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WHAT IS IT?
Students set the table independently to prepare for their own snack.
This work occurs naturally, multiple times each day, when the child is ready to eat.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
The child retrieves all necessary items from the shelf, one-by-one, in the correct order, and brings the items to his or her spot at a table.
Child-height shelves, prepared neatly by the teachers, allow toddlers to access all the materials they need.
The organization follows the directional flow of reading: left to right, top to bottom.
The sequence is self-correcting. If the plate is placed before the place mat, the child must pick up the plate again and place the mat first.
After retrieving each item, the child must remember where s/he was sitting and return to that place.
There may be multiple children setting the table at once. If a child has to move around someone else, s/he has the chance to practice grace and courtesy by saying “Excuse me.”
When young children make concrete, tangible contributions to their environments, they further develop their independence and self-esteem and strengthen their sense of belonging.
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