Promoting a Love of Learning!

I have planned for next weeks session on Thursday 19th of September 2013 a Mud Kitchen for the children in this session to take part in! I am so excited about this event purely because it gives the children a chance to explore their senses and the consistency of mud through very messy play!

Since becoming Sensory Play Co-ordinater, I have become increasingly passionate about bringing new activities, resources and experiences into the setting. I want the children to thrive and experience new things, and experiment with different resources and materials. I feel so eager about this Mud Kitchen, so the children can not only develop gross motor movements of moulding and manipulating mud, previously adapting on the skills they already have. But, to also have their curiosity ignited by a new activity, giving them a chance to describe, elaborate and promote this experience to not only their peers and the staff members but within their home life as well.

Many of the children within the setting are curious about how things work, and this Kitchen will not only allow them the chance to explore and develop their curiosity, but also allow them to develop new learning strengths, and how to apply what they have learnt here into numerous other situations.

I feel this will also be a learning challenge for them, to work as a group, communicating experiences and processes involved in this Mud Kitchen. This will also greatly enhance Sustained Shared thinking between the children and the adults within the setting. The reason this activity will encompass Sustained Shared Thinking is because: this activity will be carried on for a period of time, and planning will provide for this. It is a shared experience between the group of children and the adults and will promote dialogue and communication with lots of terminology in regards to MUD! Finally, this experience will allow me to process and visualize each individual child's way of thinking and learning, getting to grips with this activity!

Hope you are excited as I am about this activity!!!!

Sensory Box!

I have had great fun creating a Sensory Box for the start of the new term! The idea is that the staff put Sensory objects/items inside, and at quiet times such as Story Time we ask the children to lift the flap and have a feel of the item inside (without peeking!). It relies on them using their touch/feelings in relation to the unseen items in the box.

I used an old, very colourful Iron Fist shoe box! I cut out a rectangular shape hole, large enough for a child to fit there hand through. I didn't cut it completely off, so this acts as a hinge/doorway. I proceeded to stick lots of sensory items on the box to make it more decorative this included: coloured pom poms, foam letters and animal shapes, buttons, pipe cleaners, soft material and tin foil.

Here are some photos of my Sensory Box:

Side of the Box, with coloured Foam letters, asking the question: What is it?

Coloured Foam animals on the side 

Tin foil and touchy fabric on the side

The hinge/doorway on the lid of the box. I used a sparkly pipe cleaner on the top as a lifting mechanism/handle 

The top of my Sensory Box! :)

I am very excited to use this in the setting, and I cant wait to see what responses the children give us! I'm going to have great fun finding items to put in here! This will be making an appearance at Playgroup in September 2013, let me know what you think of it!