them be involved, that was my favorite part of the whole thing.”
Parents were involved throughout the entire process, from making some of the instruments to painting the finished product.
Chamberlain, who has been teaching at Macfeat Early Childhood Laboratory School for the last 30 years, found that the values of Macfeat and the Sound Garden fit together perfectly.
“I think Macfeat is a lot of children learn through play, they learn through hands on experiences and through collaboration and cooperation with each other, so were always trying to facilitate that collaboration, cooperation amongst the children, to have opportunities for them to do critical thinking and problem solving…” Chamberlain said.
“So that’s why it’s just really good to have the loose parts they have to kind of plan and create and try out with.”
While Chamberlain has mixed emotions as she faces retirement, Macfeat will always have a special place in her heart.
She said, “I will always be grateful for the opportunities and the colleagues that allowed me and challenged me to continue to grow and do what is best and right for children. I think Macfeat is a very special place for young children and there’s not a lot of places left out there where its just learn through play and development in an appropriate environment for children.”
