It is not at all surprising that in families where children are born, parents immediately begin to think about which kindergarten they will send their baby to when the time comes.
They, of course, would very much like to see bright, spacious rooms, many beautiful play structures, various toys and balls. However, reality is often far from our fantasies.
Today at the Design Museum we want to show you one modern kindergarten located in Israel. I would like to hope that such an idea, someday, will become a reality in our country.
Recently, more and more attention has been paid to design projects for children, in which advanced and innovative solutions are applied. Tel Aviv-based Lev-Gargir Architects designed this fabulous place for children.
During the development of the project of this garden, considerable attention was paid not only to the correct layout, safety, good lighting of the rooms for children, but also to aesthetics, creativity and beauty.
This is how an amazing premise was created - a private kindergarten, in which children will be happy to spend the whole day.
While working on this project, the architects brought in the local furniture, interior and toy designer Sarita Shani Hey, whose unusual decor elements, colors, materials and accessories reflect an understanding of the needs of the child and imbued with great respect for children.
Its main principle is the understanding that there should be nothing pretentious and flashy in the interior for children - children, fantasizing, must invent a new reality themselves. There is nothing aggressive and unpleasant for children in the interior of such a kindergarten.
The philosophy of developing the design of the space of this 21st century institution lies in the following principle - the development and formation of their feelings in childhood will depend on the environment in which children grow up.
Therefore, the garden has been designed to encourage children to be creative, empathetic and independent. A 1950s style building served as the starting point for the original interior design.
The one-story building has been divided into several public spaces: a lobby / hallway, a creative area, a sports area and a library, and it also has four classrooms, each of which is designed with its own characteristics on different themes: ocean, nature, transportation and majestic kingdoms.
Each room has its own exit to the courtyard. The total property of the preschool consists of 1,000 sq. M. m. (0.25 hectares), and the building of the garden itself occupies an area of about 400 sq. m.
The main factors influencing the design of the kindergarten were the appearance of the open space, the interior layout, convenience, sustainability, practicality and budget.
The interior of the premises contains custom-made wardrobes, bookshelves and large wooden interactive toys that are very aesthetically pleasing and functionally satisfy the needs of children in the game.
The furniture is made of plywood and solid wood. The color scheme consists of three basic colors: blue, white and red, with natural shades of wood.
Such a palette evokes energy and a sense of joy, while the surrounding space is dominated by a calm, minimalist style, free from overloaded design in the interior to maintain a constant joyful play.
Admiring the marvelous photographs and architectural delights of this private kindergarten, it is worth noting that, of course, our preschool institutions are far from such a level, but, nevertheless, beautiful architecture and interior design cannot be the key to a good upbringing of children.
In terms of its significance, the most important room in a kindergarten upbringing and educational institution is the group room. It is in it that children spend most of their time in kindergarten.
In a group, children play, receive the necessary knowledge, eat and even sleep. This happens when the design features of the room do not provide for a separate room for children to sleep and rest.
As a rule, in groups of middle and senior preschool age, the group room combines several functions at once, among which the following can be distinguished:
- game room;
- a place for conducting developmental and training sessions;
- canteen;
- bedroom.
Therefore, the group room must be carefully thought out and decorated taking into account the delimitation of these important functional areas. By the way, the sanitary standards for the activities of a preschool educational institution also presuppose the presence of clearly delineated and separated from each other zones, and such requirements are fully justified.
Furniture in a group.
First of all, you need to pay special attention to the placement of furniture in the group room. As a standard, each kindergarten group should have the following pieces of furniture:
- Tables and chairs for children- tailored to the height of each child. On this score, there are clearly defined sanitary standards, which indicate how high a table and a high chair should be for a child of a certain height.
There is a specific color marking for the height of tables and chairs. In addition, each chair should have a picture by which the child can remember his chair and distinguish it from others. Ideally, the marking should be the same: on the chair, on the dressing room in the reception area, on the towel rack, and on the headboard. This will make it easier for the child to navigate, and he will be able to quickly find the items he needs.
- Toy lockers- must also be of a certain height for preschoolers of each age group. In this case, the lockers must necessarily have additional fastening on the walls. This is done to comply with safety precautions so that the locker does not tip over if the child inadvertently rests on or climbs onto it.
It is also necessary to choose lockers for storing toys, taking into account that the material from which they are made can be easily treated with detergents and cleaned of contamination. In kindergarten, sanitary and hygienic processing of furniture items is carried out regularly, therefore cabinets should be made of moisture-resistant materials or covered with a protective layer of paint.
