Dramatic Play: "Secret Laboratory"

Yesterday I was speaking with a colleague about how the preschoolers have seemed less than interested in the dress up area lately. Most of them have been with me for a couple years and needed something new. I needed something we had never done before that would appeal to all the mixed ages and the boys and girls. 

The suggestion was a "science lab." 

Best. Idea. Ever.

They instantly renamed it 

"The Secret Laboratory."

There was so much imaginative play and dialogue and all it took was adding...

Loose Parts and Different Size Containers

Arm Cuffs and Gloves

"If you put these on your arms than you won't get burned by the poison."

Magnifying Glasses

Scales

Sniffing Potions

"Don't eat it if it's poisonous."

"If you spit it out, than you're a witch."

Introduction to Mandalas

After being introduced, the children have been inspired by the work of an artist named Elspeth McLean. She has beautiful circles in all her intricate artwork. The minute I saw her work months ago, I knew she would be a featured artist this year in our study.  Much of her artwork includes mandalas, made up of tiny dots of paint, which you can see in the video below!

I decided to have the preschoolers try out a more hands on approach to Mandalas, before attempting them on paper.

  

After a friend and fellow teacher heard we were going to be adding mandalas to our study, she sent me this wonderful link from Nurture Store. Thank you!

Such lovely things can be created by children when given a simple shape and natural materials to explore and create with.

We also investigated how flowers can be natural mandalas. 

Just Playing: Pompoms and Pails

Two sensory tables were set up very close to one another. One was filled with soft circles and pompoms. The other has tiny wooden flower pots. Four tin pails were also included in the area.

Do you see any learning taking place here?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Tinkering Camp

This is the second year we have done Tinkering Camp. Originally inspired by Austin Tinkering School and other ideas I had seen on pinterest. I also gained some inspiration from an amazing book called Beautiful Stuff: Learning with Found Materials that I acquired years ago at a conference. Both years our Tinkering Camp has been rather laid back and full of exploring materials. I dream about someday disassembling larger items and investigating the insides, but for now its very open-ended. 

They were creating a house for the dog.

A machine...or engine... it changed several times.

A rocket ship.

An instrument.

Another instrument

Here is a video of all the instruments we made using tubes, rubber bands, and plastic coffee cans/lids

F is for Fractions

Happy Hanukkah

Our Hanukkah Sensory Bin

Although none of the children in my preschool program this year are Jewish, someday they may be in a classroom with a child who is. When the teacher is pulling out the Christmas activities and a Jewish child in the class speaks up and says they celebrate Hanukkah, I want that to spark a memory for my preschoolers. I want my preschoolers to be the ones who raise their hand and say “I know about Hanukkah! We learned about that in preschool.”  I want them to be the ones to create a feeling of acceptance for their peers. I want them to stand up with that child and help their traditions be recognized.
It is very important for children to learn that there are other cultures and traditions in the world other than those that they celebrate at home. Hanukkah is a great way to expand this knowledge because it usually coincides closely with Christmas.  During the “holiday” season children can become very wrapped up in themselves. This is a great opportunity to open their eyes to the many different ways people celebrate.



The main character in The Only One Club, written by Jane Naliboff, realizes that she is the “Only One” in her class who celebrates Hanukkah. She is so proud that she starts a club, but many children who experience this may feel sad. 

A close friend of mine,  remembers her teacher as a child, centering the classroom around Christmas and making her feel very left out of the celebrations.  In many public schools, the teachers avoid holidays all together, some bring many cultures into the classroom, and some still focus solely on Christmas.

Hebrew Letters Shin, Nun, Hay, and Gimel can be found on dreidels;
which teaches the children that not all letters look like A B C

Potato Latkes are a traditional food served during Hanukkah.
Shredded potato that is fried in oil
and served with applesauce

Focusing on the number 8 and counting 1-8.

Sammy Spider lives in the home of the Shapiro family. Although Sammy is not Jewish,
he learns all about the holiday by watching from up above on the ceiling. There are
also more Sammy Spider books for the other Jewish celebrations.

From the book "The Story of Hanukkah"

Playing Dreidel is a great way to practice using those fine motor skills.
Children feel a huge sense of accomplishment when their practice pays off.