We love sensory -messy play and just exploring. It builds experience. It is very engaging to play and learn through touch, sound, sight, smell and taste.
Recently in Playschool we followed 3 steps of instructions to mix cornstarch and water. We utilized measurement tools and added some color. The result was a product we experienced to help expand our language knowledge for; texture, viscosity of liquids, solids, thin, thick, gooey, sticky firm, heavy and much more. Swirling colors were vivid through the substance leading well into the understanding of shades, light hues, vivid and deep colors. These activities also exercised those fine motor muscles so important for handwriting development.
What Children Can Do - A variety of activities are presented to children to offer opportunities for making choices and practicing skills. Play days offer:
- participate at circle time
- be creative with paint, arts, and crafts in unique or individual expression
- move with music, story, poetry- indoors or outdoors
- explore interests
- discover nature and science related topics
- use imagination for social-dramatic play of housekeeping and various drama themes
- Sensory - sand, water, playdough, clay and more
- Art - coloring, gluing, cutting and painting with many different tools
- Crafts - designing, building and recycling with different materials
- Dramatic - dress-up, themes, toys, puppets and more
- Literacy - fine manipulatives, pre-writing play, stories and alphabet
- Numeracy - counting play, weight, measurement/balancing objects and patterning
- Block - building with various forms
- Music - exploring instruments, rhythm and tempo
- Physical - gross motor adventure indoors and outdoors