A simple provocation of colourful random objects illuminated by light.
The children could not resist the temptation to play.
Sorting, matching and stacking…
Little cups of prettiness!
For more light table ideas, click here and here!
We love Sensory Play experiences in our preschool environment. Not only is it loads of fun, it offers a multitude of opportunities for valuable learning to take place.
A trip to one of my favorite places to collect interesting resources (Resource Rescue), had me walking away with bags of… um… well, teany tiny plastic off-cut type things! Great I thought, just like rice but without the food concern!
They looked so colourful and inviting in the tub, how could the children resist!
As the children play they:
- Develop finger dexterity and strength
- Develop small muscle skills
- Develop eye-hand coordination skills
- Learn to use materials and tools in new ways
- Manipulating materials
- Experiment with the properties of substances
- Observe and analyse change
- Learn about ‘cause and effect’
- Learn about ‘volume’ and ‘measurement’
- Develop problem-solving skills
- Experiment with basic scientific concepts and principles
- Experience a sense of awe and wonder
- Observe the effects of gravity
- Formulate ‘hypotheses’ and test them
- Experience joy and satisfaction
- Develop social skills
- Learn new vocabulary
Recycled materials are so useful in the preschool environment and it is heart-warming to know that something once discarded can be given new life with valuable consequences!
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WHEN DAD CUTS DOWN THE CHESTNUT TREE!
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“When Dad Cuts Down the Chestnut Tree” Written by Pam Ayres and Illustrated by Graham Percy.
This is one of my favourite stories to read to children when the opportunity arises to introduce the concept of man’s impact on the natural environment. It takes the issue of balancing the conflicting demands of man’s needs against conservation concerns into the familiar setting of a family garden. The circumstances are familiar to children, therefore, they are able to more readily identify with the issues raised.
READ ON!!!
When Dad cuts down the chestnut tree,
He’ll make such things for you and me…
A rocking horse to ride all day,
A forte where all my soldiers stay.
A little barrow painted blue,
A faithful duck on wheels for you.
Stilts to make us very tall,
Coloured bricks to build a wall.
When the tree is on the ground,
All my friends will come around.
On the trunk we’ll jump and climb,
We will have a lovely time!
No more tearing jacket sleeves,
No more sweeping up the leaves.
And when I’m tucked into my bed,
Kisses kissed and goodnights said,
The tree won’t scare me anymore,
When the night wind makes it roar.
If there wasn’t any tree,
What difference would it make to me?
No tree-house-that’s the worst of all-
To hide in when we hear mum call.
No cool places in the shade,
When we have run and jumped and played.
No leaves to kick and throw about,
And roll each other in and shout.
No sticks to find on chilly days,
To make our winter fires blaze.
And there is another thing-
What will happen to our swing?
Where will Owl and Squirrel stay,
If the tree is hauled away?
If the tree is really gone,
What can I hang my nest-box on?
Suddenly we’re not so sure,
We want it cut down anymore.
Trees are special large or small,
So Dad- Don’t cut it down at all!
For chlidren to gain an appreciation and love of the natural environment they need to be given frequent and ample opportunities to engage with nature in a multitude of ways. You have to love something to develop the emotional attachment necessary to want to protect it. I encourage everyone to try some of these tree activities with the children within your care:
Climb a tree!
Hug a tree!
Complete bark rubbings!
Collect leaves, berries, seed pods and nuts!
Use your collections in some mudpie cooking!
Lay beneath a tree and look up through it’s branches!
Search for shapes and forms!
Tell stories!
Place a blanket and books under a tree to bathe in the shade as you read!
Set up cubbies by drapping flowing material over the branches!
Hang chimes from the branches!
Hang pots and pans to create a music tree!
The list could go on and is only limited by your imagination!
Now don’t go away because there are even more Earth Day books along with super great ideas being shared by these bloggers today! Stop by and bookmark or even go ahead and pin them all!
Teach Preschool : Child Central Station : Living Montessori Now : Aunt Annie’s Childcare : The SEEDS Network : Flights of Whimsy : Pre-K Pages : Kreative Resources : I’m a teacher, get me OUTSIDE here! : Share & Remember : Music Sparks : little illuminations : Greening Sam and Avery : Putti Prapancha : Early Play : 52 Days to Explore : Little Running Teacher : Look at My Happy Rainbow : Rainbows within Reach
You can find ‘When Dad Cuts Down the Chestnut Tree’ on Amazon here.
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One day as we were playing outside, a neighbour dropped by carrying a large box that had delivered a new television to his home. The gentleman asked the children if they would like the box and the children were thrilled with the idea. After voicing their gratitude, they dragged the box onto the lawn and began to investigate its’ possibilites. They hopped in it, tumbled out of it, hide under it and drag it around from one place to another. Over a short period of time, it became an airplane, a train and a boat. It eventually ended up in the sandpit. While in the sandpit, several children were keen for it to be a pirate ship. With a little guided discussion by me (intentional teaching), the children came up with a plan.
The ship needed to be painted and decorated, and it needed a flag!
ME: “Mmmm what colour do we want to paint it?”
CHILDREN: “Blue!” “No, Red!”
ME: “Mmm, so how do we decide? How many would like blue, and how many would like red? Oh, dear 8 children like red and 8 children like blue! We have a problem here, what shall we do?
CHILD: “I know, we could paint it red inside and blue outside!”
ME: “That’s a good idea! What do you think guys?”
CHILDREN: “Yay!” (With a bit of hand-clapping).
So the children cheerfully joined forces to paint the ship. The idea of painting the box red inside and blue on the outside was lost in the moment, but does that matter? No of course not ! The children were happy, sharing a spirit of camaraderie and working as a team.
We had used some pirate stencils in our artwork a few days before creating our pirate ship and the children thought that they would be good for decorating the boat.
Some of the girls decided that the boat needed stars and glitter! For sure! Everything is better with a bit of glitter!
Then it was time to decide who was going to play in it first… and how many could fit in together… and who wasn’t allowed in and who was allowed in!
“No girls”, “No boys”, “You can, but not you”…!!!!
Oh, the social dilemmas that must be negotiated.
It is at these moments that I just love introducing Michael Rosen’s “OUR HOUSE” to the children.
The children have a favorite song that they love to share while in the boat. It is a great little song that has the added benefit of the children experimenting with ‘rhyming words’ as an introduction to ‘phonics’. Within the song the children have to find a word that rhymes with their age… eg.
“When I was one” then they have to create the next line… like this…
“I sucked my thumb”, “I rolled on my tum'”… etc.
“When I was two”…
“I tied my shoe”, “My hair was blue”… etc.
And of course the sillier the better!!!
Following each rhyme they launch into…
“Going over the sea,” (create a wave with arm movement)
“I climbed aboard a pirate ship,” (move hands/arms in climbing motion)
“And the captain said to me,” (salute the captain)
“We’re going this way that way,” (rock body from side to side)
“Forwards and backwards,” (rock body forwards and backwards)
“Over the deep blue sea” (create a wave with arm movement)
“A bowl of jelly, to fill my belly” (rub tummy in circular motion)
“And that’s the life for me” (clap hands three times in rhythm with the words)
So, next time a large box comes your way grab hold of it and explore the possibilities! Emergent curriculum at it’s best!
For more pirate fun check out these posts too!
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