All About Me: BIG and SMALL

This week our intern Lacey planned a week of "All About Me," for her class. For today's activity each child had a turn to get traced and then paint themselves. It was a lot of fun and fascinating to see all their individual artistic styles through the way they decorated themselves. 

Once the children were given the paint, we did not interfere with how they wanted to decorate their people. 

To some of them it was simply a giant piece of paper and they were not going to let that person outline get in the way of their painting.

 For others it was a template for making a face and hair and a colorful outfit.  

Some started with a face and hair, but enjoyed using the paint so much they painted right over the face when they ran out of blank space elsewhere. 

Some chose to stay in the lines and others used the WHOLE paper. Some of them traced the outline with paint, while others made a few very intentional blobs of color and stated, "I'm done."

No matter their styles, they all really enjoyed having a turn being traced and seeing their "big" selves on the paper. They also loved having a large piece of space to create all on their own.

We also have mini-me versions of everyone that they like to carry around and play with. This week we taped them upright on to blocks to encourage even more play with the photos.

I'm realizing right now that these are all girls in this picture. I just went to check and one (or more) of the children seemed to have created a boy shelf and a girl shelf. Not sure if it was intentional or not. Very interesting!

This is such a fun way to get a group photo when everybody has such different schedules.

Group Block Building

Today we practiced a lot of skills at our group meeting time. 

We had a platform in the middle of the rug that the children were gathered around.

Each child waited for their name to be called (mostly in groups of 3 or 4) and they sneaked through our secret entrance into the block area to choose two blocks to add to a group structure. 

My goals were for children to practice patience, turn taking and to create something as a team.

As I watched and guided the activity I realized that there were so many more skills being practiced. 

We talked about what we thought the structure reminded us of.

 Most children agreed with each other that it was either a maze or a city.

Making space and taking turns through our secret entrance.

I learned a lot about a few personalities when I realized many children were choosing only certain blocks from certain shelves, while a few were more interested in finding something unique to add.

As the city continued to become more complex, children needed to be more aware of other blocks that were already in place. 

Several children knocked over blocks which started a chain reaction of other blocks. Some children took the time to set other people's blocks back where they were. Only a couple children almost became upset when they knocked a block over or when something they had placed was knocked over. Some interesting observations about their social emotional development.

Some children reached very carefully through blocks to try and retrieve those that had been knocked, while others were unaware and knocked several more over in the process. Lots of observations about spatial awareness.

We talked about when you work together as a team on something, than everybody has to decide together when is the right time to knock it all over. We took a vote and destruction hit the city along with laughter and giggles.

Clean up and sorting. The children all worked together to deliver and sort the blocks on to their proper shelves. They continued to manage squeezing through the secret entrance. Not only were we managing our bodies and focus in a small busy space, we were practicing to put things away where they belong. 

Blocks are one of the items in the classroom that can be frustrating and overwhelming for children to clean up, but suddenly it was fun.

Working Together and Helping Each Other: Week 2

This was our second week of working together and helping each other. The preschoolers are really starting to settle into the routine and we are having a lot of fun. Here is a recap of our daily activities. These activities are just one portion of our day. Most of the morning is spent making free choices around the classroom. These activities are to encourage the new group to become a community and to get to know the classroom. We have also been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the gorgeous fall weather. 

Monday: We played the Cooperation Island Game, which turned more into the Cooperation Boat Game (Islands seemed a little abstract for two year olds). They had so much fun dancing while the music was playing. When the music stopped they were a little hesitant to share a "boat" with friends, especially since some of them are newer friends. With a little inviting (and hugging) from each other, they found ways to make it work. A few friends decided that they were not quite comfortable to participate yet, but they seem to sit a little closer to the group each time. :)

Tuesday: We broke into two groups at the "circle" and "rectangle" tables. There was lots of materials available for loose parts exploration. These were newer materials and they were mostly exploring them by themselves. Maybe next time they will be interested in more collaboration. For now they at least practiced sharing materials and work space. The table time was also filled with a lot of rich language and conversations. 

