Exploring Kinetic Sand
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It may be cold and wet outside but that did not stop the preschoolers from exploring the features of kinetic sand inside. We built castles, created shapes from different molds, cut through the sand with knives, and made different molded shapes with our own hands. We pretended that we were at one of the many construction sites that we see on our morning walks. We dumped and picked up 'dirt' to put into our play trucks.
Besides being fun, kinetic sand allowed the preschoolers an opportunity to learn through their five senses. By around age two, we don't use our sense of taste because we know from our past experiences and through communication that we do not need it. We use our sense of touch to explore the soft smooth texture of the sand. By using our sense of smell we discover that it doesn't really smell like anything. Finally, our sense of sight and hearing helped us use our imagination throughout our class time. After seeing all the trucks and shapes that were provided, we immediately thought of the construction sites and began to build away and communicate with each other about all the different things we could do with the sand.
The Importance of Free Play in Early Childhood
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| This free slideshow created with Smilebox
Free Play is one of the integral parts of our day at Tiny Tribe.
Around the age of two, children begin to rehearse adult
roles and use them in their dramatic play. Children observe adults at
school and home and you can see it incorporated into their play.
Imaginary games, like cooking, cleaning, going to work, and taking care
of babies are some of the many types of play that allow children to make
sense of their world and begin to problem solve together. Make believe play promotes emotional development in children because it allows them
opportunities to problem solve, communicate with others, work through
their fears, and unleash their imaginations.
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Circle Time Yoga
During our circle time today, we introduced yoga to our morning routine. We have attended yoga classes in the past, and the kids are so excited that it is a part of their circle time. Children benefit in many ways practicing yoga. Physically, yoga enhances their flexibility, strength, coordination, and body awareness. Mentally, their concentration, sense of calmness, and relaxation improve.
Practicing Our Cutting and Making Snowflakes
During class time today, the preschoolers had the option to work on some cutting exercises. They were enthused about cutting the straight, wavy, and zig-zaggy lines on the practice sheets. It can be challenging to turn the paper with one hand and use scissors with the other. Cutting helps them develop their fine motor coordination in their primary hand and coordinate the use of their helping hand to maneuver the paper. The simple act of working on cutting a line, engages their hand eye-coordination and their depth perception in a tactile way. After the cutting exercise, we moved on to making snowflakes for our cherry blossom tree. They had fun choosing if they wanted to make circle snowflakes, or square snowflakes. They were all proud and surprised to see the designs the created when they opened up their papers to reveal the snowflakes.
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