18  Chapter 1 DOUBLE TAP TO ZOOM ON PHONE OR TABLET Children First importance is thinking about which materials and equipment you can offer to encourage children’s brains to develop through large-motor physical activity, not only outdoors but within your classroom as well. We encourage you to see yourself as an inventor of new combinations of materials. You’ll find it engag- ing for yourself as well as the children to draw on your philosophical foundation, your observations of what children enjoy doing, and your knowledge of brain research, child development, and schema the- ory to put together interesting groupings of mate- rials for children to explore. Your choices will also be influenced by the dispositions, relationships, and learning outcomes you have in mind for children and the pervasive or subtle biases you want children to overcome. Chapter 3 offers numerous principles for selecting and offering materials to children. With the kinds of Chapter 3 Core Practice: Enhance the Curriculum with Materials Having an environmentally based curriculum means you pay attention to the environment on both the macro level (the room or outdoor design and setup) and the micro level (the materials that are available and how they are presented to children). Again, your values and images of children and the teaching and learning process influence which materials you offer. Our curriculum approach suggests you reconsider many of the typical learning materials. Of critical COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL Earlwood Children’s Centre as a teacher; the language and systems you use for communications; and the ways you come together, see each other, and negotiate your ideas, desires, and different points of view. Chapter 2 will introduce you to a set of principles to guide your work in creating a classroom culture that demonstrates respect for children as capable learners and members of families and communi- ties. You’ll also find guiding principles for forming respectful partnerships with children’s families, from first encounters through ongoing communications and gatherings. This chapter includes ideas for bring- ing democratic ideals, culturally responsive teaching, and anti-bias goals into your classroom routines, and for fostering relationships and a sense of belonging and responsibility. And all of this is brought to life with specific examples from actual teachers across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. You will find inspiring examples of classroom cultures that help children see themselves as learn- ers and resources to one another. And, finally, there are ideas for creating memory-making rituals and celebrations that go beyond birthday parties and graduation ceremonies. Creating a classroom cul- ture involves continually thinking about your val- ues, being willing to experiment and take risks, and constantly paying attention to relationships and the learning environment. This is the core practice of our curriculum framework—all other teacher actions flow from this foundation.