Colourful Play Doh

This is clearly a sensory activity, but as usual, it turns into so much more.  The table was wrapped in painting paper.  Fresh, homemade play doh was placed on the table with washable markers stuck in the play doh like a porcupine.  (Thanks to Leslie at the Parenting and Family Literacy Centre at IRC for this idea).

Early on, the markers were so strong that their colour came through the paper.  "Look, look what I made!" 

Another child was intrigued and said, "That looks like a peacock!" and proceeded to create a head with play doh. Brilliant!

By the end of the week, the markers were no more, kaput, done, gone to rest.  If these markers are dipped in water, the children can make some beautiful "water colour" paintings.  The play doh ended up being a deep purple.  It can be reused for another activity.

Patterning with Natural Objects

This was a simple activity that I did with my Pre-K group at the table during snack time.

I laid out the rock then the stick and finally the shell and explained that simple patterns repeat.  Rock, stick, shell, rock stick… What would come next?  We completed the pattern together.

With support, the children started making patterns of their own and had great fun trying to say the pattern as quickly as they could.  Quite a tongue twister.

This final pattern was all their own.  And after they tired of saying the pattern over and over and over again, they created a picture, using natural objects.

"This is the sky, these are the shells and rocks on the beach."

Exploring with Magnets

I witnessed the children making connections while playing with magnets.  My youngest realized that all of the trains we have, connect to each other with magnets.  She added a few trains to the magnet tray.

My eldest began playing with the trains and magnets.  Although she didn't understand why it happened, she thought it "really cool" that she could move a train with a magnet without touching it.

The Last Signs of Winter

As the last signs of winter began to fade, we took our creativity outdoors, to a near-by park, for a last chance at creating with ice.  The inquiry went full circle with exploring materials, investigating what could be made with ice, and sharing the results.

Exploring the space and materials

Creating a snowflake

"It's like Elza." (from Frozen)

"When I touch the ground...

"… a snowflake appears!"

Communicating the purpose of the art with friends

Their hands were freezing by the end of this (if you look closely you can see an artist's hands in her vest), but in was so engaging that they would not quit until the snowflake was done.

Inspiring Each Other

I ended the last post by asking, "What would happen if I printed and posted the children's creations?" I thought, "Would inspiring each other help to sustain the rock project longer?" This is what happened:

My three year old decided that she wanted to try and balance the rocks in the same way that her older sister did.  She looked at the picture, sorted the rocks and began to create.  This is the final product:

My eldest looked at the picture of her last rock creation and said, "Look mom, I'm going to challenge myself!" This is her final product:

"You know how I did this? Careful."

It took her about half an hour to complete this.  This was her 5th attempt.

Other children under my care took up the challenge also.  Seeing their rock balancing attempts photographed and posted for all to see, prompted them to try again.  Here is one impressive result:

"The hardest part is balancing the heavier rock on the smaller rock."

By acknowledging previous attempts through photography and posting the pictures, the children continually came back to this "invitation to create" for another week.