reggio emilia

[organicbanana]

is anyone familiar with the reggio emilia education philosophies? i have been doing a small amount of reading on it & wondered if anyone has any personal experience/input about it. there is a school in our area that recently opened & i'm curious...

[sanna]

OM,
I have not heard of it.. Could you tell us what you know about it? I'd be curious! :)

[PM]

http://www.cmu.edu/cyert-center/reggio.htm#Reggio%20Emilia

I heard about this when I lived in Italy, but it's been a while, and I didn't have children at the time. But the link tells all about it.

[sanna]

I like what I saw. To bad they don't continue this approach into the grades! Actually, it seems sort of wasted on such young children. The pre-school age child only needs play, play play! Later is when the 'project-oreinted' approach is useful IMO.

[mom in miami]

Hello,
My two year old will start a Reggio pre-school in September. I've done the research, attended the conferences and fell in love with the actual school here in Miami. We are desperate for a Waldorf here, and this seems to be the next best thing. It feels a lot like a Waldorf inspired school, so we'll see. It is unfortunate that it doesn't go beyond pre-school, but I'm a firm believer of laying an excellent foundation, and don't consider it a waste. I wish I could share more insight, but talk to me in September, and I'll share everything. I found that the books were a bit convoluted in reading, I suggest you attend a Reggio workshop, sit in the classroom with your child, and go with your gut. Keep me posted.
Good luck,
Mom in Miami