Teachable Moments

We had tons of fun learning about lines, zig-zags, and swirls. 

The children explored new ways to move paint across their paper by blowing air through straws. They were able to discover the concept of cause and effect while creating pieces of art.  

Red light,Yellow light, Green Light game!Was so much fun. Great activity for teaching following direction, turn taking, and self control.

Fun sticky collage!! The children enjoyed how each collage piece stuck to the contact paper. You can purchase a roll of contact paper, tape the contact paper to the wall or window, and provide small items to stick onto the paper.

Sink Or Float
It was neat to see the children explore the concept of “sink” and “float” with natural materials. We invited the children over to predict which items would sink and which would float. The children used Velcro pieces to put their predictions on the poster board. The children were excited to test their predictions by putting the materials in the water. By making predictions, testing and observing the children are exploring scientific inquiry which is a core concept of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). The children are also able to compare and contrast the different materials and discover why certain items sink and others float.

When you see the children digging with shovels,scoops,or putting the sand into buckets or trucks the children are working on their body awareness and grasp-skills needed for future writing. All of this is facilitated by sand play. 

Ms. Katie observed the children placing scarves and sheer fabric on the play structure. After speaking with the other teachers it was decided to bring short ribbons  and see what the children would do. Some children placed the fabric in the small openings of the structure while others used them as capes. Young children always have new ideas on how to use materials therefore bringing items out that have multiple purposes allows children to be creative. This is a simple and fun activity that promotes problem solving skills creativity, patience, and fine motor skills. Here a few pictures of the children playing with the ribbons and scarves.

On February 2nd, a small group in the back room worked together to build a bridge and walk across it. They invited others to join the play and talked about how they were making the bridge long. When they made it to the end of the bridge, they each would shout, “I did it!” As children grow and develop, they go through stages of play. Near the beginning of the school year, the children tended to play by themselves (solitary play) or alongside others (parallel play). We now see the children showing more interest in their peers and interacting more with one another (associative play). We are so excited to see what the children will plan that involves working together!