Fan and Feathers

Spring has arrived.  During outdoor play the children have been looking up to see the Canadian geese flying in.  One child looked up to see what was making a noise and took notice of the geese that were flying over the daycare.  His eyes lite up and he slightly opened his mouth in awe. Since that day the children have been very curious about the things they can see in the sky.  We took notice of the airplanes and birds, recognizing the speed of each one.  Later in the week one child uses a cardboard box, shaking the box up and down quickly.  A child sitting close by smiles as she feels the air blowing on her face.  Based on their curiosity I brought a small fan and feathers to continue the learning.

I place the fan on a small table and turn it on.  As soon as the children hear the noise they gather around curiously taking observation of the fan.

Next thing I do is place several feather in front of the fan and watch what happens.  The feather moves upward and lands on the carpet.  The children gather the feathers.

I give each child a feather, some feel comfortable feeling the softness while others want to take a turn placing the feather in front of the fan.

This child discovers where the noise was coming from.

The child places the feather in front of the fan and anticipates what is going to happen to the feather.

We watch as the feather stays on the fan and spins before going upwards and landing on one of the children's shirt.

The child feels the air blowing on his face and closes his eyes.

The children practiced taking turns placing the feathers in front of the fan.  They helped each other by taking the feathers off their clothing.  Experimenting with the fan allowed for children to explore cause and effect.

"Tell me and I'll forget.  Show me and I may remember.  Involve me and I learn"  Benjamin Franklin

Miss Sousa

Stop and Smell the Roses

March 16, 2016

"Let nature be your teacher."

- William Wordsworth

After their morning snacks, Miss Arigo invited the children to the kitchen where a table of flowers, rocks, and a mirror await for exploration.

 

Two toddlers started examining the basket of rocks. We talked about their textures and sizes. One child excitedly said, "BIG ROCK!"

 

Then, an accident happened. One child was waving one flower side to side when suddenly, all the petals fell off and sprawled on the floor! He seemed worried about what just happened.

Miss Arigo asked, "What do you think happened to the flower?" The child looked at her with disbelief. She gathered the petals and said, "Maybe we can smash them with the rocks."

A smile appeared on his face erasing all worries away. He exclaimed, "Ya!" He picked up a rock, pounded the petals on the paper, and said, "Squeeze!!!"

 

In the photo above, one child decided to smell the flower. He burst out laughing and started waving the flower up in the air.

 

In the next photo, one child cheerfully swirled the flower. She watched as the petals slowly fell off one by one, and suddenly all at the same time.

 

Another child looked at her reflection and said, "Oh mirror right there." The child standing beside her began by touching all the rocks. He then realized he can hurl it a couple of inches from himself and he began laughing with pride. He did this repeatedly.

 

Finally, the youngest child in our class joined the activity and he decided to tap the rocks with a flower. He also picked up a stone and hurled it a couple of inches away from him, just like what the previous child did! They did not see each other do this but did the same thing at different times.

From this nature exploration, the children learned:

• to use their different senses
• to enhance their fine motor skills
• cause and effect
• textures, sizes, and weight

We also learned that accidents happen and we can be creative in resolving problems!

by Miss Arigo

Exploring Sound

"The earth has music for those who listen" William Shakespeare 

Throughout the day there are many different sounds that we create or listen too.  The children will always find a way to create different tones.  Sometimes this is done accidentally as they drop a toy that they are exploring.  Once they have heard the music note their play quickly changes.  

One morning I provided the children with materials that are often found in the kitchen.  I placed the measuring spoons, metal bowls, whisks and brushes in the center of the playroom and observed the children.  Through my observation I watched as the learning began to take place.

The children began to explore the materials through their sense of touch and sight.

The materials were different sizes and the children began to take notice as their grasp of the material changed.

One child begins to tap the small measuring spoon onto the large metal bowl which created a sound.  One child watches and anticipates when he will hear the sound created by the two objects.

As this child taps the whisk on the bowl we recognize that it makes a different sound in comparison to the measuring spoon.

This child taps the bowl gently then taps harder listening to the difference in the sound.

The child practices eye hand coordination as well as his fine motor skills as he tightly grasps the measuring spoon.

We discovered that not all materials made sounds...

Unless you tap it at the right angle.

This child demonstrates her understanding of the materials.  She also recognized that the sound changes when the metal bowl is on her lap and facing upwards.  

Some materials felt soft and tickled our cheeks.

A bowl can also become a place to sit.

The classroom is filled with different sounds and tones.  Some children tap with a rhythm while others are proud of their skills as they grasp the objects and cause two objects to create a sound.

The children explored the materials in many different ways.  Each child made a new discovery about their materials as they used them.  Through our sense of hearing we recognized different sounds and tones.  

Miss Sousa

Family Photos

During morning free play I watched as one child sat looking at family photographs that are displayed. He was sitting in the same spot looking diligently at each picture that was displayed.  One of his friends looked over at the child sitting and took notice of what he was doing. He walks towards the child who is sitting and sits beside him.  He looks at the child, points to his family picture and states "dada" proudly.  After several minutes of pointing to his own family photos, he stands up and goes back to playing.

"Family: Where life begins and love never ends" -unknown

By displaying the families photographs, it allows the children to look at them throughout the day. They are all very proud of identifying everyone in the photographs.

Miss Sousa

Think & Observe, Act & Experiment

Watching the children getting used to the new environment in our program, we realized how much they grow and learn through play. Whether they learn from teachers or friends, what matters the most is the freedom they have to explore and experiment on their own.

On February 8, 2016, the children were having free play in the room. As I was watching them,  I noticed a child watching another child while she was playing. The child had been playing with a toy for a few minutes when she figured that there is a different way to play with that same toy.

At first, she picked up the wooden ball and threw it on the wooden xylophone holder, it did not matter where the ball hit as long as she could throw it.

The picture above shows how she figured out how to put the ball inside the hole.  She matched the color of the ball to the blue ring on the toy.

The ball got stuck! She tried to pull the ball from the top part as hard as she could, but the ball would not come off. She got a little frustrated. Then she tried again standing up with one of her hands still on the ball, pushing it down accidentally. The ball went right through the hole and rolled onto the floor.  She appeared to be very proud with her success as she smiles. After that, she started doing it over and over again.

Another child was watching from a corner, his legs are showing on the first picture above. After some time, he came closer to join the other child with the play.

This time, he did not spend too much time figuring out how to put the balls in and how to take them out. Since he was watching the other child while she was doing it earlier, he used the idea that he saw and learned from the other child.

The child was holding a mallet. Instead of using his fingers or hands, he tried using his mallet to push the ball down. To his surprise, it worked!

The two children started taking turns pushing the balls down through the holes. The first child continuously used her hands while the other child used his mallet.

Children learn in many ways. Through their own and through the help of others, by watching and experimenting, by thinking and observing. Like how adults think and learn, they put their observations into actions which leads them to teaching one another.


"You gain knowledge by learning something new. You gain wisdom by learning and accepting something contradicting or altering things you'd learnt before." -Majdi Rabah


                                                                                                                                  -Mrs. Javier-