All About Me

This is a time of transition for the children and teachers in Elmo's
Explorers. The children are getting used to their new room and materials.
To help us get to know each other better we are focusing on the theme,
"All About Me!" We have talked about how each of us is special and
unique--

a one of a kind masterpiece!

This week the children examined their finger prints by using the stamp pads
and paper. We also talked about our families; the children drew
pictures of their families, which are now hanging up in our classroom!

One special highlight this week, which ties in nicely with our discussion
of families, was having Quinn's dad, who is a policeman, come in and show
us his uniform and police car. The children had fun taking turns sitting
behind the wheel of the police car with their sticker badges on. This was
a great experience for the children, and I think Quinn's dad had just as
much fun as the children did.

A Sensational Sensory Day

A Sensational Sensory Day –

Getting Down and Dirty!

This week, the children in Magic Kingdom at Laurence Avenue enjoyed a day packed full of sensory activities. We started off the day by making sensory items that they could take to use at home. We made sensory water bottles with glitter and rice in them. The children were amazed to watch the water changing colors as they added different food coloring. We also made sensory gloves. To make the gloves, we took 1 plastic glove and filled it with either rice or flour. For an extra sparkle to the gloves, some of the children added glitter to their rice or flour.

With our take home projects done, we then moved on to the dirty work! The children had applesauce, yogurt, pudding, jello, chocolate syrup, and spaghetti that they used to spell their names, draw, and/or put their hands in. Some of the children wondered what would happen if they mixed the spaghetti with the chocolate syrup. They quickly realized that they had created a new type of spaghetti….. Chocolate Spaghetti!

The sensory table was filled with dirt, vehicles, and various containers. The children enjoyed driving the vehicles around in the dirt. They used the containers to build hills for their vehicles to drive over.

Our final area was a table with shaving cream. The children enjoyed drawing and writing in the cream. They also enjoyed pretending that the shaving cream was lotion and that they were relaxing at the beach. It was messy, but we all had a great time learning with our senses!

Shaving Cream Exploration

Activating children's senses is an effective way to stimulate their mind. This week, the children of Sesame Street engaged in a shaving cream and paint exploration which encouraged the use of three of their five senses. Sight: They were able to observe the paint swirling, twirling, and mixing with the shaving cream; creating a variety of color shades. Smell: Shaving cream has a distinctive smell and the children absolutely enjoyed it. Touch: The children were able to use their hands to explore the smooth, fluffy shaving cream. The children enjoyed making these shaving cream creations, and, little did they know... they were learning the entire time! They were exploring self-help skills and exploring building and art materials! Who knew learning could be so interesting?

Taste and Texture Day!

TASTE AND TEXTURE DAY!

In the end of August, the infants of Pooh Corner were able to experience a "Taste and Texture Day". Ms. Amber and Ms. Mel provided the infants with yummy, slimy foods to touch, taste, smell, and of course, throw. The teachers provided cooked spaghetti pasta, chocolate pudding, jell-o, whipped cream, and water. Along with the foods, a variety of utensils such as spoons, cups, and small bowls were given to the infants to encourage their exploration. A few of the infants were hesitant to touch the materials and some couldn't get their hands on the materials fast enough, and dug right in! They were smearing the pudding and whipped cream around, waving the noodles in front of their faces, and not to our surprise, eating it right up! Yes, it was messy. However, it was so much fun to watch the children explore the different tastes and textures that the mess was entirely worth it. "Taste and Texture Day" was a fun and exciting way to wind down from a fun and exciting summer. We cannot wait to do it again... good thing we will have to wind down Fall soon!