Wednesday: We divided into three small groups. Each group had a different type of building blocks and a different teacher. The groups rotated through the three areas and were able to experiment and add to what the other groups had been working on. 

Thursday: We split into two groups to work together to make playdough. We all took turns adding the ingredients and mixing and stirring. After that they spent quite awhile at the table working with the new dough and talking with their friends. 

Friday: We sat together on the rug and sorted out all the counters by color! I was really surprised that everybody there that day new exactly what to do! After they were sorted by color we scrambled them back up and sorted out the pet counters from the bug counters, which was a little more tricky. One group took the pets to the table to build homes with the foam blocks. The other group stayed on the rug with the bug counters and the tree blocks. In their small groups they built homes and sorted out the bugs and pets by families (species). 

What a great week! I can't wait to see how everybody continues to fall into the rhythm this week. I am definitely seeing friendships budding and confidence growing! 

Getting Started

For the month of September, I like to spend some time introducing the children to the materials, the classroom and each other. We will spend a lot of time working in groups of two, three, four and even as a whole group. This gives us a chance to practice sharing space and materials, as well as reinforcing the idea of cooperation and teamwork. 

For the first week, most of our activities were whole group activities. It was a short, but busy week.

On Tuesday we started "Working Together and Helping Each Other," by gathering in the block area. Everyone was invited to build onto a group structure. The children stayed for almost an hour. The main purpose of this activity was to share space, promote language, introduce block play and cleaning up. It probably looked like we were just playing.

On Wednesday, we gathered at the table to practice using glue sticks and creating collage. Most of the children were quick to join us. Some of the older children who have had plenty of practice, decided it was old news and went off to play elsewhere.

On Thursday, we worked together to build an enormous railroad. We used every piece we could find! A few of our friends, old and new have serious interest in trains, so there was a lot of time spent here after the track was complete.

Friday we gathered in the Dress up Area to explore all the materials there. We had so much fun dressing up in all the costumes that we didn't have any time for pictures. :) 

This week we are going to give our Cooperation Island Game another try. I am very interested to see the difference between this group and last year's group. This year the children are much younger and less familiar with each other. 

Just playing! at the table.

This post is part of a blog hop that focuses on why playing isn't "Just Playing." 

This is a weekly event that is meant to encourage educators and parents to really think about how children learn through play. 

Play IS how children learn.

These materials were set out on the table in baskets and were one of the choices available in the classroom that day.

Children were exploring the materials all on their own.

We may be "just playing", but....

What are the children doing here?

What do you see?

What learning is taking place?

What skills are being practiced/developed?

This post is part of the "Just Playing?" Blog Hop!

Thank you for remembering that young children do not "just play." Young children play. They develop through play. They learn through play. They experiment through play. They grow through play. A child's work is play. 

Play is important!

Please take a moment to reflect upon the photos and questions above. I would love for you to share your observations in a comment. I'd also like to invite you to "hop" on over to all of the other bloggers who are sharing photos of children learning through play this week:

If you are looking for more of our “Just Playing?” posts and resources from around the globe, please visit our Pinterest Board.

Are you a blogger? Would you like to join the JUST PLAYING? blog hop community?

You can join the hop via our Facebook Group: Just Playing?

or please contact Amy from Child Central Station for more information.

Bean Bags, Boxes and Tubes.

The boxes have been arriving on a regular basis as I prepare for Christmas. I have been taping them back up with packing tape and adding them to the block area without any real discussion.  Last week two kids had created a whole factory type set up. They were involved in a game that they called "delivery."  The kids have also enjoyed stacking the boxes as high as they can before they tip over.

On Thursday, I found myself with a total of four boys (half our daily group) and a very cold day. I pulled out the bean bags, without really knowing what we were going to do. I decided to set up targets with the boxes and tubes.  Who doesn't love to throw things and knock things over?

Block Creations

Lots of block building going on last week. Thought I would share a  few photos that I took before things got knocked over. :)

Roasting Marshmallows on the grill.

I had made the frame around the rug as an invitation to play. It worked.