Fine Motor Activity (Hand-Eye Coordination)

 

December 3, 2015

Noticing the children's frequent use of their hands and fingers while playing, and their love and affinity for animals, we figured out a play experience where they can both learn and have fun.

 

Pictures of different kinds of animals were printed twice, big and small. The small pictures were taped on a clothespin while the bigger pictures were taped and hung on a rope.

The children seemed happy to see the pictures of animals.

 

One child watches while the other child tries to clip the clothespin with the small animal to its matching picture.

 

 The other children started doing the same thing.

 

The children were having a hard time with the clothespin, so we decided not to use the clothespins and use just the tape to stick them on their matching pictures instead.

 

 

Working together!

 

 

 Through this play experience, the children learned:

• hand-eye coordination as they matched the small pictures with the big pictures
• different sizes (big and small)
• cooperation and helpfulness with their friends

 

"Children learn through modeling and imitation."

(Albert Bandura)

 

-Mrs. Javier-

Taking care of our Aloe vera plant

 

January 22, 2016

On Friday morning the children helped transplant the aloe vera plant into another pot.

 

 

We begin by using our shovels to scoop up the soil, and place it in the new pot.

 

One child scoops up a small amount of soil.

 

The children take turns and show cooperation as they fill up their shovels with soil.

 

 

After a few minutes, it's time to take a break.

 

Once the planter is half filled with soil we examine the plants leaves and roots. 

 

 

We make a discovery; there is another small plant growing beside the large plant.

 

One child is curious about the texture and scent of the plant.

Once the plant is placed in the new pot, the children add more soil.  When it is full of soil we begin to water the plant with a little help.

 

 

 

 

Story Time

January 11, 2016

On a cold Monday morning, the children help gather all the toys to begin our magnet story experience. 

Currently Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle is one of our favourite stories to read.  We start our experience by singing a song together, then the story begins.

The children find comfortable spots to sit as they watch me place each magnet piece on the metal door. 

One child walks over quickly to find a place to sit. The children help label the animals and help identify the sound each animal makes.  At the end of the story the children ask for "more" (using baby sign).

  Our next story is Old MacDonald had a farm.

After listening to several stories....

We start our dance party.  The children sing, jump and clap their hands to the music.

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Ukulele

December 21, 2015

On a quiet afternoon, Miss Arigo reaches for her ukulele and sits down with the children.  

Another ukulele is provided for the children to explore.

The child presses gently on the strings of the instrument.

After several minutes, it is time to pass the ukulele to another friend. 

There is some singing, tapping and strumming of the instrument.  During the singing one child stands up and begins to dance as he patiently waits for his turn. 

The other children watch as the child dances and giggles with excitement. 

Shortly after all the dancing it is time to explore the ukulele. 

The children practice taking turns, creativity and self expression as they move to the music and create their own song. 

Emergent Play: Small Muscles at Work

For the past few weeks, we have observed that the infants and toddlers have been using their hands a lot during free play. They have been hammering pegs, moving small cars on wedge blocks, and stuffing small toys in containers. They seem to be really interested in putting their small muscles to work!

 So this morning, Miss Arigo brought out a cardboard with carton tubes, several empty yogurt containers, and a basket of golf balls.

One child decided to gather all of the yogurt containers and all of the golf balls away from the cardboard. I sat down a few feet away and observed her play. She picked up the golf balls from the basket and placed them in different containers. When the basket was empty, she looked up and told me, "All gone!"

Then, she stood up. We gathered all of the golf balls and returned them in the basket. This time, she decided to explore the carton tubes. She smiled as she dropped one ball after another.

Another child had a smile on her face as she placed several balls in one yogurt container. When her container was almost full, she clapped, looked up at me, and giggled!

Then, we moved to the blocks area as more children decided to join us. One child picked up two golf balls, one for each hand, and dropped them in the tubes. Afterwards, he exclaimed, "Yay!" and clapped. He repeated this for several minutes.

He seemed very proud to do it on his own!

Another child used speed and threw the ball towards the carton tube.

He missed! But he tried again and again and again.

Another child picked up several golf balls and decided to play away from the cardboard and towards the kitchen toys. Quietly, I sat down a few feet away and watched him play. He decided to push all of the balls towards the wall.

The golf balls slowly fell in the corner. When he could not see them anymore, he said, "Uh oh!"

I helped him move the kitchen toys and we found all of the golf balls on the floor. He looked at me and excitedly said, "Ball! Ball!"

What We Learned

Through this activity, the children had fun playing and learning about several concepts:

• empty and full
• cause and effect
• speed
• eye-hand coordination
• sharing space with others
• perseverance
• focus and determination

Miss Arigo also learned several things from this play experience.

• The children are very innovative and have unique ways of thinking.
• Each child created their own form of play. Some were content with just one container and some balls. Some were taking the balls to different areas. Some used speed and learned that if he threw the ball too fast, he would miss the tube.
• They are also very curious and eager to experiment!
• If a child gets a positive feeling from an action they do such as being able to get the ball in the tube successfully and on their own, it is most likely that they would repeat the action over and over.
• The children really enjoy putting their small muscles to work!

The First Snowfall of the Year

November 19, 2015

The snow was a new experience for us. Some of us sat the on the cold white snow and observed. As the children observed the environment around them the cold wind blew snowflakes on their warm cheeks.

Some of us decided that standing in the snow was way more fun.

The child watches the snowflakes as they land on her mittens.

As the children became more comfortable in the environment they began to jump and stomp on the snow.

"One, Two, Three jump!!

Miss Sousa added snowballs on top of the picnic table to draw the attention of the children. Then this happens...

the child discovers that the snow changes when it goes from the snowball, onto his tongue and into his mouth, WATER!

"Play is the highest form of research" - Albert Einstien