February 28, 2020

Sensory/Science/Language/Cognitive/Imagination/Fine Motor Skills

Play dough is a hands-on activity that provides enjoyable and satisfying experiences. Playing with and pounding on play dough can offer young children a healthy and safe outlet for releasing extra energy. They squish, poke, pat, pull and flatten their dough. Play dough is also a scientific concept that involves the mixture of different components (flour, water, salt, and watercolor (optional) that produce the play dough to change its form. It stimulates the children's senses while offering an opportunity to use their imagination to explore.

Some of the children helped the teacher make play dough by pouring and mixing the flour. Each child has a different way to explore with play dough. They manipulate the play dough in a way that distinguishes them from one another. They pressed, squished, pounded, patted, and poked the play dough.

Aria used her hands, fist and the side of her face to press the playdough.

Kieran squished the play dough with his fingers.

Wallace touched and pressed the playdough lightly.

Annabelle: "This is make-up from the makeup store.!"

Teacher: "Who goes to the make-up store?"

Annabelle: "Mommy! She puts orange makeup on me!"

Blocks

Children are developing an interest in building with blocks. As they build, they incorporate their ideas and thoughts on their design. Each block represents an integral part of their house, tower, or structure. A structure that is not named can be simply a construction of an idea they are exploring and investigating in.

Teagan: “Pio Pio’s house!”

These versatile blocks are manipulated and maneuvered to create a structure. They promote color recognition, imagination, creativity, and cognitive and fine motor skills,

Annabelle noticed that by connecting the half-circle shapes, she is making another shape circle. Annabelle articulated that she made circles and a rainbow (referring to the small orange pieces.)

Wallace from 1A engaged with these versatile blocks and observed each piece as he joined them, creating a circle.

Neighborhood Stroll

Neighborhood walks enable children to understand changes in our environment, such as the weather, trees, and wearing the appropriate clothes to go for our neighborhood strolls. The children saw traffic lights, trees, people, cars, and dogs are some examples of what they saw. Toddlers learn from watching the world, especially if we talk with them about it. We observed and talked about different signs, letters, and how different shapes are in our environment: squares, rectangles, and hexagons. Our environment has an abundance of information that is both educational and essential.

Annabelle: “Look a square!” (referring to the All Traffic sign)

Annabelle: “Look, Sandra, another square, and the hand!”

Color/Fine Motor/eye-hand coordination

Each time the students approach this activity they are exercising their hands and small muscles in their fingers. Also it helps them develop the pincer grip.

Clay

Clay fosters imagination, exploration, and creativity.

Each child approached the clay with a different disposition. They manipulate the clay in a way that distinguishes them from one another. Some touched it and explored it with their hands or used tools to further their exploration. An encouraging self-initiated play is essential when young toddlers are observing, exploring, and discovering materials. Many of the children used Popsicle Sticks to poke or mold the clay! Engaging with clay is promoting their young minds to think and create.

Dalia took a lump a clay, patted, and placed popsicle sticks. As she held her sculpture, she sang Happy Birthday!

Teagan also made a birthday cake and blew her candles as she sang Happy Birthday to Teagan.

White Clay

Sensory Exploration/Fine Motor Skills/Creativity

The teacher did not provide tools or props to explore the clay. She wanted them to use their hands exclusively. Investigating the clay from a different perspective, adding some water to provide a different texture and exploration, enable the children to use their hands and fingers to sculpt and change its form as they squeeze, pat, and poke.