Tools Preschool visit: Ms. Schmidt’s class makes real-world connections

If you’ve never visited a Tools classroom, join us as we take a look at what’s happening inside! Each month, a different Tools PreK teacher posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing photos and updates about what their class is  up to. Here, meet our September PreK Tools Teacher of the Month, Jolinda Schmidt, a 3K preschool teacher at Gillett Elementary School in Gillett, Wisconsin. 

“Play to Learn is the BEST!”
- Tools 3K Preschool Teacher Jolinda Schmidt

Ms. Schmidt is an experienced preschool teacher now in her second year in a Tools classroom. She enjoys watching her children as they  grow and learn throughout the year, especially in Play Planning and Make-Believe Play. In her Tools classroom, she now regularly sees her 3- and 4-year-old children writing their own names by the end of the year, something she never would have believed possible with the preschool curriculum she used previously. Last spring, when several children began writing words on their play planning sheets, too, she knew Tools was something special.

Supporting connection with Tools

Ms. Schmidt’s class is off to a great start this school year connecting their Tools activities to real-world experiences. After spending time learning about school buses, off they go to Graphics Practice to draw the wheels on those buses!

When it’s time to start making  props for their Family Theme, Ms. Schmidt reads the story "Not a Box," and then asks the class to turn their own boxes  into props they want available in their centers. Wondering what they came up with? There is now a washer/dryer in the laundry room, a television in the living room, and a  class-made car to park in the garage. 

Practicing planning

Before diving into play, Ms. Schmidt’s class gets to work in one of Tools most important activities, Play Planning. Here, children practice drawing themselves, something they will practice often as they plan how they will engage with peers during Make-Believe Play. Where will they play? Who will they be? 

Playing to learn

And then, off they go! One child calls Grandma from the kitchen to check on a recipe. Two girls find a cozy spot to share stories in the living room, and several others can’t wait to take care of the babies, getting them ready for bed in the bedroom.

When playing to learn in a Tools classroom, the opportunities for connection are infinite. Thank you to Ms. Schmidt and her preschoolers for sharing their beginning-of-the-year learning with us!

To see more from Ms. Schmidt’s class and other Tools PreK Teachers of the Month, head over to X, formerly known as Twitter, and check out the most recent posts.