Material Rotation
One of the indicators of a high quality classroom is when the materials change to peak interest. Have you ever taken a toy and just moved it to a different part of the house and all the sudden it’s like new again? We are one month into school and the children seem to still really be engaged in the materials we have out but I wanted to add little spice. Today I added a few different materials to the table. I added a different type of beading project that’s a little smaller for their fingers ( and bit more of a challenge)
and I added stamping with letters.
I also added one of those old wooly Willy photos where you move the shavings around with the magnet. The kids love that. That’s a little bit of science action .
There were a couple other science objects too!
I put out one of the old pattern pictures games. The children match the shapes to the picture to create something. There’s so many skills that are covered with this one. Shape recognition, matching, spacial reasoning, and creativity to name a few.
I also added clay to the table today. It was interesting to listen to their comments whrn they realized it was different than Playdoh . Paisley said, ” This is too hard! Can we get the other?” I explained that modeling clay is used for different things and attached a small rolled piece to my forehead to make myself a unicorn. 🤷🏻♀️ I asked them would that work with regular Playdoh ? My goal is not to extract answers but to encourage thinking.
I added acrylic shape stencils to the table today. This is a great way for them to practice writing shapes but in a fun way that helps them be successful. When I was explaining how to use the stencils I held up a diamond and asked them if they knew what the shape was.
Later in the morning one of the children took two triangles and put them back to back and said look I made one too ! ❤️❤️
It was a busy morning but I still cling to the fact that these kids are amazing. There is such a good vibe in our preschool family.