- Benefit cabinets- are intended for storage of educational and developmental aids, as well as special pedagogical literature. They can be of any height, because only the educator has access to them.
But according to sanitary standards, a prerequisite is additional fastening of the cabinet to the wall surface. It is also desirable that the cabinets in their color match the general color scheme of the design of the group room in the kindergarten.
- Caregiver table and chair- also very necessary pieces of furniture in the group room. Ideally, they should be designed to match the overall style of the group.
Sometimes, to save space in the group room, the teacher's desk and chair are placed in the reception area, which is at the same time. This is also very convenient, because the teacher has the opportunity to mark the admission of children in the attendance report, and at the same time talk with parents on many organizational issues.
- Beds for children- are accommodated in a group room only if there is no separate room for a bedroom. Kindergarten beds can be regular or bunk beds, which are also often used to save space.
It must be remembered that only single-tier low beds are suitable for toddlers of the nursery and the second younger group, but for children of middle and senior preschool age, you can use bunk beds, which, if necessary, can be closed from the sides with a protective net to prevent the child from falling in a dream ...
Kindergarten beds can be made of base materials as well as metal. But this is, rather, a trend of the past, because metal beds in kindergarten have remained from Soviet times.
- Carpet on the floor a group room is also a necessary attribute so that children do not sit on a cold, uncovered floor surface. However, there is no need to use a carpet if the "" technology is used in the finishing of the floor covering.
Instead of carpets, you can use bright and colorful mats of modern design. They have many advantages - the surface of the mats is easier to handle in case of contamination. In addition, the mat is much softer than that, and this will help prevent injury and bruising when the child falls.
Group decoration.
For the decoration of the walls of a group room in a kindergarten, various types of improvised material are often used - this is colored cardboard, self-adhesive ORACAL film, as well as many types of finishing materials that can be used in a completely unusual and unusual way.
For example, you can use ordinary expanded polystyrene ceiling tiles, which are sold in every hardware store, as a starting material for making figurines of fairy animals or cartoon characters. Ceiling slabs are inexpensive and can be easily cut into any shape using ordinary scissors or a sharp knife. In addition, the image turns out to be a little three-dimensional, which makes it more decoratively attractive.
Also, to create various compositions, ceiling plinths are used, also made of expanded polystyrene or foam. They are inexpensive, lightweight and very convenient for making various decorative pieces.
Decoration of corners in a group.
In kindergarten groups for preschoolers of different ages, it is necessary to organize the design of many thematic corners.
- "Our mood"
- "Corner of solitude"
- "Information for parents"
- "Patriotic education"
- "Corner of independent creativity"
- "Musical Corner"
- "Traffic Laws"
- "Nature and the World"
- "Corner of Physical Education and Sports"
- "Sensory corner"
- "Book Corner"
- "Local history corner"
- "Corner of health"
- "Protection of the safety of life"
- "Fine Arts Corner"
- "Duty Corner"
The design of the thematic corners in the group room of the kindergarten is carried out by the educator, as well as the most active representatives of the parent committee. At the same time, it is important to show imagination and creativity in order to use the corners to make the interior of the group unusual, but at the same time interesting and attractive for children.
Subject - role-playing games.
The most important role in the upbringing of children is played by role-playing games. With their help, the child learns the world and acquires basic knowledge about the everyday and professional activities of people. For preschoolers of different age groups, there are the following types of role-playing games:
- " Salon"
- "Builders" ("Building a house")
- "Family" ("Daughters - Mothers")
- "Drivers"
- "Birthday" ("Meet the guests")
- " Dr. Aibolit"
- "Dining room" ("In the cafe")
- "Zoo"
- " Kindergarten"
- "Cosmonauts"
- " In library"
- " Journey"
- "Traffic rules"
- " School"
Props for most role-playing games can be bought at a toy store, but for some games they simply do not exist, and therefore many teachers prefer to make them on their own, using a variety of materials and techniques at hand. One can only envy the fantasies of educators who are capable of creating the most incredible things from such simple and most ordinary elements! What are the colorful cakes made from dishwashing sponges, styrofoam candies in colorful wrappers or a loaf of foam sausage!
Thus, props for role-playing games in some way can also become part of the interior design of the group room, because some games contain too many elements and require a separate corner in the room.
Before placing their child in a preschool institution, all parents carefully study him. Therefore, the design of the kindergarten group, its appearance, cleanliness, neatness and comfort of the premises play a decisive role in their final choice.
Kindergarten group design project
The main task in the design of the interior of a kindergarten is to create a favorable atmosphere for the psychological development of kids. The setting should be such that the child wants to come back here every day.
When developing a design project for a kindergarten, pay close attention to its lighting, it is desirable that the windows are located on both sides. It is not recommended to use fluorescent lamps in rooms; use natural light as much as possible.
Game Zone
Play areas in senior and preparatory groups should be spacious enough, so we recommend placing furniture around the perimeter. An obligatory element is indoor plants, their choice and placement should be in harmony with the overall design.
The basis for the design of children's rooms is the creation of a special microcosm that would arouse interest in kids.
This is achieved by arranging functional areas:
- game;
- workplace;
- dining room;
- bedrooms.
- The interior of the kindergarten should not resemble an official institution. Large soft toys, light bright curtains, and sofa cushions can help make the rooms cozy.
- Children's furniture must be strong enough, as it is subject to particularly rapid wear. Interior items and furniture must be of the correct size and height, selected in accordance with the height of the children in the group.
- Furniture should be positioned so that there is sufficient space for play and charging.
- In the premises, play islands with toys, craft materials, pencils, scrapbooks and light mobile furniture should be provided. In such areas, a striking design is needed.
- Another important component of interior decoration is a variety of pictures hanging on the walls and depicting cartoon characters and animals. They will create a fun, comfortable environment.
- Provide a corner in the project in which children's drawings and crafts will be placed. At the same time, parents should have access to them, they should see what their baby is creating with their own hands. Position the exhibition area at a height so that children can easily pick up artwork and put it back down.
Features of the design of different zones in the group
Bedroom in kindergarten
The interior of the kindergarten premises should be moderately saturated with different tones so that there is no clearly manifested contrast.
Color solution
This will help to visually erase the spatial boundaries and create harmony in the interior of the group.
Note! Child psychologists do not advise actively using red, because an excess of it leads to aggression and nervous excitement. But all shades of green soothe, cheer up and have a good effect on the psyche of the child.
Game Zone
The playing area should be decorated brightly - in blue, yellow, orange and green colors, this will increase the gaming activity. In younger groups, the interior should resemble a fairy tale, this will create a joyful mood in children and help develop their imaginations.
The dining area must be designed depending on whether it is combined with a study or playroom. Furniture should be comfortable and made from durable and environmentally friendly materials.
Bedroom
The most important aspect is the organization of a place for a nap. Features of physical development are such that children get tired quickly enough. Based on this, their activity is dependent on the quality of rest.
Beds should correspond to the height of babies, mattresses should be comfortable and not very soft. It is strictly forbidden to use spring products, as they can provoke a curvature of the spine.
Bright and exciting colors are not allowed in the bedroom, a better solution in this case is to decorate the area in pastel colors.
About facing materials and equipment
The walls of the kindergarten should not be covered with wallpaper. All surfaces must be well cleaned and washed. In the games area, you can plan a wall painting that will depict cartoon characters or funny animals.
For the bedroom, plastic panels are quite suitable. in kindergarten, it can be done with decorative plaster, which has a weakly expressed texture. The study area can be painted in bright colors, while it is necessary to place accents with decor.
The floor covering should be used as safe and tactile as possible. It can be a light colored laminate covered with a medium pile carpet.
All furniture in kindergarten must adapt to the growth and needs of the kids. In addition, its objects should be bright and interesting, attracting attention. It is best if it is made of natural wood.
If the beds in the bedroom are bunk, the second tier must be equipped with a side. In addition, the area needs to be equipped with lockers for storing clothes.
Play areas are equipped in different ways, the best option is to use soft ottomans, as well as racks and shelves with toys.
In the educational part of the groups, as a rule, open cabinets for books, notebooks and other study accessories, small desks with chairs are placed. Do not forget to provide a work place for the educator.
Textiles play an important role in the design of the kindergarten, they give the premises a homely look. Use light and bright curtains, complement them with cozy napkins, tablecloths, towels.
Decor elements in the premises need safe and shatterproof. Toys are perfect for this, but they do not need to be placed in the educational part of the groups, otherwise the children will be distracted all the time.
Live plants will help to decorate the design of the kindergarten premises, which are placed in flowerpots at a height at which the kids will not get to them.
Summing up
We hope our article was useful to you. In order to more accurately understand the technological and practical issue, our website contains detailed photo and video instructions, in which you will find useful information on this issue.